Nearly 1M people spent $23M in Badlands in 2010

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INTERIOR (AP) — The National Park Service says nearly a million people visited Badlands National Park in 2010, spending $23 million in the park and surrounding communities.

The numbers are from a study conducted by Michigan State University, which found that the spending supported more than 375 area jobs. Just over half of the spending and jobs are related to lodging, food, and beverage service. Others include retail at 29 percent, entertainment and amusements at 10 percent, gas and local transportation at 7 percent and groceries at 2 percent. Park superintendent Eric Brunnemann says the people and the business owners in the area know the park’s economic value.

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