It was announced by the Obama administration that the shutdown of the government last fall left national parks with an estimated $414 million loss in visitor spending. Because there were 8 million fewer visitors than normal, communities where the parks are located struggled with this huge hit to business.

According to the Associated Press, five states lost more than $20 million during the 16-day shutdown.

There were six states that were granted permission to use state funds in order to reopen the parks. According to the report that was released, approximately $10 was gained in visitor spending for every dollar of state money spent. There is currently a pending bill in Congress that seeks to reimburse those states—Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New York, South Dakota, and Tennessee.

“Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said the shutdown was a striking reminder that national parks are a powerful economic engine for local economies across the country,” the AP reported.

The shutdown didn’t prevent everyone from entering the parks, however, as a number of protests were held at locations inside the parks. ActionHub interviewed Vanessa François, a paraplegic climber who was one of the many who sneaked past trail closure signs. Her reason? She climbed El Capitan.

Image from Antandrus on the Wikimedia Commons