Beauty, bucks sought in bird trail

State hopes nature-themed tourism will spark economy in eastern N.C

SWANSBORO -- With hundreds of colorful birds already visiting and calling Eastern North Carolina home, the state is encouraging bird lovers to bring their binoculars and billfolds to watch them.

The N.C. Birding Trail unveiled this week links dozens of sites long known to birders as packed with rare, popular or threatened species, such as the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker.

But state officials are promoting the trail as nature-themed tourism and hope it will give the financially stressed region an economic boost.

Forget the notion of birdwatching as a sedate, nerdy activity. Now hunting and fishing guides are running bird charters and bird-related tourism is worth millions.

"We have people coming here from all over the country," said John Ennis of Brunswick County, eastern vice president of the Carolina Bird Club. "It's a great resource."

When completed, the North Carolina trail will include dozens of places across the state that visitors can reach by car and look for more than 440 species of birds.

The first section, which highlights the coastal region, includes 102 birding sites in 16 groupings east of Interstate 95. A Piedmont trail that will bundle sites between Interstate 95 and Interstate 77 is scheduled to be completed next year with a mountain trail slated after that.

At least 100 sites have already been approved for the Piedmont section with three dozen in the Triangle. Birders will be directed to state and local lands such as Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve in Cary, Raleigh's Lake Johnson Park, Eno River State Park in Orange County and Duke Forest in Durham County.

Salinda Daley, N.C. Birding Trail Coordinator, said that describing the program as a trail causes some misunderstanding because it is not just lines on a map. She said promotional material links spectacular bird watching sites and birders with communities and businesses.

Birders have been asked to pass out cards noting that they stopped because of the birding trail.

During a kickoff ceremony for the trail in Swansboro on Tuesday, the state introduced a Coastal Plain Trail Guide, a 172-page book that includes maps, site information and birds in the area. The coastal section ranges from the Dismal Swamp State Natural Area in the northeast to Sunset Beach in the southeast corner of the state and I-95 to the west. There are state and local parks, federal wildlife refuges, small nature trails and some private lands.

Rare and unique

Tom and Jan Mann Jackson had their Sampson County farm listed in the western coastal plain section as part of their effort to tap into agriculture-related tourism. In the summer, visitors can catch a glimpse of northern bobwhite, red-headed woodpeckers and indigo bunting.

"We've had over 100 species on this little family farm," Tom Jackson said.

Other sites, including the Palmetto-Peartree Preserve in Tyrrell County, is home to rarer species such as the red-cockaded woodpecker.

Supporters hope the program will heighten awareness of natural resources.

Chris Canfield, executive director of Audubon North Carolina, said the trail marries the affinity people have for nature with the need to survive economically. The trail will bring outside attention to sites that are well-known to North Carolina residents.

"This is about marketing to a national or international audience," he said.

Because of size and geography, North Carolina has some unique offerings for birders. Canfield said ocean currents off the coast create feeding grounds for sea birds. Farther inland, wildlife refuges become winter homes for waterfowl. The state is also a vital stopping point for birds that migrate to and from Central and South America.

"Given the resources North Carolina has, in some ways we're long overdue for this," Canfield said.

Many of the habitats are inspiring even if birds are not around, he said.

Perry Sumner of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission said a 2006 federal survey found that two million people in North Carolina spent about $700 million on bird-watching activities. The state's birding trail makes it easier for people to find places, he said.

"The birds have been there," he said. "It's just letting people know where they are and how to get there."