Wyoming Fact & Fiction - Neil A. Waring: Wyoming State Parks

Showing posts with label Wyoming State Parks. Show all posts

Are More Visitors the Answer?

Each year, six million people visit Wyoming's best-known tourist sites, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Devils Tower. Those are impressive numbers and bring in more than a billion dollars. Interestingly about that, many folks visited Wyoming State Parks last year, bringing in close to another billion dollars. One big difference is that more than sixty percent of State Park visitors are Wyoming residents. Overall visitation to Wyoming State Parks was up over twenty percent last year. Great value for residents with a yearly park pass. Camping in state parks remains popular, with many parks full to overfull each weekend, and sometimes sites are hard to find mid-week – a nice dilemma.

The mining and extraction industries continue to drive the most revenue for the state. With doubts about the future of these industries, although most of the monies are likely safe for another decade or so, something else needs to move up. Tourism ranks second in revenue raised for the state and might be the best candidate for growth. Overall about 12% of jobs in Wyoming are part of the tourism industry. We need the tourists and probably need to do more to encourage growth in the industry.

Agriculture and manufacturing follow as the third and fourth essential money raisers for our state — each industry contributes about a billion dollars to the state coffers each year. With about 1.4 million cows (nearly three per person), Wyoming agriculture centers around the beef industry and remains strong. Wyoming does not have a lot of tillable land. Of all the farm and ranch land in the state, only about 10% is used for crops.

Manufacturing in the state is growing slowly because a big part of manufacturing in the state centers around the oil and gas industry, with refineries in five Wyoming communities facing an uncertain long-term future. Banking on manufacturing and or increasing it might not be sustainable as a goal for the long-term future.

What We Can't Do – We can't do much about the coming decline in the mineral extraction industry. We cannot create another National Park, and we will have a tough time increasing agriculture production in the state. Some might argue that the cattle and maybe sheep/goat industry has room for growth, but with the government controlling half of Wyoming – who knows what will or will not be allowed.

What We Can Do – Work on tourism!

Get people to stay longer. I thought it was a shame that the National Parks destroyed so many mountain goats in Teton Park in 2020. I would love to have seen some moved to state parklands. After all, the 12 Wyoming State Parks make up about 100,000 total acres; an additional park attraction would be a welcome addition. I know the arguments about disease and competition with Big Horn Sheep and local domestic sheep and goat herds. But, others have found a way – why not us. We were thrilled to see a mountain goat in the Black Hills a few years ago – it was a special treat.

Speaking of the Black Hills, I know of Wyoming people who go to Custer State Park to see wild horses and Burros and pay to drive through the park that also features a nice bison heard. Why not here?

We have bison at Hot Springs, and they seem to do well. The addition of bison, wild horses, and mountain goats could make some of our parks even more attractive.

We need to keep expanding for younger people and those new to the state parks scene. Additions, such as ziplines, sledding areas, remote camping areas, and more hiking and biking trails engage a wide range of citizens and visitors. I have noticed some additions recently to parks, like the archery range and hidden treasures in Guernsey, both great ideas.

I also like the passport/prizes idea that some states use to increase tourist numbers. Any person could purchase a small passport-like book with places to stamp or have signed when visiting a park. Pretty simple - each passport holder gets one year, or half a year, to visit all 12 parks to enter the giveaway. The prizes would be sponsored and funded by private individuals or donors who would be recognized in the passport. (These passports would make terrific Christmas stocking stuffers). With this one, I am hoping that gas prices will not remain where they are now as I write this.

I have a lot more ideas. Some might even be good. Who knows?

What do you think?

My New Slogan for Wyoming

Wyoming

Wide-open spaces & not many people

Time to dream

Hike a trail

Climb a mountain

Breath deeply & look around

It's pretty special

Wyoming

It is time to quit being reactionary and become visionaries for our state.

Have a terrific week!

Not Much Has Changed in 70 Years

Velma Linford’s textbook, Wyoming Frontier State published in 1947 ends with words that seem as appropriate today as they were when written more than 70 years ago. Linford ends here textbook with these sentiments.

Legislative interim committees are busy studying the revision of educational laws, the revision of election laws, and new sources of income for the state. Members on the committees are men who are aware of the needs of the state as well as of the state’s potentialities. They expect to have definite recommendations for the 1949 legislature.

Faced by problems which will determine Wyoming Tomorrow, the state must necessarily emerge from its frontier status or face a future as the playground of the nation.

Maybe that is where we are still heading, 70 years later, a playground, tourist destination, for the nation. Everything from our spectacular views, to wildlife, and even our low population, seem to attract visitors. With that in mind, possibly we should be spending more, not less, on advertising our state. It also might be a time to promote, expand, and update tourist attractions and activities in the eastern and central parts of the state. By doing this, we might be able to slow visitors as they dash across the state to visit Yellowstone, The Black Hills, Glacier National Park, or Rocky Mountain National Park, depending on which direction they travel.

I love our state parks, and now might be the time to take a long look at what else we can do with our State Parks and Historical Sites and some of our state land to attract more tourism. We might start by looking at the family entertainment venues in places like the Black Hills to see what keeps people there for more than a quick drive through. As much as some hate to look at what others are doing, we might also look at the multitude of programs available for kids and families in the Nebraska State Parks system.

Just my thoughts!

All Photos are from the Castle at Guernsey State Park

Bring on the Tourists

Must Be In Wyoming

With Wyoming coal now suffering at the hands of environmentalists, the downturn in crude oil prices, and natural gas, seemingly in abundance everywhere, Wyoming, once again, is seeing an economic slowdown. We have been through these before the last big one in the 1980s and a smaller one in the 90s. The difference is that this time there may be no natural recovery.

So now is the time for Wyoming to go to work. Survival without the huge money from the minerals industries. At one time ranching was Wyoming’s lifeblood, no longer. It should, and will stay as part of Wyoming’s economy, but will never be able to put the state on its back and carry it. Farming is iffy in our high country and now with corn prices falling to half what they were two years ago I would suspect we will see less, not more farm products growing in our state.

What can we do?

First, we cannot spout only gloom and doom. Nor can we simply continue to say we need to promote more businesses to open or move to the state – that should be a given, and always a part of the state's economic strategy.

My two cents worth

I believe that we need to put more money, not less, into parks and park staffs, expand, historical, cultural and physical opportunities in Wyoming’s State Parks. Game and Fish needs to continue to expand stocking, and fishing opportunities and the state needs to look into additional trout fishing areas. The area where I live on the North Platte River, below Guernsey Dam, could be a fantastic fishery, but I don’t see the fisherman there any longer. I not sure why the fishing is no longer as good but with a state park and Fort Laramie nearby it would, and could be a day long stop for tourists. I am sure there are places and situations like this all over the state, and we need to keep working on them.

The View North From Guernsey State Park's Brimmer Point

Tourism

Visitors spent nearly three and a half billion dollars in our state last year. We saw a five percent growth in that vital industry in 2015. The State Parks and Historic sites and Game and Fish do a terrific job with limited resources. Now might be a good time to spend significantly more in these areas, expand staff and spend money to make money. Keep this high growth industry on the move. Adding to facilities, expanding opportunities for visitors. The question will undoubtedly be, where do we get the money? Find it? I have long marveled that out of state boaters are not charged to put a boat into Wyoming waters. Out of state camping fees could be slightly raised, as could out of state hunting and fishing licenses. Our lodging tax is also low compared to surrounding areas.

We are going to need to see growth in tourism every year. There needs to be a way to get out of state visitors to spend more days when they visit. I think Wyoming’s office of tourism is on the right track building an awareness of Wyoming and all the historical and recreational opportunities available here. Now may be the time to spend money.