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Almost three decades on from passage of the Alaska National Interests Lands Act (ANILCA), the bonanza and the bust of 49th-state national parks is clearly outlined in a lengthy analysis of the economic value of parks in the U.S.
Road connected parks in the state are proving to have huge tourism value; remote parks not so much.
The 100 visitors who made their way to the Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve in Southwest Alaska last year spent a respectable $772 per person, but the local economic benefit totaled only $112,200, according to the study.