From Public News Service, Obama Hears Pitch from Fort Ord Monument Supporters:
Mary Anne Leffel, president of the Monterey County Business Council, says not only would a national monument designation [for the Fort Ord Public Lands] protect the valuable open space and its habitat, it would also boost the local economy. She says tourism already brings in $2 billion a year, mostly because of the popular Monterey Bay Aquarium. If Fort Ord were made a national monument, more visitors could enjoy the nearly 100 miles of hiking, biking and horseback riding available on the former military base, explains Leffel.
“This would actually make it an official designation, so that the area could market it as such – because we get visitors from all over the world, and they don’t realize until they get here that they could have taken part in some of these other activities.”
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