Executive Summary of the EDC's Rural Revitalization Program for Mariposa County The economy of Mariposa County is dependent on tourism.  As the home of Yosemite Valley, tourism remains a vibrant industry for the county.  But tourism is seasonal, and occasionally experiences a downturn caused by natural and national events, such as the 1997 “100 Year Flood” and the terrorist attack of September 11TH 2001.  Therefore, some economic diversification is clearly needed.  Diversification of a rural economy encounters some special challenges.  Our roots in ranching, agriculture, forestry and mining offer little hope for future prosperity.  Residents are reluctant to embrace major changes.  And a limited infrastructure makes some opportunities unrealistic; Mariposa simply cannot competitive successfully for certain highly desirable “clean” industries, such as high technology.  The result of these and other factors is the reality that Mariposa County’s economy must be diversified in relatively small steps.  The Economic Development Corporation of Mariposa County (EDC) has devised just such a strategy that focuses on opportunities in Tourism, Retirement and the Arts that preserve and enhance Mariposa County’s rural Quality of Life, yielding the acronym TRAQ.   This strategy for getting Mariposa’s economy “On TRAQ” involves strengthening our foundation (tourism), while diversifying the local economy by growing two other industries (retirement and the arts).  Tourism, retirement and the arts all exist naturally now in Mariposa, based in large part on the county’s exceptional quality of life.  And all three opportunities are remarkably synergistic (like an “industry cluster”) and fully compatible with the county’s rural quality of life. Of equal, albeit longer term importance, is that all three are viable and suitable industries, which if nurtured, can give Mariposa the vitality and diversity it needs for a prosperous economy.  In effect, the TRAQ strategy allows minor improvements to have a major beneficial impact on the local economy with little or no detrimental effect.  A myriad of promising initiatives is possible under the TRAQ strategy.  A partially prioritized list exists in this plan.  Of course, more effort and funding are needed to pursue these and other initiatives.  It is the EDC’s hope that the TRAQ strategy will give the community the focus it needs to achieve successful results—now and over time.  The remainder of this document is organized into three sections.  The first is a “Situation Analysis for Mariposa County” that presents some of the considerations and constraints, and includes a “SWOT” analysis outlining our Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.  Next is a section on the “Economic Development Priorities for Mariposa County” that presents the TRAQ strategy and its companion list of initiatives.  Finally, in an appendix, is a statement titled “A Vision of Mariposa County in 2020” that resulted from the project:  Visioning the Future of Mariposa County.  Funding to produce this plan came from the Stanislaus National Forest, U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture through Rural Development Title XXIII, which directs the Secretary of Agriculture, through the Forest Service and other USDA agencies, to assist qualified rural communities in diversifying their local economies.  The program is based on the premise that local citizens, with coordinated assistance provided by the Forest Service, can carry out an action-oriented plan that will promote economic improvement, diversification and revitalization.  The Economic Development Corporation of Mariposa County wishes to express sincere gratitude to the Forest Service for its assistance.  By working together, guided by a shared strategy and set of objectives, the community can accomplish far more in less time with our precious resources.  The TRAQ approach is just such a community-wide strategy—one that is rooted in the our history, yet holds the promise of a better future for all Mariposans.  Read the complete report: Rural Revitalization Program for Mariposa County View the companion presentation: Improving Mariposa County's Economic Prosperity Make your voice heard: E-mail your comments to the EDC