SIUC and John A. Logan students account for a large part of attendance, which is up from last year, according to local directors and workers at Giant City State Park, Lake Kinkaid, Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge and the Shawnee National Forest.

Barbara Gomez, a secretary at Lake Kinkaid, said rains and flooding earlier this year have not discouraged student outdoor activity.

It’s better this year than last year. Route three closed for a while, but it didn’t affect us the way it did in 93, she said.

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Larry Bowman, director of Williamson County Tourism Bureau, said almost half of the 1.2 million people who attend the Crab Orchard National Wildlife refuge are non-consumptive users.

Non-consumptive users are those who only use the land and waters and do not take anything away from it, such as bird watchers, hikers, and swimmers.

Lots of students use the refuge for hiking and rock-repelling because of the close proximity to the schools, Bowman said.

The Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge contains 43,800 acres, of which half is used for recreation, and three lakes:Little Grassy, Devil’s Kitchen and Crab Orchard.

Mike Kelly, manager of Giant City Lodge, said this year’s business has been consistent and the rains have not affected the amount of customers they have had.