State Parks & Historic Sites will Remain Open on Shutdown Days

State parks and historic sites will remain open and staffed on state government shutdown days, which were instituted as a cost-saving measure in the 2010-2011 biennial budget. An official from the Bureau of Parks and Lands emphazied that shutdown days would not have any impact on plans to go to beaches or to stay at campgrounds. Approximately 2.2 million people visit Maine's state parks and historic sites annually. The total economic impact on the economy from visitation to state parks is more than $95 million per year. In implementing shutdown days, the Governor's Office has approved an exemption for certain categories of state employees. State park employees and forest rangers are among those state employees exempted. The exemption for park staff only applies during the regular park season, which runs from May to October. Operational park staff will be taking shutdown days occurring in the off season, from November to April. For more information on Maine's state parks, historic sites, public lands, and trails, visit http://www.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/doc/parksearch/index.pl. Using this site, you can search for a park by region, activity, and facility. Take a day, help support Maine's economy, visit one of Maine's many state parks. My favorite is Popham Beach. Enjoy summer while we have it by visiting one of Maine's state parks.