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 Fermata's
CEO Coauthors Book on the Birdlife of the Upper Coast
Texas A&M University Press has released The Birdlife
of Houston, Galveston, and the Upper Texas Coast by
Fermata CEO Ted Eubanks, Bob Behrstock, and Ron Weeks.
The new book is the first to exhaustively document
the astounding birdlife of this region, and represents
the culmination of a lifelong dream for Fermata's CEO
Ted Eubanks. As reported by Texas A&M University
Press, "in the last thirty years, the Upper Texas
Coast has become a "must go" destination
for birders around the globe. This book will serve
as an essential companion to the customary field guide
and pair of binoculars for all visitors to Houston,
High Island, Galveston, Freeport, or any of the area's
other exciting birding spots. It also places the birdlife
of the region, a seven-county area with a larger bird
list than forty-three states, into historical and ecological
contexts." The book may be ordered from our friends
at Naturally Curious at
http://naturallycurious.net/shopsite_sc/store/html/birdlifehouston.html
Webcast
on Sustainable Tourism Scheduled for September 21
The Conservation Fund (TCF) is a national conservation
organization that works closely with Fermata on sustainable
tourism projects in states such as Pennsylvania and Texas.
On September 21, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM (Eastern DST),
TCF is presenting a two-hour live broadcast (webcast
and satellite) that will feature national tourism experts
describing various methods and approaches for starting
a sustainable tourism project at varying geographic scales.
Through case studies, these experts will highlight the
actual steps involved in establishing these projects,
from the initial conversations and ideas through the
step-by-step actions to the point where the project begins
to produce results! Participants will hear on-the-ground
practical advice for starting a sustainable tourism project
and will have the opportunity to call-in and seek advice
from these national experts. This is the first in a series
of National Sustainable Tourism broadcasts, and information
about this, and future webcasts, is available at <http://www.conservationfund.org/?article=3263&back=true>.
For
more information view
the announcement for the Sept. 21 Webcast in
PDF format (238kb)
We are pleased to announce that Fermata’s Ted Eubanks will be one of the
three experts participating in this broadcast! We will post additional information
as it becomes available, but for now hold the date (September 21) and plan to
tune in.
Report
on Economic Impact of Heritage Tourism Released
The Alliance of National Heritage
Areas (ANHA) has released
its report titled “Economic Impact of
Heritage Tourism Spending 2005.” ANHA
estimates the economic benefits of National Heritage
Areas as
follows:
Five NHAs alone attracted more than 5.5 million tourists
in 2005. An estimated 68.3 million visitors visited
the entire 27 National Heritage Areas in the same year.
The impact of this tourism activity is significant
to the local economies of each region. Based on surveys
of the five National Heritage Areas, it can be estimated
that:
- Visitors to the entire NHA network generated $8.5
billion in direct and indirect sales last year.
- These sales were enough to support more than 152,324
jobs, which paid nearly $3.2 billion in wages and
salaries.
- The total direct and indirect value-added to the
community from the heritage tourism-related activity,
in the
form of personal income to workers, profits and
rents to businesses, and indirect business taxes
paid to
government, is estimated to have reached $5 billion
in 2005.
The complete report is available on the Fermata website
at the following URL: <http://www.fermatainc.com/pdf/ANHA_eco_imp_report.pdf>
(1.35MB PDF Document).
Dick
Payne New American Birding Association President
Fermata’s long-time friend and collaborator,
Dr. R.H. (Dick) Payne, has accepted the position of
president of the American Birding Association. Dick
has served ABA as chairman for several years, but has,
at the urging of their board, accepted this full-time
position leading the organization. We wish Dick the
best of luck, and are certain that his tenure as president
will be extraordinarily successful. For additional
information, we have posted the ABA press release at
the following URL: <http://www.fermatainc.com/pdf/payne_ceo_announcement.pdf> (27KB
PDF Document).
 We
are pleased to announce that Fermata has been selected
as one of the best educational resources on the Web by
StudySphere
for
our page on Odonata
(Dragonflies and Damselflies).
StudySphere is one of the Internet's fastest growing
sites of educational
resources for students, teachers and parents. StudySphere
has scoured the Internet to select only the finest
sites to be included within its listing of educational
links.
PA
Wilds Recreation Plan Released
 After nearly two years of constant
effort, A Recreation Plan for the State Parks
and State Forests in the Pennsylvania Wilds
has been finished and released to the public.
Fermata personnel, working with Pennsylvania
DCNR staff (led by Michael Krempasky), developed
this recreational strategy for over 2 million
acres of public land in north central Pennsylvania.
Recreational planning on this scale is precedent
setting, and we would like to express our
sincere thanks to Secretary Michael DiBerardinis
and his DCNR staff for trusting us with this
remarkable project. The executive summary,
the full report, and all appendices are available
on the DCNR website at http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/info/pawilds/recplan.aspx
Quinta
Mazatlan World Birding Center Open for
Business
by Ted Eubanks
 In
March I attended a pre-opening celebration
at Quinta Mazatlan, the new World Birding
Center (WBC) facility in McAllen, Texas.
Fermata has been working with the World
Birding Centers and their communities
for the past couple of years, and many
of the exhibits in Quinta Mazatlan were
designed by Fermata. Quinta Mazatlan
is an historic hacienda purchased and
restored by McAllen as a community
resource. The hacienda and its grounds offer excellent birding
opportunities, and to that end McAllen committed a wing of the
building as its World Birding Center facility. MORE>
Experiential
Tourism in the Kansas Flint Hills
 This past September Fermata and Kansas
Tourism released their strategic plan titled Experiential
Tourism in the Kansas Flint Hills. Now Kansas Tourism
has contracted with Fermata to assist regional communities
in the implementation of this strategic plan. In March
Fermata met with representatives of Kansas Tourism
and the Kansas Flint Hills Tourism Coalition in a branding
summit in Topeka. The results of that session were
reported back to the coalition in early June, with
the grouping selecting both a logo and tag line for
this tourism initiative. Fermata will be meeting with
the coalition monthly to assist the region in the implementation
of this sustainable tourism strategy. More information
about this Flint Hills initiative (as well as images
of both the brochure and the exhibits that are now
seen along I-70 and I-35 through the Flint Hills) may
be found at http://www.fermatainc.com/kansas/index.html
News From the Fermata Crew
Fermata
CEO Ted Eubanks has agreed to serve a second term on the Cornell
Laboratory of Ornithology
Board of Directors http://www.birds.cornell.edu/
Brenda
Adams-Weyant, Fermata Senior Parks and Recreation Planner,
has been elected president of the National Association
of Resource
Recreation Planners http://www.narrp.org/
Sumita
Prasad, Fermata Director of Birding, recently published an article
on
the impact of rare birds on park and sanctuary
visitation in South Texas. The article, published in the American
Birding Association’s newsletter, Winging
It, will be available on-line in the archives at the
organization’s
website http://www.americanbirding.org/pubs/wingingit/index.html
In “News
from Costa Rica,” Jon and Marisol Kohl welcomed the birth of their son, Dion, on May 1. Jon is a
master nature
interpreter, and has worked with Fermata on several
projects. Marisol has aided us with the Spanish translation of
several exhibits in South Texas. For those interested in
Dion’s
birth interpreted as only his father can, see http://www.jonkohl.com/personal/dion/dion.htm
Somehow
Jon also found time to publish in Parks a fascinating paper titled “Converting Unseen and Unexpected
Barriers to Park Plan Implementation into Manageable
and Expected Challenges.” A
PDF of Jon’s paper is available on his personal
website at http://www.jonkohl.com/index2.htm
Where
We’ve Been, Where We’re
Going
26-29 April 2006 – Ted led birding groups around South Texas
as part of the 30th anniversary celebration of Victor Emanuel Nature
Tours
30 Apr 2006 – Ted and Madge Lindsay honored
by the Great Texas Birding Classic in McAllen, Texas
16 May 2006 – Ted
speaks at the New Hampshire Travel Conference at The Balsams Resort
17 May 2006 - Ted speaks at NAARP convention in Nashville,
Tennessee
6 Jun 2006 – Ted conducts a daylong workshop
on experiential tourism in Spearfish, South Dakota
7-8 Sep 2006 – Ted
speaks at the Tourism and Travel Research annual conference in
Montgomery, Alabama
10-13 Sep 2006 – Ted speaks at National
Extension Tourism conference in Burlington, Vermont
6
Nov 2006 – Ted speaks at the Southeast
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies annual conference in
Norfolk, Virginia
TPW
Wildlife Viewing Trails Texas Parks and Wildlife has developed its newest
series of wildlife viewing trails: Prairies and Pineywoods – East
and West. Congratulations to Shelly Scroggs Plante, the agency’s
Nature Tourism Coordinator, for a job well done. Fermata personnel
were honored to work with Shelly and Texas Parks and Wildlife on
this project, as we have for all of the agency birding and wildlife
trails in the state. More information about the Prairies and Pineywoods
trails is available at the agency’s website: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/wildlife_trails/pineywoods/
While
on the subject of birding trails, the National Wildlife Federation
has recently published an article on birding trails in its magazine.
Fermata’s Ted Eubanks, who pioneered birding trails (along
with Madge Lindsay, now heading the National Audubon office in
Mississippi) is quoted extensively in this fine piece. The article
is available at http://www.nwf.org/nationalwildlife/article.cfm?issueID=107&articleID=1339
New
Cheyenne Bottoms Marketing and Interpretive Plan
Fermata’s
Ted Eubanks and Shomer Zwelling have completed a marketing and
interpretive plan for Cheyenne Bottoms, Kansas. Cheyenne Bottoms
is one
of this nation’s most significant interior wetland complexes,
and has
been designated a wetland of international importance by the Ramsar
Convention. Kansas Wildlife and Parks
is in the
process of developing a new visitor center at Cheyenne Bottoms,
and this
report is intended to aid that agency, as well as the local communities,
in their marketing and interpretive efforts. The report, funded
by a
tourism grant through the Great Bend CVB, is available on the Fermata
website at <http://www.fermatainc.com/great_bend/index.html>
Alabama’s Black Belt Wildlife and Heritage Trail
Fermata’s team of naturalists and interpretative planners
completed the first phase of Fermata’s work for the Alabama
Bureau of Tourism and Travel (ABTT) this spring with the assessment
and development recommendations for over 100 sites and the preparation
of a detailed thematic framework for interpreting the nature, history,
and culture of the 11 county region of central Alabama.
In April, Fermata entered into a second contract with the ABTT
to develop a series of interpretative kiosks at portal sites for
each of the three loops of the Black Belt Wildlife and Heritage
Trail and to prepare trail loop guides and maps. Working with local
advisors including members of the Alabama Governor’s Black
Belt Action Commission’s Tourism and Marketing Committee,
Fermata is preparing feasibility studies for the designation of
US Highway 80 through the Black Belt as a Scenic Byway and the
creation of a Black Belt National Heritage Area.
Change on the landscape–sometimes slow and subtle, at other
times fast-paced and bold–has been a constant in Alabama’s
Black Belt region. Mississippian culture with its imposing mounds
seemed timeless and eternal in the years before European contact.
Less than two centuries after De Soto marched into the region,
disease destroyed the native population, settlements were abandoned
and an age-old culture vanished. Similarly, at the start of the
nineteenth century only a few Anglo-Americans lived in the Black
Belt where Creeks and Choctaw farmed along the rivers and hunted
on the vast prairie. Beginning in 1817, however, "Alabama
Fever" gripped Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia as thousands
of American yeomen abruptly left their homes to purchase land,
work the soil and grow cotton in Black Belt. Within two years,
by the end of 1819, Alabama was admitted to the Union, and two
decades later the native Indian tribes had been forced west of
the Mississippi. In 1861, the population in the Black Belt was
overwhelmingly African-American slaves. By 1865 these enslaved
people were free. Other changes were more measured, sometimes almost
imperceptible. The decline of cotton as a cash crop happened steadily
over the course of at least two generations. Eventually, cattle,
pasture land, soybeans, forests and paper mills replaced cotton
fields on the landscape. Similarly, the emergence of a new era
of racial harmony and equality took decades of painstaking struggle,
courageous effort, trial and error.
Louisiana
Red River and Mississippi River Birding Trails
To develop and promote the eco-cultural tourism assets of Louisiana,
Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu, through the Louisiana Office
of Tourism, is developing the Red River and Mississippi River Birding
Trails in Central and North Louisiana. Fermata, Inc. was contracted
in August 2005 to assist in the development and design of the two
birding trails. Over 100 locations to see birds and other wildlife
were nominated by birders and tourism professionals. In addition
to nominations on public lands such as parks, historic places,
and wildlife management areas, etc., privately owned site nominations
were also submitted by the site owner/manager.
Site assessments were conducted by Fermata’s naturalist,
Lafayette-based Bill Fontenot, during Winter 2005 and Spring 2006
to evaluate sites’ potential for inclusion in the trails based
upon a set of key criteria. In May 2006, Fermata’s team of
recreation planners and tourism marketing people began work collecting
images and preparing maps for guides that will be printed and published
on-line for each trail by Dec. 2006.
Fermata and LOT are planning a meeting in July in eastern Louisiana
to discuss the creation of an additional trail that would unify
and connect a number of sites along the Zachary Taylor Parkway.
The Zachary Taylor Parkway is the corridor stretching from Alexandria
on the west to Poplarville on the east. It covers eight Louisiana
parishes. When complete, the Zachary Taylor Parkway Birding Trail
will connect the existing Louisiana Gulf Coast America’s Wetland
Birding Trail with the new trails being developed for the Red River
and the Mississippi River regions.
Journal
of Ecotourism
Ted
Eubanks, Dr. Bob Ditton, and Dr. John Stoll have recently published
a paper on birding in the Journal of Ecotourism. This article
addresses eight subpopulations of birders, and delineates the
ways in which
these groups differ. This is the first in a series of their journal
articles on birding that are being published this year, and we
will post these papers as they become available. Download
the PDF (290kb)
Beyond
Lumber: The New identity of the vast forests of north central
Pennsylvania and the people who live there
"It
is one thing when elk roam into the tiny Pennsylvania Township
of
Benezette (population 230) and eat the heads off their corn crops;
it is
another entirely when thousands of tourists follow those elk, clogging
roads, cutting through driveways to photograph them, and rapping
on
people's doors asking for the bathroom. In the late 1990s both
the corn
cropping and the tourist intruding precipitated a flood of resident
complaints, mobilizing the state police, the Bureau of Forestry,
town
supervisors, and State Representative Dan Surra who asked the North
Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission
to do something about Benezette.
The Commission
did do something; it sponsored a study of the elk
situation. But what was intended simply to solve the
elk-tourist-Benezetter wrangle, ended up triggering a soul searching
for
12,500 square miles of forested north central Pennsylvania. In
only a
few years this region, practically unknown beyond its borders,
would be
reborn." MORE
What
does Fermata mean?
In music, a fermata is a point in a composition when a note is
held for an indefinite period of time. The purpose of a fermata,
or hold, is to allow the audience to consider, for longer than
had been anticipated, the music, the mood, and the emotion that
have preceded that moment.
We chose the name FERMATA
for our company because, in similar fashion, our mission is to
help communities develop their nature-based,
cultural, and historical resources in a way that will enable travelers
to "hold and consider" what makes that place special.
By clearly encountering the natural attributes and human stories
that define a region, travelers go home with a deeper understanding
of, and appreciation for, the uniqueness of the place that they
have visited.
Our
Approach
The
disneyesque view of tourism, an industry circumscribed by a fabricated,
fictitious set of enticements, is without a doubt an important
economic component in the travel and tourism market as a whole.
Yet experiential tourists are searching for the natural, historical,
and cultural heart of a region, and their defining principle
is authenticity. To this expanding segment of the travel and
tourism market, what is real is what earns their time and investment.
Their ambition is to be immersed in a rich natural, cultural,
and historical experience.
Fermata
Inc. has been established to assist governments, agencies, states,
communities, organizations, and individuals in advantaging themselves
of the natural, cultural, and historical resources that surround
them. Experiential tourism is a marriage of economic development
and conservation, where both, often seen as competing interests,
are in fact inextricably linked. Every day Fermata assists clients
and communities identify, understand, and use their natural,
cultural, and historical resources while protecting them for
future generations of people and businesses.
Services
- Strategic
Planning
- Economic
Impact Studies
- Feasibility
Studies
- Marketing
Plans
- Fund
Raising Plans
- Proposal
Development
- Workshops
on Resource-based Tourism
- Nature
Tourism
- Adventure
Tourism
- Cultural
and Historical Tourism
- Agri-Tourism
- Resource-based
Tourism Development Planning
- Nature
Tourism Training for Community Leaders, Economic Development
Professionals, Decision Makers, and Others
- Guide
and Site Manager Training
- Interpretive
Planning, Sign Design, Graphics, and Other Materials
About
Fermata Inc.
Fermata
Inc. offers over 30 years of business and personal expertise
in the business of wildlife watching, conservation programming,
and nature tourism development. For a detailed description of
the services of the firm, and the philosophy that guides its
efforts, click here. Fermata Inc.
is owned and managed by founder Ted Lee Eubanks.
Who
YOU are!
As
Fermata’s mailing list continues to expand, we thought that
you might be interested is seeing just where
our U.S.
subscriber’s live.
We now have over 2000 people who subscribe to our newsletter and
gain access to the reports and presentations in our subscriber’s
section. We sincerely thank all of you who support our efforts
in this fashion, and we invite those of you who have yet to join
our ranks to do so. To subscribe
to Fermata, click here.
Newly
formatted newsletters now available to all online
Our
newly formatted newsletters are now
being archived in a publicly accessible directory at Fermata.
The newsletter is sent regularly to subscribers. Becoming a subscriber
is free, and gives you access to our subscribers only area where
previous newsletters are archived as well as reports and presentations
that may not be available elsewhere. To become a subscriber, click
here!
Become
a Subscriber
Do
you need more detailed information related to workshops and presentations
that we have recently given? Would you like to read the entire
reports related to a selection of our wildlife-viewing and nature-tourism
surveys? Would you care to receive our quarterly newsletter that
covers the most recent news in our field? Are you looking for
a few of our slides that you viewed in a recent program? Then subscribe
here to access these materials. Don't worry; we do not charge
for the subscription, we do not solicit, and we do not reveal
the names of our subscribers.
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Fermata
and Great American Trails are founding sponsors of the Conservation
Through Birding initiative. CTB is an affiliation devoted
to promoting the recreation of birding as a tool to effect
wildlife conservation. Please join us in supporting this
important effort.
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