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Visits to state parks in North Country drop 7.4 percent in 2010

Posted 1/16/11

Visits to state parks in the Thousand Islands Region, in which St. Lawrence County is located, dropped 7.4 percent in 2010 compared to a year earlier. Statewide, however, the state park system hosted …

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Visits to state parks in North Country drop 7.4 percent in 2010

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Visits to state parks in the Thousand Islands Region, in which St. Lawrence County is located, dropped 7.4 percent in 2010 compared to a year earlier.

Statewide, however, the state park system hosted nearly 57 million visitors last year, an increase of one million visits over 2009.

In the Thousand Islands Region, 2010 attendance was 1.5 million, compared to 1.7 million in 2009. The region includes most of the area north of the Adirondacks, from south of Watertown to Plattsburgh.

Statewide, most of the big gains were in the Palisades Region, which grew from 4.4 million in 2009 to 4.926 million in 2010, and in the Saratoga-Capital Cities Region, where visits increased from 3.1 in 2009 to 3.6 in 2010.

"The robust park and historic site attendance in 2010 reflects the enduring popularity of the New York state park system," Acting Commissioner Andy Beers said. "With so many people turning to affordable and convenient destinations for recreation and culture in these difficult economic times, New York is fortunate to have such high-quality and inviting state parks and historic sites across the state."

Final attendance for 2010 was 56. 9 million, up over a million visits from the previous year's total of 55.9 million. Beers said the attendance was likely bolstered by favorable summer weather and a well-publicized budget agreement that allowed dozens of parks slated for closure to open for the season.

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees 178 state parks and 35 historic sites. For more information, call 518-474-0456, visit www.nysparks.com, or connect on Facebook.