Trails2Go On The Move

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Trails2goTrails2go continues to grow. We have added our newest SmartTrail, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. Here is the introduction to our newest SmartTrail.

The Philadelphia Museum District, one of the most prestigious convergences of art and science in the world, reaches from City Hall to the Philadelphia Art Museum. The thoroughfare that connects these remarkable institutions and public spaces is Benjamin Franklin Parkway (Parkway). Consider the facilities that border the Parkway: Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, Swann Memorial Fountain, Free Library of Philadelphia, Franklin Institute, Academy of Natural Sciences, Rodin Museum, Eakins Oval, the Barnes Museum, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Few places in the U.S. or the world can boast of such a scientific and cultural richness. To reach these facilities simply walk the Parkway. You are never more than a stone’s throw from the next museum or institute. Most begin their journey at JFK Plaza (LOVE Park), but there is really no “bad” place to start. The challenge is to choose which one of these extraordinary facilities to enter first. Philadelphia and the Parkway did not originate together. The city constructed the parkway in the early 1900s to ease the industrial blight in Center City and to restore Philadelphia’s natural and artistic beauty. The French urban planner Jacques Gréber designed the Parkway in 1917 to emulate the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Gréber designated a route that extended from City Hall Tower to a fixed point on the hill that William Penn called “Fairmount”, now the site of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The Parkway hosts many of the city’s annual cultural events, so be sure to check “events” on this app ahead of time. There is no wrong time or season for touring the Parkway; in fact, the shoulder seasons of spring and fall are delightful and less crowded. Although each facility along the Parkway is independently managed and funded, the Parkway property itself is the responsibility of the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department (PP&R). This Parkway SmartTail is only one of several that are being designed to connect visitors to the remarkable parks and facilities that comprise PP&R. Each new SmartTrail will be added to the Trails2Go app at no additional cost, so enjoy all of Philadelphia’s parks and sites.

NAI in St Paul

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NAI met in St Paul MN this week. Fermata exhibited earlier in the meeting. Ted held a workshop on the Tao of Interpretation on Saturday, the last day of the workshop. In fact, Ted presented one of the last sessions on the last day.

Needless to say, the crowd had thinned considerably. Those in attendance, however, were enthusiastic participants. This is a new presentation, and the crowd tolerated a few rough bumps. For example, the NAI inexplicably did not arrange for internet in the presentation rooms. Imagine giving a presentation on new media without access to the internet. In any case, the group that attended seemed unbothered by the glitches.

The presentation below is the one Ted gave at NAI. Please remember that all of Fermata’s work is protected under a Creative Commons license. You are welcome to use this material with attribution. The presentation is followed by a slide show of photos Ted took this week in St Paul as a demonstration for the guerrilla interpretation session. Click on the first photo to go directly to the gallery.

Nature Tourism in South Texas – A Model

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Green Jay, Laguna Atascosa NWR
Fermata began working in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of South Texas in the early 1990s. Our first project involved developing the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail for Texas Parks and Wildlife in that area. We followed that work with the feasibility study for the World Birding Center, the strategic plan for the World Birding Center, nature tourism strategies for several of the communities there such as Mission, Weslaco, and South Padre, a feasibility study for the new centers at Weslaco and South Padre Island, and interpretive enhancements at Quinta Mazatlan in McAllen.

Early in our work we assessed the economic impacts of nature tourism in key LRGV sites such as Santa Ana NWR, Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park, and the Sabal Palms sanctuary near Brownsville. At that time (at least 15 years ago) we estimated an annual impact of $125 million from nature tourism in South Texas. A number of people were surprised by that figure, and questioned its accuracy. How could birders and other nature tourists contribute so much to that economy?

In recent months a study by Texas A&M has covered the same ground. This research comes after the implementation of much of the work listed above. Texas A&M now estimates that the impact is $300 million per year, almost three times our original estimate made prior to the community, state, and federal investments.

The communities there have been on board from the very beginning, and the results show the importance of their commitment and investments. Texas Parks and Wildlife has led the effort from the outset, and their investments (including two new state parks) have been invaluable. Congratulations to all involved in making South Texas a model for nature tourism development!

A Bridge to Somewhere

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Kinzua Bridge SP Sky Walk
Another of Fermata’s strategic plans has been implemented. Ted developed a brief strategy for Pennsylvania’s Kinzua Bridge State Park after the railroad trestle met with fate in the form of a tornado. This park is near Bradford and the New York state line, yet although isolated the trestle (and the train that once operated here) attracted significant numbers of visitors. Ted’s plan recommended the creation of a sky walk at the end of the remaining structure (Ted remembers standing at the end of the destroyed trestle in 10 degree weather, wondering how he became interested in this profession in the first place). Congratulations to PA DCNR for following through on the plan, and particularly to Meredith Hill of DCNR for continuing the legacy of the PA Wilds. We can’t wait to visit!