What appeared on Tweeters didn't come out the way I typed and can be
confusing. To repeat: Statistics were taken from some which appeared in
the booklet l996 National and State Economic Impacts of Wildlife
Watching based on the l996 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and
Wildlife-Associated Recreation, U.S. Departments of Commerce and
Interior, Bureau of the Census, U.S. Economics and Statitistics
Administration, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Wash. D.C., l63 pages and
27 pages. A wealth of valuable wildlife statistics. 32,000 persons were
closely interviewed every 3 months. In summary, people engaged in
wildlife recreation numbered over 77 million, and they pumped $l00
BILLION into the national economy that year. About 35.2 million persons
fished, l4 million hunted and 69.2 million, repeat million, people
watched wildlife , mainly birds. Of the latter group total expenditures
amounted to $29.2 BILLION.that year. breaking this down further $l6.7
billion was for equipment, $3.1 billion for bird seed, magazines, dues,
etc. and $9.5 billion for travel related expenses. Further breakdown is
as follows:


National Washington State

Participation (persons) 62.9
million l.62 million
Total expenditures $29.2
billion $875.3 million
Total Industry Output $85.4
billion $l.45 billion
Jobs created & supported
l,0l0,590 21,454
Employment Income $24.2
billion $426.9 million
Sales Tax Revenue $l.04
billion $56.9 million
Federal Income Tax Revenue $3.8
billion $67.4 million

62.9 million wildlife watchers compares favorably with 73.8 people
watching spectator sports like baseball, football, basketball, etc.
Being a wildlife biologist, national wildlfe refuge manager, central and
west Pacific endangered species coordinator (Hawaii alone has 29
endangered species of birds and a couple hundred endangered plants) and
wildlife administrator before retirement in l979, I know that you need a
lot of bucks to save and enhance wildlife areas. Need equipment and
personell. Arm rassle politicians (Federal, State, and County) and land
exploiters-er-developers by getting into the trenches battling them.
Just looking at wildlife with binoculars is fun and games. So my advice
to you people just playing bird golf is to acquaint elected and
nonelected officials of the economic value. Otherwise you'r just talking
to yourselves. E. Kridler, Sequim, Wa. ekridler at olympus.net.