Visitors discover/rediscover state parks in record numbers
Often, some interesting mail comes across my desk, and this week, moved a piece from the state about the number of folks who have visited Montana state parks in 2012.
It says nearly 1.3 million people toured our parks (stateparks.mt.gov) during the 2012 summer season (May through August), which represents a 7 percent increase over last year and a 16 percent increase over the five-year average.
That’s incredible, I thought. Especially, when last year, there was much fanfare about our state’s total population in November topping 1 million.
It always amazes me when I talk to folks and ask about this scenic place or that, and they reply, “You know, I’ve lived here all my life, and I’ve never been there.”
As someone who has lived in our beautiful state for less than two years, I am keenly aware of its beauty and bounty and have a long list of places I want to see.
Why go elsewhere, folks, when we have so much right here!
It seems the state folks are saying the same thing, too.
“We’ve just concluded our best summer season yet. The numbers tell us how much Montanans and out-of-state visitors value state parks as a place to spend time with family and friends camping, fishing, swimming, hiking and enjoying Montana’s outdoor heritage,” said Chas Van Genderen, Administrator for Montana State Parks.
“These visitation numbers are great news for our communities and local economies.”
The area with the largest attraction is just down the road, too.
Kalispell area state parks (Region 1) saw the highest overall visitation for the summer season with 303,135 visitors, collectively.
The Helena/Bozeman/Butte (Region 3) area state parks saw the largest increase in overall visitation from 2011 to 2012, up 22 percent, while Lake Elmo State Park in Billings had the highest visitation of all 54 state parks at 153,000 visitors.
The season peaked in July with more than 445,000 visitors. August was the second busiest month, followed by June and then May.
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One of the best duties of this job is corresponding with the public, something I really enjoy.
To me, community journalism is what this business is all about, and among the most satisfying is corresponding with the public on an item we started here called “Reader’s Photos.”
Shucks, I get some of the best ideas for places to visit and write about from our readers in this format.
Other times, I just enjoy the local shutterbugs and their works of art through the camera lenses.
That’s what happened this week when I got the above photo from Mike Cornwell-Brady who lives outside Troy.
Mike submitted this rabbit and whitetail deer fawn photograph that just harkened back to my childhood and the 1942 animated film “Bambi.”
Mike captured this photo, of all places, in his back yard.
It features an unsuspecting — or perhaps just unthreatened — cottontail as a whitetail deer fawn, with ears forward and all senses on overload approaches the hare.
As soon as I opened the attachment, I thought: Bambi and Thumper.
Just a great photograph, and thanks for the flashback, Mike.
Certainly, it’s a magical moment.
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Local wood carver extraordinaire Ron Adamson is at it again.
Just heard from Ron when he was in Sweden doing an exhibition wood carving.
Seems Ron was invited to come over and show our Scandinavian brothers some good ol’ American ingenuity with wood.
In addition to his doing some of the finer, hand-tooled carvings that he does so well that garnered national acclaim, Ron also did some work on a grander scale that included work with a chainsaw — another totem-pole.
Congrats, Ron.
How were the meatballs?
(Alan Lewis Gerstenecker is editor of The Western News. His column appears weekly.)