Washington Birding Trail forum set for Toppenish

YAKIMA -- A forum to gather input on what should be included in the next route of Audubon's Great Washington State Birding Trail will be held next Wednesday, from
4 to 7 p.m. at the Heritage Inn Restaurant of the Yakima Heritage Cultural Center in Toppenish.

Previous meetings have already been held in Kennewick, Walla Walla, Spokane and Ellensburg, but the Toppenish meeting is expected to be the largest gathering for one simple reason: The new route will entail South Central Washington, including places like the Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge, Cowiche Canyon, Tieton River Nature Trail and Umtanum Recreation Area.

A birding trail can be big business. According to a 2006 national survey, bird watchers spend $45 billion a year on the activity, about a third of that on travel. Birding Trails are already found in 30 states, offering self-guided driving tours with stops at places to see birds -- and, obviously, to take the time to see other local attractions, eat at local restaurants and stay in local hotels.

That can be a boon to the local economy. Texas' birding trail, for example, annually attracts more than 1.4 million birders, who spend some $155 million in the process.

John Cooper, CEO and president of the Yakima Visitors and Convention Bureau, had been working with the tourism industry in Bellingham when Washington Audubon put together its inaugural Birding Trail map, the Cascade Loop in 2002.

"We're behind it 100 percent," Cooper said of the South Central Birding Trail project. "The bird folks are -- pardon the pun -- they flock to areas that develop programs and guides to help interpret the local wildlife," Cooper said. "I found that to be the case up in Bellingham; it helped to further put us on the map."

Other Washington Birding Trail maps include 2003's Coulee Corridor; the Southwest Loop in 2005; and the Olympic Loop in 2006. The South Central map is planned for publication next December, a companion to the Yakima Area Wildlife Viewing Guide put out by the Yakima Valley Audubon Society.

Cooper is optimistic about what will follow.

The birding community, he said, "very specialized niche, but the people in it are very loyal and dedicated. I think it's one we should take advantage of, because they're highly educated, have disposable income, and take a great interest in the wildlife of the region."

Christi Norman, director of Washington Audubon's Birding Trail program, will oversee Wednesday's forum, which is also sponsored by the Yakima Valley Audubon Society, the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation and the visitors and convention bureau.

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