Byway and Birding Builds Partnerships
A birding trail map project united a byway organization with other
nonprofit organizations and government partners.
Who/What:
The organization promoting travel on the Coulee Corridor Scenic Byway was one of several partners producing “The Great Washington State Birding Trail: Coulee Corridor Scenic Byway” map brochure. Other sponsors included Audubon Washington, the Central Basin Audubon Society, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Washington State Department of Transportation (DOT), and the Washington State Tourism Office.
When/Where:
The map covers the length of and side trips off the Coulee Corridor Scenic Byway from Othello to north of the Coulee Dam. The first printing of this map was produced in 2003. Audubon Washington currently has similarly-designed maps featuring the birds prominent in two other region’s of the state.
How:
The Central Basin Audubon organization initiated the idea of a birding trail map for the Coulee Corridor Byway region. That region features more than half of Washington’s 365 bird species.
Volunteers provided technical assistance in developing the map. Audubon Washington provided a staff person for project management. The Washington State Department of Transportation, Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the State Tourism Office; the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Reclamation provided financial support for the project. A DOT employee administered the funding.
The map was printed in 50,000 copies of a 26” x 36,” full-color illustrated birding trail map that includes the byway route in total plus loops off-trail. The name of the Coulee Corridor Scenic Byway appears on the cover and Audubon Washington recognizes the volunteers of the byway and other partners in a short acknowledgements section of the map. A brief description of the byway notes its development during the Ice Age, describes its present-day landscape, notes its birding significance, and encourages travelers to “find a warm welcome in Coulee Corridor communities… enjoy places to stay and eat along the way…(and) Let residents know that you are a visiting birder.”
Funding Potential:
Instead of cash into the byway organization, this project produced a product in the map and partnerships that may be drawn upon again.
Why Resource Project Partnerships:
• Resource-based projects with a specific focus, in this case then natural resource of birding, bring together partners with a shared interest and may lead to future opportunities to collaborate.
• Byway-based resource projects illustrate how the byway is the “vehicle” that provides access to regional resources, with a resulting positive impact on resource management, in this case ecosystem conservation, and on community and regional economies.
Resource Links:
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This project was funded in part by a |
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