Your team
needs to have a clear vision of what you want your nature tourism
industry to look like – and what your community will look like
when nature tourism is successful.
Your vision
should seek to maximize the positive benefits of tourism while
minimizing the negative impacts. It can cover:
Economic
and planning matters (e.g. sharing of benefits, integration
and diversification of activities, zoning and control of development)
Ecological
and scientific matters (e.g. function of ecosystems, biodiversity
conservation and sustainable use)
Social
concerns (e.g. involvement of local communities, protection
of resources, participation and poverty alleviation)
Dissemination
of information and capacity building.
You need to
decide: What are your desired outcomes?
Your vision
needs to be developed with shared input from all the stakeholders
in the project because expanding tourism in your community needs
to involve collective action. Download Finding
a Shared Vision for the Future to assist you envisioning and
marketing to attract visitors.
Examples:
Marshall
Area in Focus: 2007
The Marshall area in Michigan used the "Meetings-in-a-box" format.
You can see their website to learn more about their visioning
process, or download the Meetings-in-a-Box
Guidelines [PDF Format - 27 KB] that
they used.
Designs
Innumerable
designs and plans exist to help people build structures for nature
tourism. We have provided a number of pictures of structures such
as boardwalks, viewing blinds, kiosks, platforms, interpretive
structures etc. to help you decide what sort of infrastructure
you want for your site or sites.
View photographs
and conceptual drawings in our Designs
Gallery. Some of the things, such as kiosks, are relatively
straightforward. For others, you will need the help of a professional
- perhaps one of your clever team members!
Recreation
Plans and Drawings - Ready-to-build engineering plans, drawings
and specifications created by the the USDA, Forest Service and
converted to PDF format for public use. Trail designs and other
infrastructure are currently available in PDF format, with more
to come.
Additional
resources to help you:
Designing
Trails with Wildlife in Mind [PDF Format -
625 KB] - An essential resource if you are planning
to make a trail system a part of your nature tourism plan.
Bat
Gating Projects - Information on "bat gates," which allow
the safe viewing of bat flights without the risk of disturbing
them in their habitat.
Landscaping
for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest - A book available
directly from the WDFW.
Backyard
Enhancement Home Page - Plans for bird and bathouses, plus
information on landscaping for butterflies and other beneficial
insects.
Forest
Service Rural Community Assistance Program - The Forest Service
is committed to strengthening rural America through forest resources
and related natural resources opportunities through facilitating
and fostering sustainable community development -- linking community
assistance and resource management.
