Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife WILDLIFE VIEWING

Wildlife Viewing Strategic Plan Development for Washington

In  2003, the Washington State Legislature passed SB 5011 requesting the departments of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED), to host a working conference to adopt a strategic plan to promote wildlife viewing tourism in Washington, in a manner that both provides sustainable economic development in the state’s rural areas and supports maintaining the state’s wildlife diversity. The Legislature also requested that steps to implement the plan be developed.

Calendar
September 3, 2003

Introductory  “Promoting Wildlife Viewing:  A Strategic Planning Forum”.  Olympia, Red Lion.  Capacity 200. See Agenda

Audience: Community leaders, Tourism organizations, Chambers of Commerce, Economic Development directors, nonprofit conservation organizations, CTED and WDFW key staff.

Objectives of the conference:

  1. Present information on wildlife viewing programs in other states: including information on current social demographics that are fueling a boom in wildlife viewing tourism; and report on specific state activities, infrastructure and promotions regarding wildlife viewing.

  2. Develop a draft strategic plan for Washington, with suggested strategies to:

    • Increase revenues and benefits to Washington communities with wildlife viewing resources.
    • Strengthen the wildlife viewing tourism elements of gateway community partnerships.
    • Provide leadership and services to assist local communities to assess their local wildlife viewing resources and to market tourism about such resources.
    • Develop proposals to increase state funding to local communities to implement local wildlife viewing tourism plans.
    • Promote wildlife viewing tourism as an element of the Lewis and Clark bicentennial.

September 4, 2003

Draft Plan Written 
Conference organizers convene to organize and assimilate the findings/input from the previous day.
November 19, 2003 Tourism Forum 2003:  Statewide annual tourism conference. 
Draft strategic plan to be presented in a breakout session for feedback, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m.  Seattle Convention Center.
December 15, 2003  Final report to be presented to Washington State Legislature.

PROMOTING WILDLIFE VIEWING:  A STRATEGIC PLANNING FORUM

September 3, 2003 Agenda
Red Lion Hotel
2300 Evergreen Park Drive
Olympia, WA

8:30 Registration and continental breakfast
9:00 Welcome:  Director Jeff Koenings, WDFW; Director Martha Choe, CTED
9:30 Legislators’ Recognition 
Visions of Economic Impacts of Wildlife Viewing from sponsors of the legislation.  
10:00 Introduction - What to expect the rest of the day; desired outcomes.
10:15 Break
10:30

James Mallman, Executive Director of Watchable Wildlife, Inc. 
Demographic changes are driving dramatic shifts in leisure decisions, leading to a virtually untapped potential for wildlife viewing tourism.  National trends and developments and major international events will be presented to provide meeting participants “food for thought” in developing a Washington-specific plan.
11:45

  Working lunch (provided):

  • Presentation of survey findings “A Profile of Wildlife Agencies Viewing Programs in Other States”
  • Washington success stories
  • Land management agencies’ wildlife viewing activities
1:15 Strategic Plan Development (facilitated discussions)
3:00 Break
3:15 Meeting summary; next steps
4:00 Adjourn

Resource materials provided to all participants:

Registration:

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