Ted keynoted the 2013 National Extension Tourism Conference in Detroit the evening of August 7. It is hard to believe that we last worked in Michigan 13 years ago in the Les Cheneaux region of the UP. Ted thoroughly enjoyed seeing old friends and colleagues at the conference. Ted’s presentation can be viewed below.
The Most Interesting Place on Earth
Bare Naked in Big Bend
In 2011 I wrote an article for Birding magazine about bare-naked birding. The concept is simple.
That’s right; embrace “bare-naked” birding. Find a bird, gather as much information about its identity as possible without binoculars or field guides, hazard a guess as to its identity,then put glass to eye to confirm your guess. You will quickly become sensitized to the bird’s every aspect, by noting how it presents itself in life (not just the cartoonish field marks of field guides) and in the ways all aspects of a bird interrelate to form a living, breathing creature.
Ted Floyd, editor of Birding, has done yeoman’s work in promoting bare-naked birding, including completing the first bare-naked Big Day this spring in Colorado. Now the National Park Service has embraced this approach. Here is a link to the visitor’s guide for Big Bend National Park. Notice the section on page 8 about bare-naked birding and bird watching. The NPS had done a great job promoting the approach and explaining the concept, particularly for those who might be birding for the first time.
The lead story in the latest issue of the National Parks Conservation Association magazine describes birding Big Bend National Park by a first time birder. In the article the author embraces bare-naked birding, and explains how the approach helps with new birders. How nice to see a simple idea take hold!
Ted Lee Eubanks
15 July 2013
Summertime
This summer I have visited Antigua & Barbuda on two occasions. The first visit (in spring, actually) consisted of a week of constant field work. I returned in late June to conduct a two-day workshop on avitourism in the region. With this workshop the project is complete.
Here are links to the various materials related to the project. We thank our client, the Environmental Awareness Group, as well as countless friends and supporters in the islands, for their help and aid in this important project.
Avitourism in Antigua & Barbuda (Final Report)
Antigua & Barbuda Photo Gallery (Images)
An article about our work in Antigua & Barbuda will be published on the Nature Travel Network blog soon, and we will post a link to the article as soon as it is live.
Ted
Paths to Cross
January is the month for writing. The time is perfect. The holidays are completed, clients lazily make their way back to the office, and I get to avoid the cold north. I try to stay on the road during the warm months, and when Christmas arrives I start the tedious process of collecting and collating all of my thoughts and work in the reports that are required. I have spent most of this month ensconced in my office, failing away at the keyboard while my two cats watched approvingly.
The reports are done. The drafts for the first phase of the Caribbean birding trail interpretive plan, the Nebraska Sandhills Journey interpretive plan, and the ecotourism strategy for Kansas are all in circulation. Today I finished the final presentations for my workshops at NCTC next week, and I am making travel plans to return to Kansas for work on the byways later in the month. Yes, there is pride that comes with accomplishment. I try not to linger long in self-satisfaction, though. To be perfectly honest, a month in the office leaves me stir crazy.
I thoroughly enjoy the field work, I confess. There is nowhere I would rather be than out rather than in. But I have learned to appreciate my writing time as well. I do like to see the finished product, that magical moment when text, design, images, and insight come together in something singular.
I also found time this month to continue working on efforts to conserve Shoal Creek in Austin (my home). I created a blog for that effort several months ago. A number of stakeholders have joined me in creating a new organization, the Shoal Creek Conservancy, and the blog has been retooled to fit the needs of the organization. I enjoy this volunteer effort, and my time along the creek has opened my eyes to the incredible resource that it represents.
Fermata is well into its second decade, and I marvel at what we have accomplished over those years. More importantly, though, I am anticipating the next project, the next challenge. There is never a moment for rest in this business. Contracts are finite, and the demands of life are eternal. Hopefully our paths will cross during this new year.
Ted Lee Eubanks
29 Jan 2013