Parks and birders: a natural pair: why parks should work to attract birding enthusiasts.

Birding, the most accessible form of wildlife watching, continues to be the fastest growing outdoor recreational activity in the U.S., according to the National Survey on Recreation and the Environment. The 1st century version of "birdwatching," birding is an activity that's not only growing in popularity, but an activity that park managers, planners and recreation resource professionals should recognize as having the potential to enhance visitor experiences and contribute to protection of park resources.

"Birders are some of the best park citizens there are," says Chris Wagnon, chief of natural and historical resources for the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, in Prince George's County, Md. "They don't litter, they report unsafe conditions and they are some of the best volunteers we have. They turn up at budget hearings to support us, and they are the staunchest supporters for land acquisition and conservation."

Birding is no longer solely the province of Nettie S. Himmelfarb and other skulking old ladies in tennis shoes. Birders now come from all walks of life, and include families, travelers, seniors and professionals. The pastime has changed considerably in the past half-century for several reasons--improvements in quality optics such as binoculars and spotting scopes; increased opportunities for recreational travel; and, especially, the development of popular field guides to bird identification. The recently published Sibley Guide to Birds (Knopf) has sold more than 600,000 copies, and is frequently on local area bestseller lists.

Birding is starting to show some real economic muscle as more and more businesses market to birders. Outdoor clothing manufacturers, travel promoters, heritage tourism planners and a range of birding-related suppliers are recognizing the vast purchasing power of a growing army of birders. Birders now represent the largest consumer bloc in the binocular industry, with more than so percent of all binoculars purchased for birding. Retailers and manufacturers are finding that birders want high-quality merchandise and will pay handsomely for it.

Staying Close to the Nest

Although birders bird everywhere they go, most birders bird locally. So while there are increasing numbers of birders who travel across the country, from Alaska to Florida, and while there's a growing business in bird treks to the Galapagos, Costa Rica and even Kenya, most birding occurs close to home in local parks, recreation areas, wildlife management areas and nature reserves. Birders' preferred method is to take short birding trips to wildlife refuges on weekends or days off, or just spend an hour in a local park. The choice of where to go birding next is paramount in the minds of a growing birder population, and park and recreation resources managers would do well to consider how to make their parks "birder-friendly."

What do birders want? Frequently, all they really want is to be left alone. However, there are some modest amenities that birders want; first and foremost among them is access. Wagnon says, "Birders go into virtually every part of our park system, and we are happy they do. They are often our eyes and ears. We learn of unsafe conditions, vandalism and environmental hazards from birders. Best of all, their legitimate use of the parks deters illegal and unauthorized use."

Birders do want a few other things, including trails that are accessible and that traverse a variety of habitats. They appreciate high-quality signage, especially informational signs. They love observation towers, especially around wetlands, and often will volunteer to help build observation blinds at good birding spots. Birders very much want good maps; the more detailed the better.

Birders of different skill levels have different interests. Serious "listers" will think nothing of jumping in the car to drive 100 miles to see a rarity that they don't have on their list of birds seen in their lifetime, and will go to extraordinary lengths to see really rare birds. Skilled birders often will want to visit parks before dawn or after dusk, and will want access to the most remote and rugged areas. Beginning birders, on the other hand, are more inclined to stop leisurely at park offices for information and will want to walk designated trails. Beginners particularly value printed information, descriptive signage, natural history facts and personal contact with park staff.

Many parks and nature areas have developed birding checklists, which are frequently the first public information handout that birders seek after a map. Creating a good bird checklist may seem like a daunting task to park managers who have little birding skill or knowledge of local birds. An easy solution? Just ask your local birders. They'll be more than happy to compile one for you, and will meticulously update it with every new sighting.

A "recent sightings" clipboard in the park office or visitor contact station is always appreciated by birders. Often, the comments written along with the reported sightings help your interpretive staff and volunteers to learn about their own park resources and share that knowledge with visitors.

Bringing the Flock Together

Park and recreation departments, in cooperation with local and regional heritage tourism offices, are recognizing the potential of birding and other watchable wildlife activities to anchor festivals and other special events. Harlingen, Texas, held its 9th annual festival, the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival, last November. The five-day event included 60 field trips, major vendor displays and numerous birding speakers. In addition to the 900 out-of-towners who preregistered for the festival, the 150 volunteer organizers focused on making sure that local residents, especially schoolchildren, learned about what's in their area. "We hope we touch the sensitivity of these children and instill in them a real sense of stewardship, and a realization they are gifted by a very unique and diverse ecosystem in South Texas," says Fr. Tom Pincelli, festival chairman.

Birding festivals run the gamut, from one-day events such as the Saylorville White Pelican Festival at Jester State Park in central Iowa, to the Grand Island Nebraska Wings over the Platte, which runs multiple weeks from mid February to mid April, celebrating the spectacular Sandhill Crane migration with many activities, exhibits, tours and programs. If you think that there are some birds too unappealing to build a festival around, consider the successful, long-running Annual Buzzard Day Festival in Hinckley, Ohio, which draws thousands to a pancake breakfast, an arts and crafts festival, and nature tours of the park where the ungainly creatures congregate.

A complete list of birding festivals can be found on the American Birding Association's Web site at www. americanbirding.org/programs/ consfest.htm.

While most people think of large national parks or wildlife refuges such as Everglades National Park in Florida, the Coronado National Forest in Arizona or Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia as legendary birding destinations, there are many more hot spots in local and urban parks that are part of the birders' pantheon of great birding sites. In fact, the recently published Birder's Guide to Metropolitan Areas of North America (American Birding Association) lists hundreds of urban parks as the best birding sites in selected metropolitan areas across the country. Some of the best urban park birding sites are Lincoln Park in Chicago, Tower Grove Park in St. Louis, Huntley Meadows Park near Washington, D.C., Central Park in New York City, Matheson Hammock County Park near Miami, Huntington Central Park in Orange, Calif., and Discovery Park in Seattle.

Benefits of Birders

The information that birders gather through banding activities, Christmas counts and long-term observations at key areas can help park and recreation departments in land use planning and facility development decisions. Christmas bird count data, for example, give accurate information on the presence of rare and threatened species, as well as population trends and range expansion or decline. Banding stations can be excellent sources of information on the presence of neotropical migrant species. Finally, birders can be instrumental in helping designate important bird areas, through a program of the Audubon Society to globally identify, monitor and conserve critically important bird habitat areas.

Simply stated, birders are park people. They have a natural affinity for the mission of park and recreation agencies, and they deeply care about the protection of natural resources. They understand better than perhaps any other type of park visitors the value of protecting watersheds and ecosystems. They can be a park system's best allies, serving as volunteers, helping to conduct programs, supporting agency budgets and testifying at public hearings. Collectively, they have incredible talents, and are often ready and willing to give of their time in their area of expertise.

Birders and parks are truly a natural fit. The more you can do to make your parks and recreation areas birder-friendly, the more your agency and your natural resources will reap the benefits of what can be a perfect partnership.

Birding's Popularity Soars

Birding and wildlife watching continue to grow in popularity as outdoor recreational activities, while hunting's and fishing's popularity hold steady or continue to decline, according to the 2001 National Survey on Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. The survey shows that 82 million, or 39 percent of all Americans, participate in some kind of wildlife-related recreation, with an annual economic impact of $110 billion, or 1.1 percent of the Gross Domestic Product.

A Birding Beacon

One of the most exciting birding and watchable wildlife initiatives is the World Birding Center in south Texas. This ambitious nature tourism development project involves nine cities, local and state parks, plus U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge lands in the Rio Grande Valley. The astonishing $50 million dollar project grew from a visionary idea of Andy Sansom, retired Texas Parks and Wildlife Director, and received such an enthusiastic response from local chambers of commerce in the Rio Grande area that they "jumped on it like a chicken on a June bug," according to Larry Pressler, director of parks and recreation in McAllen, Texas.

The World Birding Center will consist of a series of wildlife refuges, parks and birding areas anchored by interpretive and visitor centers and complemented by birding trails and driving tours. A number of new parks and visitor facilities will be created, including two state parks, utilizing a variety of public and private funds and state-share Land and Water Conservation Fund grants. "This project will create opportunities for birding, conservation and economic development, all at the same time," says Pressler.

Looking for Volunteers for Your Parks and Natural Areas?

NRPA is a co-sponsor of the most recent Opportunities for Birders, an annually published directory that's a compendium of volunteer opportunities in conservation projects, ongoing wildlife research studies and habitat improvement projects. Many of these projects and studies are conducted in parks and on public lands, and your agency may find many qualified local volunteers who are willing to give of their time and talents. To access the directory online to see the range of projects, go to www.americanbirding. org. To submit your listing seeking volunteer help or for more information, write to [e-mail] or American Birding Association, P.O. Box 6599, Colorado Springs, CO 80934-6599.

Richard Dolesh is the senior policy associate in NRPA's Public Policy Office in Washington, D.C. Paul Baicich is the director of conservation and public policy for the American Birding Association.