WASHINGTON – A report issued by the National Park Service yesterday illuminated some of the impacts of last October’s government shutdown on national parks and their surrounding communities.
The report compared the number of visitors to national parks and visitor spending in “gateway communities” within 60 miles of the parks in October 2013 with average figures for the preceding three years. At Mesa Verde National Park, the report estimates 30,000 fewer visits than average and an estimated loss of $3 million in visitor spending.
The government shutdown occurred when Congress was unable to agree on a resolution to fund the government after Republicans and Democrats squabbled over GOP insistence on delaying the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.
The shutdown caused Mesa Verde and most national parks across the country to be closed from Oct. 1 to Oct. 16. It is hard to know exactly how many people were forced to cancel their plans, delay their visits or make the most of their time in the area without seeing Mesa Verde’s famous cliff dwellings.
“We definitely saw and felt the impact, especially in the first week of the closure,” Jack Llewellyn, executive director of the Durango Chamber of Commerce, said. “We talked with individuals who said they planned around going to Mesa Verde, and tried to give them other options and keep them in the community.”
Officials from Mesa Verde National Park did not respond Monday to requests for comment. The report was released late in the day.
On a national level, there were 7.88 million fewer park visits in October, and a estimated loss of $414 million in spending in surrounding communities.
“From Rocky Mountain National Park to Mesa Verde National Park to the Colorado National Monument, our public lands form the very foundation of the Centennial State,” Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colorado, wrote in a statement Monday. “This report underscores the destructive effect that partisan politics can have on these national treasures. The reckless 2013 government shutdown and the pain it caused in Estes Park and across Colorado have only steeled my resolve to keep fighting to support and protect Colorado’s spectacular parks and monuments and the communities they support,” he wrote.
Udall is the chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on National Parks.
Some parks, such as Rocky Mountain National Park, were able to open with state funding near the end of the shutdown. However, the states have not been reimbursed for this funding, though bills doing so were introduced in the Senate and the House last year and supported by Udall, Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez.
The shutdown report was released in conjunction with figures on the economic impact of the National Park system in 2012. The report found that, in 2012, more than 5.8 million people visited Colorado’s national parks, spending $347.4 million in the surrounding communities and directly supporting almost 4,991 jobs.
“National park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy – returning $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service – and it’s a big factor in our local economy as well,” Cliff Spencer, superintendent of Mesa Verde National Park, said in a statement on Monday. “We appreciate the partnership and support of our neighbors and are glad to be able to give back by helping to sustain local communities.”
Katie Fiegenbaum is a student at American University in Washington, D.C., and an intern for The Durango Herald. Reach her at kfiegenbaum@durangoherald.com.
