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happy trails!
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©
Susan Salinger |
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Long car trips inevitably mean taking
lots of breaks: snack breaks, restroom breaks, fuel breaks-even
breaks to gape at roadside wonders, like the world's largest
wheel of cheese. But breaks to bird? You got it. These pit
stops are even on the maps.
Birding-trail maps, that is-handy depictions
of a state's natural resources, connected by the open road.
Since Texas welcomed people to the country's first section
of driving trail six years ago, more than half the states
in the nation have followed its lead.
These prime wildlife-watching sites may
beeline across a county or may be strung together in meandering
loops. They may be located just off of major highways, state
routes, or small country roads. They may be on private or
public land. Each site is as unique as the ecosystem it highlights,
from Niagara's tumbling waters to Arizona's dry scrub. But
they all have one thing in common: They're home to a wealth
of avian treasures you might not otherwise find.
And what faster way to preserve a treasure
than by trumpeting its value? After all, birders sleep, eat,
and shop, just like everybody else. Trail maps frequently
provide information on lodging, restaurants, and other places
of interest.
This can be a real coup for rural areas,
which often depend on extractive industries like mining. "People
are searching for ways to diversify their economies,"
says David Whitehurst, director of the Wildlife Diversity
Division of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries,
which is creating a statewide trail. "And if businesses
and individuals see natural areas providing good social, economic,
and cultural benefits," he says, "they will recognize
that they have to protect them."
That's a lesson being learned by visitors'
bureaus, departments of transportation, wildlife agencies,
and, of course, Audubon chapters and state offices all around
the country. These and many more entities have banded together
into a hodgepodge of partnerships almost as diverse as the
birding sites they sponsor.
The opportunities are tremendous. "Birding
trails are a great way to encourage conservation of Important
Bird Areas," says Laura Busby, director of centers and
education for Audubon Ohio, which is aiding in trail development
along the Lake Erie shore and the Ohio River. "And they
encourage citizen science at nature centers."
Sally Crofoot calls the trails an "elegant
solution" to the challenges private landowners face as
well. She is general manager of Fennessey Ranch, a working
ranch that runs about 300 cattle and is site No. 41 on the
central portion of the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail.
"One can't hardly make a ranch support itself on cattle
alone," Crofoot says. "This area was very rich in
oil and gas, but it's all drying up." The ranch now offers
birding programs on its 3,500 acres of prime coastal Texas
habitat, and attracts about 1,200 visitors a season.
What's truly exciting about birding trails
is that birds are just the start. "The next generation
of trails includes dragonflies, butterflies, beetles, and
reptiles," says Ted Eubanks, a former Audubon board member
and president of Fermata Inc., a consulting firm that specializes
in nature tourism. Eventually, he says, they'll be linked
into one Great American Nature Trail, with sites an easy drive
from just about anywhere.
Best pack the binoculars.
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