Elizabeth Dunbar
Sales of annual and daily state park permits were up by more than 30 percent in September, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources officials said Monday.
The DNR said annual permit sales were 36 percent higher compared to September 2008, while daily permits were up 32 percent from a year ago.
The warm weather was partially credited for the upswing. But officials said they also think more advertising, more amenities such as camper cabins, and more programs like geocaching at parks have also contributed to the increase.
"We are pleased to see that these efforts appear to be moving us toward our goal of getting the next generation outdoors," Courtland Nelson, the DNR's parks and trails director, said in a news release.
The DNR reported earlier that the number of occupied campsites increased 9 percent over last year.