Acadia park creates $14 for each $1 spent by feds

BAR HARBOR – Acadia National Park pumps at least $14 into the state and local economy for every $1 spent by the federal government on the park’s budget, the National Parks Conservation Association said Wednesday.

A report by the organization contends that on average national parks provide at least $4 for every $1 spent by the federal government on them.

According to the report, Acadia generates $100 million in annual recreational benefits within its $7 million budget. Visitors generate nearly $140 million annually in local revenue while supporting more than 3,500 jobs, it said.

The National Parks Conservation Association has been pressing the Bush administration and Congress to boost funding for national parks in the 2008 fiscal year. The annual budget shortfall is pegged at $800 million, the group said.

“We need to take care of the parks that take care of us,” Alexander Brash, the group’s senior northeast regional director.