Georgia Mountains Regional Commission

Joe Yeager, Region 1 Manager, Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites July 27, 2017

Department of Natural Resources Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites Division

Georgia’s State Parks & Historic Sites System

48 state parks 16 state historic sites

85,820 acres 8 golf courses 393 cottages

25 camper cottages 39 yurts

55 group shelters 41 campgrounds/2,400+ sites

14 group camps/lodges 5 lodges/conference centers

550+ miles of hiking, biking, nature, canoeing/kayaking & equestrian trails Operational partners: SAM Shortline

Authority, North Georgia Mountain Authority, 3 local governments, Friends of

Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites

Locations GPHSD Region One

• New Echota, Calhoun • Don Carter, Gainesville • Tallulah Gorge, Tallulah Falls • Traveler’s Rest, Toccoa • Chief Vann House, Chatsworth • Vogel, Blairsville

• Black Rock Mountain, Mountain City • Cloudland Canyon, Rising Fawn • Dahlonega Gold Museum, Dahlonega • Fort Mountain, Chatsworth • James H “Sloppy” Floyd, Summerville • Moccasin Creek, Clarkesville

Department of Natural Resources Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites Division

Protect, Engage, Enhance

Protect our state's important natural and cultural resources

Engage millions of people in outdoor recreation, historic interpretation, nature appreciation and conservation

Enhance Georgia’s prosperity through our efforts

Protect

Stewardship of Natural and Cultural Resources

Healthier Resources

Managing Our Natural Resources

Wormsloe Live Oak Alley Nuisance Animal Management

Fire Ecosystem Management

Preserving Our History

Engage

A great time every time!

Engaging Our Visitors

Sneak preview… • New website - August 7

• Under umbrella of GA DNR • Integrated with other DNR

Divisions • Still functioning as

GaStateParks.org • Advertising availabilities remain

• Over 7 million web page visits annually

• Over 230,000 total FB page likes

• Over 27,000 Instagram followers

Engaging Our Visitors

https://twitter.com/GaStateParks

https://www.facebook.com/georgiastateparks/

https://www.instagram.com/gastateparks/

https://www.pinterest.com/gastateparks/

https://www.youtube.com/user/gastateparks

https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/GADNR/subscriber/new?qsp=GADNR_2

Subscribe to our monthly e-Newsletters and weekly e-Blasts

Social Media

Engaging Our Visitors

A great time every time!

A great time every time!

A great time every time!

A great time every time! Group Gatherings • Birthday parties • Wedding • Spiritual Retreats • Business meeting • Family Reunions

Wedding set-up at Mistletoe

Overnight Experiences!

Great Places to Stay!

Fun Things to Do!

More Fun Things to Do!

Solar Eclipse August 21, 017

• Black Rock Mountain State Park

• Vogel State Park • Tallulah Gorge State Park

• Tugaloo State Park • Moccasin Creek State Park

Solar Eclipse August 21, 017

• Programs

• Events • Glasses

• Exclusive T shirts • gastateparks.org/Eclipse2017

Vogel State Park

• Cottage Renovations • New rental boat dock • New fishing dock

Tallulah Gorge State Park

• Renovated retail shop • New playground • Future parking expansion

Black Rock Mountain State Park

• Repaved roads • New drinking water system • Improved mountain views • Collaborating with Fox Fire

Dahlonega Gold Rush Museum

• Plans to redesign and renovate all the exhibits in the Dahlonega Gold Museum, bringing them up-to-date and interactive.

Tugaloo State Park

• Great programs • Historic tours of

Traveler’s Rest • Boating & Fishing • Camping

Moccasin Creek State Park

Don Carter State Park

Enhance

State Parks are Good for Georgia’s Economy and Quality of Life

• 10.1 million visitors in FY 2016 • Supported 9,743 jobs • Most direct benefits realized at

the host community / local level BUT, the BIG news …wait for it

BIG NEWS…

Total Tourism Impact for FY16 including state parks, historic sites, golf courses and NGMA properties reached over …

$1 Billion !!!

Impact on the Region

Economic Impact of State Parks in Northeast Georgia Mountain Region

$168+ million

Park Visitation Overnight

Impact Day Trip Impact Total Tourism

Impact Local Jobs Per Month BLACK ROCK MTN 109,389 $2,625,336 $8,450,300 $11,075,636 106 $922,970

CLOUDLAND CANYON 396,859 $9,524,616 $30,657,358 $40,181,974 383 $3,348,498

DON CARTER 137,591 $3,302,184 $10,628,905 $13,931,089 133 $1,160,924

FORT. MOUNTAIN 161,682 $3,880,368 $12,489,935 $16,370,303 156 $1,364,192

MOCCASIN CREEK 75,540 $1,812,960 $5,835,465 $7,648,425 73 $637,369

TALLULAH GORGE 360,785 $8,658,840 $27,870,641 $36,529,481 348 $3,044,123

TUGALOO 199,749 $4,793,976 $15,430,610 $20,224,586 193 $1,685,382

VOGEL 182,012 $4,368,288 $14,060,427 $18,428,715 176 $1,535,726

DAHLONEGA 19,589 $940,272 $1,008,834 $1,949,106 19 $162,425

NEW ECHOTA 10,570 $507,360 $544,355 $1,051,715 10 $87,643

TRAVELERS REST 1,241 $59,568 $63,912 $123,480 1 $10,290

VANN HOUSE 5,526 $265,248 $284,589 $549,837 5 $45,820

Totals 1,660,533 $40,739,016 $127,325,330 $168,064,346 1602 $14,005,362

Thank you!

Joe Yeager

Region One Manager Joe.Yeager@dnr.ga.gov

(706) 878-4752 GaStateParks.org