Page 16 - Flathead Beacon // 3.5.14

16 | MARCH 5, 2014 NEWS FLATHEADBEACON.COM

National Parks in Montana Create $403.4 M in Economic Beneit

Report estimates visitor spending Jewell said.
If there was a silver lining in the government shut-
supported 6,525 jobs in the state
down, it’s that it raised awareness among lawmakers
and gateway communities.
On average, Glacier Park hosts between 50,000 and

By TRISTAN SCOTT of the Beacon
60,000 visitors during the month of October, and ap-
proximately 2 million visitors per year. Following the
Montana’s ive national parks sites yielded more closure, the National Park Service issued a press re-
than $403 million in economic beneits in 2012, with lease showing that the government shutdown would
more than 4.4 million visitors supporting 6,525 jobs result in economic losses of $76 million per day to local
statewide, according to a new report released by the communities.
U.S. Department of the Interior.
Nationwide, the shutdown furloughed more than

Glacier National Park alone drew approximately 20,000 National Park Service employees. Approxi-
2.2 million visitors who spent an estimated $172 mil- mately 3,000 employees remained on duty to ensure
lion in communities near the park, supporting 2,754 A vehicle drives past the Glacier National Park sign at the west en- essential health, safety and security functions at parks
jobs in the local area, the report found.
trance of the park. BEACON FILE PHOTO
and facilities, the agency reported. About 12,000 park
“We are honored and proud to welcome visitors concessions employees across the country were also af-
from across the country and around the world to Gla- the month and reduced spending in gateway communi- fected.
cier National Park,” Superintendent Jef Mow said in a ties across the country, Jewell said.
While Jewell hopes to avoid another shutdown, she
statement. “Glacier is a special place and many times The shutdown cost a half-billion dollars in visitor said budget woes would continue to be problematic for

visitors travel to Montana speciically to visit Glacier, spending nationwide, according to the report.
the National Park Service.
and are introduced to the many other wonderful ame- “Shutting down the parks during that time was a Park Service budgets have not kept on pace with in-
nities that Montana, and Northwest Montana have to real challenge to gateway communities that depended lation and rising costs, resulting in fewer visitor ser-
ofer.”
on those park visitors,” she said. “Let’s hope we never vices and an $11 billion maintenance backlog, Jewell
The new report was announced by Department of have to go there again.”
said.
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and National Parks Ser- According to the report, most visitor spending sup- “It is my job as Secretary of the Interior to make
vice Director Jonathan Jarvis during a teleconference ports jobs in restaurants, grocery and convenience the case to the White House and on Capitol Hill of the

with reporters Monday, along with a separate analysis stores (39 percent), hotels, motels and bed-and-break- importance of national parks and public lands, but it is
of the economic impact of the October 2013 govern- fast locations (27 percent), and other amusement and also the job of citizens to express that importance to
ment shutdown.
recreation (20 percent).
their leaders,” she said. “This economic report is a great
The economic beneits of the 2012 report shone in National park tourism is a signiicant driver in the way for us to quantify that and also to understand how
contrast against the setbacks of the partisan gridlock national economy – returning $10 for every $1 invested we are doing with respect to visitors and how much
that led to the 16-day government shutdown, from Oct. in the National Park Service.
they spend in our local communities.”
1–16, which had signiicant efects on park visitation for
“That’s a pretty strong return on an investment,”
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