There used to be some folks who carried business cards they printed themselves, or got from a local Audubon chapter, and left them at businesses they patronized on their birding excursions. They said something like - "We are visiting your area for the purpose of observing birds. Thank you for giving us this opportunity." Or something like that. Then they would leave them on the restaurant table with the tip or on the counter of a store where they purchased something.

Lots of office supply places carry perforated paper that you can use to print your own "business" cards on and then tear into the proper size. Some even are preprinted with color backgrounds and designs and you just add the words you want.

----- Original Message -----
From: SGMlod at aol.com
To: Tweeters at u.washington.edu
Sent: Saturday, December 25, 2004 1:59 PM
Subject: [Tweeters] Exposing Yourself


Greetings All

Wilson is correct. Expose yourself. Wear your bins into stores. I'll tell you that the folks running the store on the hwy in Washtucna are quite aware of birders. I'm sure that makes Washtucna a friendlier place.

Interestingly, in Fields, OR, birders have a huge economic impact, and our wandering around the houses is well accepted. I dropped down to Denio, Nevada, this fall. Not far away, but a place where birders rarely go (but providing us with a nice Chestnut-sided Warbler), and we were almost chased off at gunpoint.

If we are polite, if we are obvious to local merchants (wearing bins into stores, instead of sheepishly hiding our activity), we will start to have an increasingly positive impact.

Cheers
Steven Mlodinow


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