From Yellowstone’s Old Faithful geyser to the soaring peaks of the Rocky Mountains, America’s national parks preserve iconic examples of our nation’s natural and cultural heritage. What’s more, parks and other public lands fuel America’s $646 billion outdoor recreation economy and are economic engines that support communities across the country.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, and what better way to celebrate than to visit a national park. From April 16-24, all national parks will charge no admission and many will provide a range of recreational and educational activities.
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed a law creating the National Park Service, with a mission of conserving new and existing parks for generations to come. Initially comprised of existing parks, such as Wyoming’s Yellowstone and California’s Yosemite, the National Park Service has grown to include more than 400 areas across all 50 states.
You can celebrate 100 years of national parks by finding the park nearest you.
In recent years, Americans have flocked to parks in increasing numbers. In 2015 alone, national parks received a record 307 million visitors, 14 million more than the year before. This is particularly evident in the West, where a poll conducted by Colorado College found that 95 percent of respondents had visited national public lands at least once in the past year.
Visitors boost local economies, supporting a wide range of industries, from restaurants and hotels to outdoor recreation. According to the National Park Service, in 2014 visitors spent more than $15 billion in gateway communities, supporting roughly 277,000 jobs. These economic benefits are spread across the West, where visitor spending supported 7,846 jobs near Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park, 7,822 jobs near Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park, and nearly 2,500 jobs near Utah’s Arches National Park.
Not only do national parks attract visitors, they also provide nearby communities with a competitive advantage. In today’s wired world, business can happen from virtually anywhere and many employees are attracted to towns with access to parks and other public lands. This fact plays out in the data: Headwaters Economics found that rural counties in the West with more than 30 percent of their land under federal protection created jobs four times faster than rural counties without federally protected lands. Further, seniors moving to the West are three times more likely to move to counties with a higher percentage of protected public lands, such as national parks. That’s why continuing to protect public lands is a good business decision.
Public lands provide access to outdoor recreation and drive local economies, benefits that are a bedrock of our Western lifestyle. As we celebrate 100 years of the National Park Service, we must also look towards the next century and conserve our natural heritage for generations to come.