Reasons To Attend This Workshop

1.86 million people participated in bird watching and other wildlife watching in North Carolina in 2006
72 percent of North Carolina's birders traveled away from their homes to view birds at least 10 days in 2006
With 24 sites on the North Carolina Birding Trail, the NC High Country is habitat for more than 200 bird species
The spring migration could attract birders to our area in April & May, bringing more business to the High Country during a "shoulder season"

Thursday, February 4
1:00 - 4:30 pm
La Quinta Inn, 165 Highway 105 Extension, Boone

	Schedule
1:00 pm	Welcome
1:05 pm	"The Economic Impact of Birding and Why We Should Market to Birders." Stacy Tomas, PhD, Tourism Extension Specialist, Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management, NC State University
2:00 pm	“The Spring Migration in the NC High Country,” Curtis Smalling, Important Bird Areas Coordinator & Mountain Program Manager, Audubon North Carolina
2:50 pm	Introduction to bird-friendly coffee
3:00 pm	Coffee break, serving bird-friendly coffee
3:15 pm	“A day in the life of a birder: the needs, wants and desires of the traveling birder,” Jesse Pope, Director of Education, Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation & President, High Country Audubon.
3:45 pm	Group Brainstorming Session: do we want to market ourselves to birders? What materials would we produce, how would we reach our target audience, and how much would we spend?

Copies of the Mountain Region edition of the NC Birding Trail Guide the will be available for participants to purchase at a discount.