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Attendance at NY state parks up 2.3M
PRESS RELEASE
ALBANY — State parks saw a total of 43.7 million visitors through the summer months this year, a 5.6 percent bump over the same period in 2011.
There were 2.3 million more visits in 2012 over the previous year, according to the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Attendance was boosted in part by well-attended events on Long Island, in Saratoga Springs and Nic Wallenda’s nationally televised tightrope walk over Niagara Falls, Parks Commissioner Rose Harvey said.
The latest attendance figures were released by the office Thursday. They include all visits from the beginning of the year through Sunday.
"New Yorkers are fortunate to have such high-quality and inviting state parks and historic sites across the state, and we hope to see even more visitors have fun at their parks this Labor Day weekend,” Harvey said in a statement.
The state operates 178 parks and 35 historic sites across New York. The Niagara Reservation, which includes Niagara Falls State Park, saw the greatest number of visitors, with about 6.4 million. That’s up by about 40,000 visits from 2011.
“There’s an inconsequentiality to our lives that living in the wilderness shows up. Mountain are real, they set their limits, they set ours. They expose us, make us vulnerable and strong at the same time. “ --Alison Wat