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Evaluating Your Site
for Nature-Based Tourism
You�ve heard of all the interest in bird watching and nature viewing and
wonder if your property might have something to offer the nature tourist.
Perhaps that old house on the back forty near the creek could be fixed up as
a cabin, or someone might actually be interested in paying you to come see
prairie dogs, burrowing owls, deer and coyotes. Maybe the caf� in town or
down the street would be interested in collaborating on a bed and breakfast
deal. There�s the museum in town. You�ve heard how nature tourists also love
to visit cultural and historical places. Hmmmm,
there may be some networking potential here!
This page of Natural Kansas is specifically designed to help you
determine if you�ve got what it takes to attract visitors and derive some
income from travelers interested in nature-based tourism. Here you will find
some pointers on what things to consider in setting up a wildlife attraction
and how to consider the conservation needs of the wildlife of interest.
Remember that the nature tourist also enjoys a wide assortment of active
experiences, which could involve the land and the people of your area as
well as the wildlife.
Consider two possible scenarios of nature-based tourism:
"The Dance of the Prairie
Chicken" and "Wetland and Wildflower Wonder".
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Photo by Jim Mason |
Scenario 1: The Dance of the Prairie Chicken
The rancher is fortunate who has one or more active leks
(booming, or mating grounds) for prairie chickens. People are paying upwards
of $100 per head to spend a morning watching prairie chickens do their
dance. Here�s what you need besides the birds and lek:
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Remember, maintaining your leks will be central to your
operation,
so you must protect your resource. For
information about range management practices which are beneficial to prairie
chickens, contact your county Natural Resource Conservation Service office
or the nearest regional office of Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
To find them, use the links below.
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| Most leks are on fairly exposed hilltops
or ridges. Being able to approach from behind a hill, plum thicket, fence
or other obstruction will help. Figure out an approach to the lek that is
as hidden as possible from the birds. Research has shown that repeated
disturbance can cause lek abandonment. |
Photo by Ken Brunson
| Your blind can be composed of anything from burlap attached to barbed
wire fences, to a horse trailer in temporary use, to a constructed blind. A blind can be
located as close as the edge of the
lek but you should first place it a short distance away and gradually move
it closer so the birds get used to this new part of their landscape and
don�t abandon the lek. |
| The blind should be placed on the east side of the lek in a way to
optimize light conditions for photography and viewing. This is very
important as the best opportunities will occur in morning and your clients
will want to see the brilliance of the colors with their eyes and record
it with their cameras. |
| The blind location should try to incorporate other landscape and
wildlife features if possible. This certainly would include good viewing
vistas as well as possibilities for seeing prairie dogs or other wildlife.
Make sure the seats within the blind are moveable and won�t sink into soft
ground easily. Chairs with runner-type legs work better than straight-leg
chairs. Plastic 5-gallon buckets can do the job too. |
| Consider providing accessory materials for clients
such as a bird list for the area or county you are in, wildflower list,
field guides, extra equipment such as binoculars
or spotting scopes, and extra clothing and raingear just in case. It can
be pretty chilly sitting in the blind for a few hours in the early morning
in spring. Stadium bags or warm blankets will be appreciated, and a few
extra breakfast bars and water would be handy as well. |
| First aid supplies and the ability to communicate via cell phone are
good to have. If no cell phone signal is available, thought should be put
into how to make contacts as soon as possible should emergencies arise.
Walkie-talkies are very affordable nowadays. |
| This is early morning activity. Get everyone into the blind an hour
before sunrise. Make sure a bathroom break is allowed as close to the time
you enter the blind as possible. Clients should understand they may be
there for at least two and possibly three hours
so that booming chickens are not disturbed. Sometimes leks have visitation
from hawks or coyotes which causes the birds to disperse naturally and
these are excellent times for clients to exit the blind if they have had
enough of the adventure by then. |
| Consider secondary activities or satellite nature sites. This could
involve a visit to a nearby prairie dog town after watching the prairie
chickens. Or it could involve a walk through other habitats to view
wildflowers or other wildlife. Developing the potential for other features
and activities will create other possibilities for value-added profit and
also increase your flexibility in case of a change in the weather. Farming
and/or ranching activities may be part of the mix too. |
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Regal Fritillaries on Butterfly
Milkweed
Photo by Pete Janzen |
Scenario 2: Wetland and Wildflower Wonder
Fortunate is the farmer or small town that has
a local wetland. This can be turned into a wildlife viewing destination and
cash in the pocket. Duck hunters certainly know the values of wetlands,
but the landowner can also take advantage of birders who love watching the
wildlife of the marsh. Combined with the other natural features of the area
such as the local wildflowers, and you have an excellent offering of
nature�s desserts for the hungry nature tourist.
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A playa or wetland in an otherwise dry part of the state will be a
tremendous draw for birds and other wildlife. Other established wetlands can
be major stopovers for migrating birds. Here are some things to consider for
this venue:
| A blind set up on the edge of a marsh similar to that recommended for
prairie chickens will add tremendously to the value of the viewing
experience. A boardwalk to a blind built over the wetland is even more
attractive but certainly is more costly to develop. |
| Early morning access to a wetland viewing blind is probably the most
attractive situation. Many times, fog will be lifting off of a wetland in
the morning and adds a delightful touch to the experience. However,
evening visits, with the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful sunset as well
as the wildlife, are a great value-added feature. The added opportunity
for evening viewing at the wetland adds additional flexibility for trip
packages. |
| Morning viewing trips can be combined easily with other activities
including wildflower and nature walks. If the opportunity for horseback
riding and/or mountain biking is present, those activities may also be in
the mix of possibilities. |
| Making provisions for extra supplies, field guides, and bathroom
considerations will be just as important for early morning wetland
wildlife viewing as they are for prairie chickens. See the discussion in �The Dance of the Prairie Chickens�
above. |
| As is also the case for the landowner who is bringing clients to watch
prairie chickens, other natural amenities, both on- and off-site, allow
for value-added opportunities. This would include farming/ranching
activities, visits to prairie dog towns with burrowing owls
and other wildlife, area museums, special cultural events and other
local attractions. |
Evaluating Your
Potential Assets
It�s a good idea to conduct a thorough evaluation of your potential
assets. If you have a biologist available either from an area school, the
Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, another agency or through an
acquaintance or company, you may want to utilize the form below for a
thorough inventory of what you have to offer.
Click on the icon to download the �Natural Resources
Inventory� self-assessment form.
It will give you an idea of the features
and amenities that are considered important in evaluating and offering
nature tourism possibilities.
Once you are ready to serve clients, click on the icon to the left to
download the application form to have your business listed on the Natural
Kansas website. The form includes the criteria for listing as well as
how the process of evaluation works. We look forward to hearing from
you! Click here to see the different
Kansas businesses that are already listed.
For additional information:
| See the county bird lists on
this web page
to obtain bird lists for your county and adjacent counties. |
| "Nature Tourism: A Guidebook to Evaluate Enterprise
Opportunities" can be ordered from Texas Cooperative Extension
here. |
| Texas Cooperative Extension also has a nifty
publication entitled "Wildlife Photography for Fun and Profit:
Constructing and Installing Wildlife Photography Blinds". You may
download it as a pdf file
here. (759K file size) |
| Visit Watchable Wildlife, Inc.
for insight into the scope of nature-based tourism
nationwide. |
| See our listing of
Watchable Wildlife links for information on WW activities in other
states. |
| For professional technical advice on habitat
management in Kansas:
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| For tools to help you succeed and network with
other local businesses:
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Top of page
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Funded by the
Chickadee Checkoff Program
Click here for a brochure! |
The Natural
Kansas web site
© 2011
by
the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks
& Tourism.
Re-publication of site content in any form other than for personal use
requires written permission. If you are a Kansas resident, please
assist with this and other wildlife viewing and conservation programs
by contributing to the Chickadee Checkoff on your state tax form. |
Questions or comments about Natural Kansas may be directed to
Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism
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