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It’s Not Just Birdwatching; It’s Nature-based Tourism
The abundance and diversity of wildlife in our
relatively small state bring real economic development
on a local scale. And it’s not peanuts. Revenue from
wildlife viewing, hunting and fishing add up to $3.9
billion in our State each year and it’s growing.
New Jersey
hosts natural phenomena pretty much year round.
“Experiential” is the buzz word in the tourism
industry. Put the two together, and you have a
winning combination. Done right, without disturbing
our natural resources – permanent or transient – you
also have a sustainable industry. Now
we’re talking about the BIG BUZZ.
There are some remarkable stories from around the
country of communities coming together to celebrate
their flora and fauna, and experiencing the economic
benefits. Visionary naturalists, both amateur and
professional, realized that the abundance of bird
migration in rural McAllen, Texas might actually bring
birdwatchers and their comparatively deep pockets to
town for a week. They developed partnerships with
local businesses and started marketing the place. It
worked, thanks in part to the Great Texas Birding
Trail.
But we don’t have to look that far away. Many of the
efforts seen around the country are emulating what New
Jersey Audubon Society’s Cape May Bird Observatory has
been doing for over 25 years. With events like the
world-renowned World Series of Birding, and the Spring
Weekend and Autumn Bird Show, workshops and almost
daily walks year-round, the value of birding in Cape
May is estimated to have grown from about $18 million
in 1996 to somewhere over $50 million today (and that
was just a quick back-of-the-envelope by Pete Dunne
and me that just captures food, lodging, gas and fees
for a very conservatively estimated 40,000 “primarily
birding” visitors a year).
Today, tourists come from far and wide to experience
bird migration at points throughout the state in both
spring and fall. And communities are harnessing their
resources and reaching out to attract the growing base
of nature-based tourists. New birding events such as
the Sussex County Bird and Nature Festival and the
Meadowlands Bird Festival are meeting great success.
The August spectacle of thousands upon thousands of
Purple Martins gathering along the Maurice River in
Cumberland County draws crowds. The relative
abundance of Bald Eagles in New Jersey is gaining
regional attention and is celebrated at the Winter
Eagle Festival, also in Cumberland. And of course,
there is the internationally recognized display of key
natural interdependencies between the bayshore
region’s horseshoe crabs and migrating shorebirds each
spring.
Nature tourists come to
New Jersey
for more than birds. Certainly hunting and fishing
are enjoyed in our Wildlife Management Areas. Events
such as Lambertville’s ShadFest, the Chatsworth
Cranberry Festival, the Wetlands Institute’s Wings ‘n
Water Festival and the growing Cape May Harbor Fest
all illustrate other ways communities have rallied to
bring local economic benefit based on natural
resources. Hikers can choose from a number of
historic and scenic trails; most notably the
Appalachian Trail.
From top to bottom, there is no question that New
Jersey offers plentiful opportunities for paddlers.
As a mayor, what can you do to promote nature-based
tourism in your township or region? Here are a few
ideas:
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Leverage the New Jersey Birding and Wildlife Trails,
www.njwildlifetrails.org, as a platform
for events and weekend packages.
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Recognize that your residents value open space.
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Even in this difficult fiscal environment,
New Jersey
voters continue to prioritize funding for open
space, parks and historic sites.
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Partner with neighboring towns and local chambers of
commerce to create an event or weekend packages that
highlights your natural resources
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Encourage the use of only native plants on municipal
properties
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Native plants attract the wildlife that is native
to New Jersey
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Be aware of properties that may become available for
open space
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Conduct a natural resources inventory. Perhaps a
“marketable” opportunity exists.
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Conduct a build-out analysis and consider zoning
changes to make sure residents and visitors will
always have plentiful access to open space
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