State won't pay to open Seashore

Source: Cape Cod Times, Hyannis, Mass.迷你倉Oct. 12--SOUTH WELLFLEET -- Although the Obama administration has said it's willing to reopen national parks if the states foot the bill, that won't be happening at the Cape Cod National Seashore.On Friday, a state spokeswoman said Massachusetts would not pay to open the Seashore and suggested, instead, visitors stop by the region's state parks.The Seashore has been closed since Oct. 1 under the partial federal government shutdown. It's among the most visited National Park Service properties in the country and hosted 4.4 million people in 2012. The park encompasses about 44,000 acres across six of the Cape's outermost towns."There are more than a dozen state parks on Cape Cod that we encourage residents and tourists to explore and enjoy," Krista Selmi, assistant secretary of communications and public affairs in the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, said Friday in an email to the Times.Several governors requested that the federal government reopen national parks because of the effect the closures are having on state economies, according to The Associated Press. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said the government would consider offers to use state money to resume park operations but would not surrender control of national parks or monuments to the states.So far, Utah, Colorado, South Dakota, Arizona and New York have jumped at the deal.South Dakota and several corporate donors worked out a deal with the National Park Service to reopen Mount Rushmore beginning Monday. South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard said it will cost $15,200 a day to pay the federal government to run the landmark in the Black Hills. He said he wired four days' worth of the donations on Friday.In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state will pay $61,600 a day to fully fund Park Service personnel and keep the Statue of Liberty open.Arizona officials said a deal reached Friday will mean visitors should be able to return to Grand Canyo儲存 National Park today.In Utah, federal workers rushed to reopen five national parks for 10 days after the state sent $1.67 million to the U.S. government with the hope of saving its lucrative tourist season.The Seashore's annual budget is about $7 million, taking into account sequestration cuts, Seashore Superintendent George Price said a few days prior to the shutdown. The park brings in another $1.5 million in fees that pay for many services, such as lifeguards, Price said. The park employs about 130 people, he said, and 11 were expected to stay on the job during the shutdown.The shutdown is not only an inconvenience but is scaring away potential visitors, Wellfleet Chamber of Commerce Executive Administrator Jennifer Pierce said Friday."It's a real disappointment to us that the (Marconi Beach) parking lot is shut down," Pierce said.Wellfleet is lucky that it has its own Atlantic coast beaches that are open, she said. And, the parking lots and trails for Seashore properties at Great Island, on Cape Cod Bay and at the kettle ponds are still open, Pierce said."I guess the most frustrating thing is that some tourists just think they shouldn't come. They hear 'shut down.'"The partial federal shutdown has increased attendance at a number of state parks, especially during its first week, William Hickey, state Department of Conservation and Recreation acting press secretary, said Friday in an email.At Walden Pond, in Concord and Lincoln, an uptick in attendance was especially noticeable, Hickey said, as schools that booked field trips to national parks needed to adapt quickly and find a new site.Nickerson State Park in Brewster, off Route 6A, remains open for daytime use year-round from dawn to dusk, Hickey said. The park's restrooms are open until Oct. 27.The Associated Press contributed to this story.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 Cape Cod Times (Hyannis, Mass.) Visit the Cape Cod Times (Hyannis, Mass.) at .capecodonline.com Distributed by MCT Information Servicesmini storage