(GERING & HARRISON, NE) A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that over 130,000 visitors to Scotts Bluff and Agate Fossil Beds National Monuments in 2014 spent $7.5 million in communities near the parks. That spending supported 111 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of over $8.6 million.
“The National Parks in western Nebraska welcome visitors from across the country and around the world,” said Superintendent James Hill at Agate Fossil Beds NM. “We are delighted to share the story of Scotts Bluff and the National Historic Trails that pass through here as well as the stories of the bones preserved in one of the most significant Miocene Epoch mammal sites,” added Tom Schaff, Acting Superintendent of Scotts Bluff NM.
The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by U.S. Geological Survey economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas and Christopher Huber and National Park Service economist Lynne Koontz. The report shows $15.7 billion of direct spending by 292.8 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 277,000 jobs nationally; 235,600 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $29.7 billion.
According to the 2014 report, most park visitor spending was for lodging (30.6 percent) followed by food and beverages (20.3 percent), gas and oil (11.9 percent), admissions and fees (10.2 percent) and souvenirs and other expenses (9.9 percent).
To download the report visit http://www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/economics.cfm.
The report includes information for visitor spending at individual parks and by state.
To learn more about national parks in Nebraska and how the National Park Service works with Nebraska communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to www.nps.gov/nebraska.
The Scotts Bluff National Monument visitor center is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The summit road remains open from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. All Monument trails are open from sunrise until sunset.
The Agate Fossil Beds National Monument visitor center is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The monument’s two trails, the Daemonelix and the Fossil Hills Trails, are open year-round from dawn to dusk.