With Maine Audubon’s pelagic trip coming up tomorrow, the timing is good for a chat.
The Maine Birding Trail rolled out in 2009. I’ve been talking with the Maine Office of Tourism about updating the trail and about ideas for continuing to elevate Maine’s status as a birding destination. Now is a good time for such an endeavor because the trail has been (almost) too successful. The Maine Office of Tourism can’t keep up with demand for the brochures, and with every new reprint, conversation about updates increases.
Furthermore, the original oversight structure for the trail needs review. Oversight was originally chaired by the Maine Department of Conservation, which no longer exists. Other partners included Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, Maine Office of Tourism, Maine Audubon, and me.
Under consideration:
- Getting feedback from the birding community about new sites to add and old sites to drop.
- Improving support for festivals.
- Recognizing other birding adventures that would benefit from tourism marketing, such as the pelagic trip, puffin boat trips, tours, and particular birding destinations.
- Gathering stakeholders for a meeting in late autumn.
If anyone has thoughts about the topic, or wants to be kept in the loop, please respond offline.
And, if you’re on the pelagic trip tomorrow and have ideas to discuss, look me up.
Cheers,
Bob Duchesne
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