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Revenues Up Despite Drop In Attendance At Long Island State Parks, Beaches

MINEOLA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - The numbers are in for how many visitors took advantage of Long Island's state parks this summer.

As WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported, although attendance was down this summer, revenues were up.

The weather didn't cooperate at the start of the summer, which had a big impact on attendance at the state parks and beaches on Long Island, Hall reported.

Revenues Up Despite Drop In Attendance At Long Island State Parks, Beaches

Memorial Day weekend was rainy and windy and forced the first day of the Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach to be canceled.

The fickle weather all summer impacted attendance numbers, state officials said.

"Starting off this summer that way wasn't good and then June was very cool. We didn't have real good beach weather and then all of a sudden in July, the weather soared. People were not wanting to go to the beaches. It was just too hot," New York State Parks Department spokesman George Gorman told Hall.

But on the upside, revenues were up. State parks on Long Island generated $16.5 million this summer, compared to $16.3 million in 2012.

"Camping is doing great. Golfing is doing great. Although it was cool temperatures for people to go the beaches, but it was nice temperatures for people to go golfing," Gorman said.

There were roughly 9 million visitors to Long Island's state parks and beaches between Memorial Day and the end of August, nearly a million fewer than last year.

"Last year, we had good attendance; the weather cooperated," Gorman said.

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