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(Colette Boehm): We are finding that nature tourism is a growing part of our our tourism segment
all year long. People are coming to attractions
like the Backcountry Trail here in Orange Beach.
They're going on dolphin cruises.
They're going on nature walks.
They're very interested in our sea turtle programs.
The birds in the area, birding is great in the spring and fall here.
So we're finding lots of people are interested in lots of different aspects
of the natural assets of the area.
(Bill Mitchell): Many of our people are very eco-conscious.
We're the only Dolphin Smart recognized company in the upper Gulf Coast.
And, this is a NOAA program.
What NOAA's done is set out a bunch of guidelines to keep the dolphins safe.
And the key word there is sustainability. We want to do practices that can
continue
for 50 years
and sustain. The dolphins won't change a bit.
(BOEHM): All along
the coastal areas of Baldwin County and Mobile County,
We have the Alabama Coastal Birding Trail, which is
a popular
both tourist attraction and a popular activity for locals.
Again, spring and fall are the best times for that.
People from inland
don't often see our shore birds and lots of the birds that we think
are common here.
So, for them, there are lots of new birds to see.
For our residents, they're seeing new species every year.
So, it's a great attraction.
As well as our uh... scenic byway,
which also goes
across both coastal counties.
And it focuses on the natural assets of the area as well as the
cultural and historic assets. The numbers that we're seing are growing
for those interested in
nature tourism
and in viewing nature in both getting out and doing
-- what people call soft adventure --
or just bird watching
and going on dolphin cruises, those type things. So, it is gowing here and the statistics
we're seeing nationally, it's growing all over the country.