Nature Tourism an example from southcentral Nebraska

1
Nature Tourisman example from southcentral
Nebraska

• Kent Skaggs, Office Manager
• Rowe Sanctuary the Iain Nicolson Audubon Center
• National Audubon Society
• Gibbon, Nebraska
• www.rowesanctuary.org

2
Rowe SanctuaryEstablished 1974

• Primary mission
• To protect migrating bird habitat, especially
  mid-channel habitat preferred by sandhill cranes
• To provide breeding habitat for grassland birds,
  such as dickcissels, bobolinks, upland
  sandpipers
• To work towards long term management of the
  Platte River, which includes water for wildlife
• And more recently, to provide nature education
  opportunities to local students, local residents
  and visitors

3
(No Transcript)
4
What Rowe is really known for.
www.michaelforsberg.com
5
www.michaelforsberg.com
6
www.michaelforsberg.com
7
Our version of March Madness
8
(No Transcript)
9
Promote it and they will come.

• Number of visitors to Rowe Sanctuary during
  March
• Year total which used our blinds
• 1995 2,145 1,215
• 1996 2,808 1,480
• 1997 4,437 1,597
• 1998 5,282 1,840
• 1999 6,400 2,140
• 2000 6,500 2,400
• 2001 5,900 2,100
• 2002 6,600 2,400
• 2003 14,000 3,840

10
.and build it and they will come.
Our new visitor center
11
The numbers

• From a 1997 Fermata Study funded by the EPA
• Average nature-watching visitor stays for 3 days
  and 2 nights during the crane season and spends
  100 per day in Nebraska
• In 2002, over 2,400 people stayed overnight in
  our area and went to our morning or evening
  blinds
• 2,400 x 300 720,000
• spent by these folks in south central Nebraska
• In 2003, that overnight number jumped to 3,840 x
  300
• 1,152,000 spent by Rowes visitors

12

• Another important fact to remember is the number
  of visitors which were counted at Rowe in March
  of 200314,000
• There are possibly 25,000 or more that come for a
  half, full day, or maybe more
• All during Marchto see cranes, geese and other
  wildlifeand they all came
• HERE (making us a destination)

13
(No Transcript)
14
(No Transcript)
15
(No Transcript)
16
(No Transcript)
17

18
More than sandhill cranes.

• Whooping Cranes
• Snow Geese / Waterfowl
• Bald Eagles
• Prairie Chickens / Sharp-tailed Grouse
• Prairie Dogs / Burrowing Owls
• Spring and Fall Migrations of Shorebirds
  Songbirds
• Combining bird / wildlife watching with ranch
  life and rural living experiences

19
More than southcentral Nebraska
20
Marketing is the key

• Rowe has been fortunate as past visitors have
  spread the word about the cranes
• Timely stories in the media
• Crane Cam
• It may be time to start to do some real marketing

21
(No Transcript)