Non-consumptive Use of Wildlife

1. Non-consumptive Use of Wildlife

2. Non-consumptive Use • Any non-hunting or non-extractive use • Examples: wildlife feeding & photography, bird watching, whale watching

3. Non-consumptive Use Sources of information • Based on USFWS’s series of National Surveys of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation • One of the Nation's most important wildlife recreation databases (since 1955) • Conducted by US Census Bureau every 5 years • Sample of 85,000 households • Funded by the 1937 Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act • http://federalasst.fws.gov/surveys/surveys.html

4. 2006 Survey Highlights • Over 87 million U.S. residents 16 years old and older fished, hunted, or wildlife watched • 29.9 million people fished • 12.5 million hunted • 71.1 million participated in at least one type of wildlife-watching activity including observing, feeding, or photographing wildlife (non-incidental activity)

5. 2006 Survey Highlights • 31% of the U.S. population fed, observed, or photographed wildlife • 13% increase from 1996 to 2006 • 10% decrease in hunting • 15% decrease in fishing • Expenditures for wildlife-watching equipment (binoculars, cameras, etc.) increased by 20% and for wildlife-watching trips by 40%

6. Wildlife Watching Participation Rates

7. Wildlife Watching Participation: Pacific Region

8. Wildlife Watching Trends 1996-2006 - + + + Around home Away from home

9. Wildlife watching expenditures • Hunters and fishermen spent $75 billion • Wildlife watchers spent $45 billion • Total = $120 billion, or 1% of US gross domestic product

10. Wildlife watching: equipment & expenses Trip-Related Expenditures • Food • Lodging • Transportation • Cars, boats, pack animals • Guides • Land use Fees • Equipment rental

11. Wildlife watching: equipment & expenses Equipment • Binoculars, spotting scopes • Cameras • Backpacking equipment • Special clothing • Field guides & maps • Tents and camping equipment • Blinds Nest boxes, bird houses, feeders, baths Other Expenditures • Magazines, books • Land leasing and ownership • Membership dues and contributions

12. Wildlife Watching & Photography • Take a class • Hire a guide • Join a group • No trespassing • Don’t disturb natural behaviors – keep your distance

13. Wildlife Watching in WA

14. Principles of Birding Ethicsof the American Birding Association • Promote the welfare of birds and their environment • Protect habitats, stay on trails • Avoid incurring stress or danger • Respect the law and the rights of others • No trespassing • Ensure that feeders, nest structures, and other artificial bird environments are safe • Group birding requires special care • Respect other recreationists

15. Feeding Wildlife • "People" food is not formulated for animal consumption • When animals learn that humans can provide a cheap and easy food source, they often lose their natural fear of humans

17. Feeding Wildlife • Feeding wildlife from vehicles • Traffic hazards • Costly property damage • Animals dependent on human food sources • Gather in abnormally large numbers • Spread disease • Backyard wildlife feeding • keep feeders clean • keep cats indoors

18. Domestic cats . . . • > 90 million pet cats in U.S. • Free-roaming cats kill hundreds of millions small wildlife each year!

19. Why Landscape for Wildlife? • Watching wildlife can be fun and relaxing • Provide refuge for wildlife • Restore habitats • Reduce the use of chemicals, conserve energy and water, and compost to help improve air, water and soil quality

20. Landscaping for Wildlife Food- Plant native forbs, shrubs, and trees provides foliage, nectar, pollen, berries, seeds, and nuts- Provide feeders (seeds, suet, nuts)

21. Landscaping for Wildlife Water • Natural features: ponds, lakes, rivers, springs, oceans, wetlands • Human-made features: bird baths, puddling areas for butterflies, installed ponds, rain gardens

22. Landscaping for Wildlife Cover • Sheltered places to hide and take young to be safe from people, predators, and inclement weather • Shrubs, thickets, brush piles, dead trees

23. Landscaping for Wildlife Places to raise young • Nest boxes • Bat boxes • Dead trees

24. Landscaping for Wildlife Sustainable gardening • Mulch • Reduce lawn area • Rain barrels • Remove invasive plants • Add native plants • Reduce or eliminate use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers • Compost • Shrubs, thickets, brush piles, dead trees

25. Top 10 native plants for feeding WA wildlife • Douglas Fir • Oregon White Oak • Western Serviceberry • Hollyleaf Oregon-grape • Blue Elderberry • Salal • Salmonberry • Hooker’s Evening Primrose • Red Columbine • Beach Strawberry

26. Ecotourism • Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the welfare of local people (The International Ecotourism Society)

27. Ecotourism Principles • minimize impact • build environmental and cultural awareness and respect • provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts • provide direct financial benefits for conservation • provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people • raise sensitivity to host countries' political, environmental, and social climate

28. Ecotourism • Most of tourism expansion in and around world’s last remaining natural areas (UN Environment Programme and Conservation International) • Rapid loss of unique ecosystems damages the livelihoods of some of the world’s poorest people and drives unique biodiversity to extinction - Tourism provides a unique and valuable tool to addressing these challenges (Conservation International)

29. Ecotourism • Tourists willing to pay more for responsible ecotourism • Ecotourists invest more in local economy • Ecotourism is growing 10% / year . . . Opportunity for good

30. Ecotourism • Be a responsible consumer • Choose wisely – are the places you go eco-certified? • How are fees allocated? • Not a perfect system – lots of ways to have a break down • Ecotourism operations come in shades of gray • Don’t actually invest fully in conservation or community • Displacement of people • Resource harvesting for subsistence • Illegal poaching • Carbon collection • Wood

31. Potential negative effects of wildlife watching • Direct • Feeding patterns • social structure • communication • Indirect • Species introductions, more roads/facilities, increased predation, increased pollution

32. Implications of Wildlife Watching • Supplements traditional funding for wildlife, which alone is inadequate • Engages the public into conservation efforts • May help or hinder wildlife populations, depending on activity