John Day Fossil Beds National Monument Tourism Creates $7,303,000 in Local Economic Benefit

Date: March 12, 2013
Contact: Superintendent

Kimberly, Oregon - A new National Park Service (NPS) report for 2011 shows that the 148,002 visitors to John Day Fossil Beds National Monumentspent $7,303,000in communities surrounding the park.This spending supported 91 jobs in the local area, including Grant and Wheeler Counties.

"John Day Fossil Bedsis an extraordinary place to learn about the Age of Mammals," said park superintendent Shelley Hall. "The number of visits to the park increased in 2011 by almost 10% over the previous year. We attract visitors from across the U.S. and around the world who come to experience the park, as well as spend time and money enjoying the services provided by our neighboring communities and getting to know this amazing area in Eastern Oregon.The National Park Service is proud to have been entrusted with the care of America's most treasured places. We are pleased that visitors to the national monument generate significant contributions to the local, state, and national economy."

The information on John Day Fossil Bedsis 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 (11 percent), 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 Oregon and how the National Park Service works withcommunities to preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide local recreation opportunities, go to www.nps.gov/Oregon.

www.nps.gov

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 398 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.