KIMBERLY A new report shows economic ripple effects flowing from the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument into the surrounding communities.

The National Park Service report looked at visitor use and spending in 2012, showing that 148,152 people visited the Monument and spent $6.49 million in communities near the park.

The agency says that spending supported 88 jobs in the local area.

Superintendent Shelley Hall noted that the Fossil Beds Monument tells an important story of paleontology and the Age of Mammals.

We are proud to welcome visitors from across the country and around the world, she said, noting that the park also introduces people to Eastern Oregon and all that it offers.

National park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy returning $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service and its a big factor in our local economy as well, she said. We appreciate the partnership and support of our neighbors and are glad to be able to give back by helping to sustain local communities.

The Monument had a more challenging year in 2013, as the federal sequester brought cutbacks in staffing and services.

Hall said the visitor center was closed 19 days last season due to the cutbacks, as well as 16 days during the government shutdown in October. Some programs such as ranger trail talks and a summer work program for local youth had to be suspended.

The fiscal 2014 budget offers a brighter picture, Hall said. For the summer tourist season, the park is restoring full operation of the Thomas Condon Visitor Center, and may expand staffing at the Cant Ranch House facility on the weekends. Plans call for ranger-led talks to resume twice a day.

Hall is still waiting the final word on funding for the youth trail crew and summer job opportunities, but is hopeful those also will be restored.

The National Park Service analysis was conducted by U.S. Geological Survey economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas, Christopher Huber and Lynne Koontz. Overall, it found $14.7 billion of direct spending by 283 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a park. That in turn supported 201,000 jobs in gateway communities.

To download the report, visit http://www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/economics.cfm.

To learn more about the John Day Fossil Beds, visit www.nps.gov/joda