Maryland State Parks -- Sports, Recreation, Quality of Life and $$$$$$

Governor O'Malley and top administration officials journeyed to Western Maryland this week to talk about job creation. It was a good time to unveil results from a year long survey of Maryland State Parks users, because Western Maryland is the state's playground and site of many of its most beautiful (and productive) assets. 

Just as we tout the benefits of sports events on the economy, our friends at DNR have been chanting the same refrain about state parks. Now they have impressive evidence to validate the claim. Bottom line -- Maryland State Parks conserve valuable historic and environmental treasures, make them available for public enjoyment, and generate substantial revenue for the state and local businesses in the process.



These are among the most impressive findings:

• Maryland State Park visitors directly spend more than $567 million during their trips to State Parks, producing a total economic impact of more than $650 million annually.
• State park visitor spending supported more than 10,000 full-time jobs and generated morethan $39 million in state and local retail, gasoline, hotel, and income taxes.
• 70 percent of spending and employment impacts are concentrated within 20 minutes of State Parks in local, "gateway communities," often in rural settings.

• 49 percent of overnight visitors and 29 percent of day visitors are from out-of-state.

In reviewing the study, we noted how many of the parks surveyed are among our sports venues, and sites for large events. Consider Fair Hill, the magnificent 5,613 acre property in the northeast corner of the state. It hosts several large equestrian events every year, as well as a number of mountain bike and cyclocross challenges.

Same with 982 acre Rosaryville State Park in Prince George's County, a favorite of steeplechasers and fox hunters.

Rosaryville is the backdrop for the Marlborough Horse Trials cross-country course, which ranks with the best equestrian triathlon courses in the country. Like Fair Hill, it is also a competition grounds for cyclocross and mountain biking.

786 acre Sandy Point, where the Chesapeake Bay Swim originates and the Polar Bear Plunge is staged, has been a State Park since 1952.  That's the same year the Bay Bridge (seen in the background) opened, replacing the ferry line that operated between Sandy Point and the Eastern Shore.

There's picturesque Gathland State Park in Frederick County, part of the JFK UltraMarathon. The 23 mile Western Maryland and 21 mile Torrey Brown rail trails, used daily for exercise and team training.

That's only a partial list, of course. Many of these parks have yet to realize their potential for hosting local, regional and national events. (Believe us -- Terry is working on that.) This study is a valuable tool in educating folks inside and out of government as to what kind of treasures we have in Maryland and how they can produce for us.

One more noteworthy factor in the study -- the overwhelming degree of satisfaction visitors to the park expressed. We couldn't agree more -- Maryland is blessed with abundant natural resources. We applaud the visionaries whose efforts to preserve them and make them accessible to visitors has paid this handsome dividend. It hasn't always been an easy sell. This report shows why it is a wise investment.

Now we look forward to developing an event (or events) that can showcase these facilities and the beauty of Maryland to an even wider audience while stoking the economic engine even more.