LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas state parks saw a “significant” increase in visits last month, especially with new users.
State Parks Director Linda Lanterman said the increase in the last weeks of April offset the revenue state parks lost in March, when Kansas issued its stay-at-home order, the Lawrence Journal-World reported.
The number of visits is up about 200,000 from last April, Lanterman said.
If the parks are able to remain open and the high traffic continues, “we can make good strides to increasing our revenue we lost,” she said.
Kansas’ state parks also lost about about $1.2 million in user fees as a result of summer flooding last year.
“I think during this pandemic, being outside is good for us,” she said.
There’s also plenty of room for social distancing given miles of trails and various campgrounds.
“The public understands that they need to social distance to have the benefit of going to a state park,” Lanterman said.
