Great Texas Wildlife Trails: Reconnecting Local Communities with Natural Resources for Conservation and Economic Development
Shelly Plante Nature Tourism Coordinator Texas Parks and Wildlife
Goals of Nature Tourism • Promote habitat conservation • Promote sustainable economic development for local communities • Build broad-based public support for wildlife conservation programs • Provide additional recreational opportunities to the public
Why the Interest in Nature Tourism? As North America Becomes Increasingly Urban… • People are seeking to reconnect with nature. • They enjoy rural areas and seeing wildlife. • They want to escape from the city.
How Popular is Nature Tourism? • More Americans camp than play basketball. • The number of Americans who participate in bicycling is double the population of Canada. • More Americans paddle (kayak, canoe, raft) than play soccer. Source: Outdoor Industry Foundation; Sporting Goods Manufacturing Association (SGMA) estimates 32 million Americans 6+ played basketball in 2005; SGMA estimates 17 million Americans 6+ played soccer in 2005.
Top 12 Birding Sites in North America
6
8
11 9 5
12
1 7
10 4
Trans-Pecos 2
3 High Island Texas Coast
Rio Grande Valley
The Great Texas Wildlife Viewing Trails: 889 Sites! z z
z
308 sites
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Completed in 2000
Completed in January 2004
97 sites
Completed in November 2003 z
239 sites
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245 sites
Completed in May 2006
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Palo Duro Canyon – PHP #040
Public sites… Concho River at Paint Rock – HOTW #115
…and private sites are represented on the trails.
State Birding Trails in 1999
State Birding Trails in 2007
Great Texas Wildlife Trails: The Concept • Unify existing and potential sites into a single, cohesive marketing and enhancement platform • Appeal to a wide diversity of wildlife enthusiasts
Creating a Birding/Wildlife Trail: • Determine your target audience • Determine a site selection process • Develop partnerships • Identify viewing areas • Design tour routes • Provide access • Develop facilities and viewing equipment • Offer information (maps, signage, interpretation) • Design local “hands-on” activities (local experience)
Building partnerships • • • • •
Communities Land owners Local organizations, business and industry State and federal agencies Tribes and indigenous peoples
Partners can provide: • • • • •
Expertise Personnel Materials Funding Access to habitat and areas
Community Leadership • The key catalyst for success • A person who can bring together business, landowners, and government • A visionary and planner • On-the-ground eyes for the trails project
Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail Maps
Great Texas Wildlife Trail Maps
Types of viewing facilities • Trails • Boardwalks • Observation platforms • Blinds • Vehicle pullouts • Information kiosks • Identification signs • Automobile tour routes • Visitor centers
The Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail Community Projects
Texas City Sundance Garden
Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary in Rockport
The Corps Woods at Galveston Palacios Trull Marsh
Port Aransas Wetland Park
Valley Nature Center and Frontera Audubon Thicket (LTC #057 and #058) • Valley specialty birds • Migrant rarities on small acreages • Outreach and education to local school children and general public • Nature festivals • Native plant sales
Port Aransas Birding Center and Wetland Park (CTC #057 and #059) • General and Avid Birders and Wildlife Viewers • Great for tourists and locals to get back to nature • Wonderful access onto the wetlands through viewing platforms and boardwalks
High Island Audubon Sanctuary (UTC #052 and #055) • Avid birders mainly– want access to migratory birds • Want real time information – boards for sitings • Need facilities for large groups and information on other birding sites
World Birding Center - A world-class destination for birds and birders
Great Texas Birding Classic • The “Iron Man” of birding • An annual event since 1997 – this was our 12th year! • Conservation Grants – over a $650,000 given to on-theground habitat projects to date! • Teams of birdwatchers spend three official "big days" counting and observing birds along the Texas coast • Fun and friendly, competitive birding!
Great Texas Birding Classic: Guiding the Public into the Outdoors • Engages diverse groups with the outdoors – blind birders, youth, teens, adults, and college students • Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine’s May birding issue with the migration calendar of events
Updated and Expanded Website launched in May 2006! • TPWD is able to market and promote community tourism attractions on trails website • New brochures drive traffic to the web • Communities benefit from advertising platform of trails at no cost to themselves!
www.tpwd.state.tx.us/wildlifetrails
“Really enjoyed it. It’s great in helping the public to learn about, protect, and preserve our natural amenities.”
“It is such a wonderful addition to our beautiful state, for residents and incentive to visitors. We can see more “business” from the visitors each time we visit.”
“I talk to people all the time that think the program has organized and “saved” Texas’ wildlife by highlighting what we just need to slow down to see. Without location information it is just guesswork. The smartest thing this “dumb in conservation” state has ever done!”
“We were able to find areas we didn’t know existed and how to get there and we went.”
“Well, here we are, my little chickadee.”
And then the bovine watchers were given a real treat. On a small knoll, in full splendor, there suddenly appeared a Guatemalan cow of paradise.
References • Great Texas Wildlife Trails site: www.tpwd.state.tx.us/wildlifetrails
• Texas AgriLife Extension Bookstore: http://agrilifebookstore.org
Shelly Plante Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 512-389-4500 NatureTourism@tpwd.state.tx.us