Date: February 27, 2013
Contact:Gloria Lee, (912) 786-5787
A Sunset over the Monument
NPS/Cadoff
Savannah, GA - A new National Park Service (NPS) report for 2011 shows that the 408,104 visitors to Fort Pulaski National Monument spent $21,605,000 in communities surrounding the park. This spending supported 312 jobs in the local area.
"Fort Pulaski is one of the most well-preserved historic and natural resources in the United States," said Interim Superintendent, Terri Wales. "The story of Fort Pulaski appeals to a wide range of visitors. It is the site of Robert E. Lee's first assignment, of John Wesley's first sermon in the New World, of a Civil War battle at which rifled cannons first successfully breached masonry fortifications - signaling the obsolescence of such fortifications for coastal defenses. It is also the site where, in 1862, U.S. General David Hunter issued an unauthorized order to emancipate slaves in 3 states. Additionally, the National Monument contains one of the largest federally protected salt marshes in the United States."
"Visitors from across the U.S. and around the world come here to experience the beauty and history of the park, Savannah, and Tybee Island and then spend time and money enjoying the services provided by our neighboring communities and getting to know this amazing part of the country. The National Park Service is proud to have been entrusted with the care of America's most treasured places and delighted that the visitors we welcome generate significant contributions to the local, state, and national economy."
The information on Fort Pulaski is part of a peer-reviewed spending analysis of national park visitors across the country conducted by Michigan State University for the National Park Service. For 2011, that report shows $13 billion of direct spending by 279 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. That visitor spending had a $30 billion impact on the entire U.S. economy and supported 252,000 jobs nationwide.
Most visitor spending supports jobs in lodging, food, and beverage service (63 percent) followed by recreation and entertainment (17 percent), other retail (11percent), transportation and fuel (7 percent) and wholesale and manufacturing (2 percent.)
To download the report, visit www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/products.cfm#MGM and click on Economic Benefits to Local Communities from National Park Visitation, 2011.
The report includes information for visitor spending at individual parks and by state.
To learn more about national parks in Georgia and how the National Park Service works with communities to preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide local recreation opportunities, go to www.nps.gov/ga.
Fort Pulaski National Monument is located on U.S. Highway 80, 15 miles east of Savannah. For more information, please visit the website of Fort Pulaski National Monument at www.nps.gov/fopu or call (912) 786-5787. You can also follow the park on Twitter at www.twitter.com/FortPulaskiNPS or like the official Fort Pulaski National Monument Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FortPulaskiNPS.
