Subject: Economics of birders
Date: Jan 29 19:13:25 2004
From: Eugene Kridler - kridler at olypen.com


Over 15,300 wildlife watchers 16 years of age and older were
comprehensively interviewed about 4 times between 2001 and 2002 by the
Federal government. I wonder how big the sample size was that of a few
people that pooh-poohed the national study and figures? Just themselves?
A few neighbors? How does their sample size stand up to that of the
study? What is their Standard Error of the mean, 95% confidence
interval. net economic value per day of birdwatching for state residents
or nonresidents. I would be interested in their data.

Birders spend a rasbucknik or two travelling, especially to foreign
countries like Mexico, Costa Rico, the Galagapos, etc. let alone in this
state and the U.S.. I'm sure there was a dollar or two dropped during
all the annual birding festivals in the nation. In Washington at the
Crane Festival in Othello, the Shorebird shindig at Ocean Shores , The
Bald Eagles at Skagit, to name some. How about birders purchasing
equipment like binocs and scopes, gas and oil, other transportation,
food, stays at motels/hotels, camping, cameras and film, bird seed, bird
baths, feeders, magazines, dues to various conservation organizations,
etc..

If skeptics would want to find out more, they should get the Birding in
the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis,August 2003, or
if they have a computer at http://federalaid.fws.go

84-year old Broken Down Biologist
Gene Kridler
Sequim, WA