THE VIRGINIA BIRDING AND WILDLIFE TRAIL: A LAND CONSERVATION TOOL FOR THE FUTURE

As people become more involved in outdoor and wildlife watching activities, the greater their interest becomes in conserving these natural resources. In recent years there has been a signifi cant increase in participation in wildlife and other soft adventure activities. Two national surveys conducted in 2006 reported that over 81 million Americans took part in birdwatching (National Survey on Recreation and the Environment) and spent over $268 M on wildlife watching trip-related expenses (U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 2006) This gives wildlife and the associated habitat a monetary value and provides an incentive to local communities to conserve these resources. The Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail (VBWT) is a statewide effort to develop wildlife viewing opportunities and encourage local communities to utilize their natural resources to bring tourism dollars into the local economy, while also providing motivation to conserve the land and habitat that attracts these dollars. The Trail further provides an excellent tool to educate visitors to the trail of the importance of conserving land and habitat for the species they enjoy watching. Previous trails have demonstrated that once communities realize the economic potential of nature-based tourism, they become invested in open space preservation, managing for parkland and more wildlife-friendly development. Here we provide examples of how nature-based tourism initiatives, such as the VBWT, bring communities together to promote their natural resources, and conserve land for wildlife viewing.