CONTACT: Contact: Charlie Peek, 919/715-8709
Date: March 13, 2003 Distribution: Statewide
North Carolina State Parks Report Record Visitation In 2002
RALEIGH -- A record 13.2 million people visited North Carolina’s state parks in 2002, according to final tallies completed last month by the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation.
The visitation totals represent an increase of five percent over 2001 and a dramatic 160 percent increase during the past 20 years. In 1982, 5.1 million people visited the parks system.
Also in 2002, five of the system’s 33 parks and recreation areas logged more than one million visitors. Those are Jockey’s Ridge and Fort Macon state parks and Falls Lake, Jordan Lake and Kerr Lake state recreation areas. Jordan Lake, Kerr Lake and Fort Macon also rank among the top 10 tourist destinations in North Carolina, according to the N.C. Department of Commerce.
“I think our field staff will tell you from experience that interest in our state parks jumps during difficult economic times,” said Phil McKnelly, director of the division. “The parks offer inexpensive family entertainment and education that’s close at hand. Also, the parks have more types of recreational activities and educational programs than ever before.”
Eighteen state parks experienced increases in visitation during the year, the most significant being at Fort Fisher State Recreation Area (49 percent), Lake Norman State Park (41 percent), Gorges State Park (53 percent), Jordan Lake State Recreation Area (25 percent) and New River State Park (18 percent).
As of Dec. 30, the parks system operated with a field staff of 299, including 156 rangers and superintendents. If averaged throughout the system, each ranger or superintendent would have served 84,615 visitors during the year.
“We’re thrilled that more people are discovering state parks, but the record numbers came at a difficult time for us,” McKnelly said. “State budget difficulties forced the loss of 15 positions and a hiring freeze left many parks shorthanded. That so many people found a good experience in our parks is a tribute to the dedication of our permanent rangers and maintenance staff.”
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, visitation at the state parks grew at a faster rate than the state’s population. Among all outdoor attractions in North Carolina, the parks system as a whole is second in visitation only to the Blue Ridge Parkway of the National Parks Service.
(EDITORS: A complete summary of 2002 visitation totals is available on our website www.ncsparks.net. From the home page, click “Read the News.”)
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