Shutdown cost national parks at least $414M

ap.org ^ | 3/4/14 | MATTHEW DALY-ap

[ColdOne]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration says the government shutdown last fall resulted in nearly 8 million fewer visitors to national parks, costing the parks and surrounding communities an estimated $414 million in lost visitor spending.

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said the shutdown was a striking reminder that national parks are a powerful economic engine for local economies across the country.

The report released Monday said five states, including California and Arizona, lost more than $20 million during the 16-day shutdown.

[Toucan Dance]

Don’t miss out! Shaft ‘em good. If you’re 62 or older, you can buy a lifetime geezer pass for only $10 at any national park. Then you can go free!*

*Enter parks at no cost to you, that is. You can’t actually go free; you’re stuck in Obama’s America now.

[Red Badger]

They didn’t ‘lose’ anything........................

[Red Badger]

All the ‘National’ Parks should be turned over to their individual states.......................

[Red Badger]

Here, between Ft. Walton Beach and Destin, FL they ‘shut down’ the little Gulf Islands National Seashore park. It is nothing more than a parking lot and a restroom building.................The just closed a pipe gate and locked it............STUPID.......................

[Sacajaweau]

Yes...I have written this many times before. And yes, I said the same thing...They belong to the state in which they lie.

Someone wrote back then....some are in two states.

Never wrote back because I'm sure that two states can work it out.

[Joe Boucher]

sure glad i visited Yellowstone last year prior to this bastard and his minions screwing Americans.

[Red Badger]

Each state gets a cut proportional to the land mass that’s in their borders. Simple....................

[DoodleDawg]

I know it cost them some of mine. I was in Bar Harbor during the shutdown and Acadia National Forest was closed.

[Timocrat]

Time to do away with National Parks...

Or at least return them to the individual states. If they are so good at generating revenue let the individual states run them.

I missed the Article in the US constitution that gave the federal government the power to set up national parks.

[Sacajaweau]

The Constitution is HOW the government works. The Bill of Rights was added...IIRC...almost 10 years later.

Laws come about....The Constitution explains the procedure.

The Constitution has been altered many times...i.e., amendments.

At some point, the park system was set up.

[facedown]

Why not just claim it cost 100 trillion? It would be just as believable.

[Carry_Okie]

The report released Monday by the National Park Service shows that for the nearly $1 million the Utah Legislature agreed to pay to keep the parks open during a six-day period, nearly $10 million was spent at the parks and in local gateway communities.

Proving once again that putting an armed police state in charge of the land-entertainment business is a total waste of money.