Nature Tourism Strikes a Balance
Susanne Norgard, Executive Director, writes in the Ukiah Daily Journal about people and organizations improving lives in our community.
If you were to ask most people to list
Capitalizing on this asset, while at the same time preserving it, is one of the goals of the Nature Tourism Coalition, a group of community leaders who came together after the Mendocino Coast Economic Development Outlook Conference in October 2006. One of the key volunteers was Penny Greenwood who is now the Coalition Coordinator. Penny has a list of community activities too long to include here. Among other things, she has been on the board of many arts organizations, coordinated several festivals, worked as a marketing and sales associate, and owned a bed and breakfast inn.
Susanne Norgard, Executive Director, writes in the Ukiah Daily Journal about people and organizations improving lives in our community.
Nature Tourism Strikes a Balance
If you were to ask most people to list
Capitalizing on this asset, while at the same time preserving it, is one of the goals of the Nature Tourism Coalition, a group of community leaders who came together after the Mendocino Coast Economic Development Outlook Conference in October 2006. One of the key volunteers was Penny Greenwood who is now the Coalition Coordinator. Penny has a list of community activities too long to include here. Among other things, she has been on the board of many arts organizations, coordinated several festivals, worked as a marketing and sales associate, and owned a bed and breakfast inn.
Penny’s interest in “nature tourism” began when she and her husband owned an inn. “Most people who were staying with us were looking for outdoor activities,” she told me, “and so I became quite knowledgeable about how to make nature a part of the business.” Penny became a resource to her guests who were interested in everything from easy walking trails to more challenging ocean kayaking and diving.
Another chief player in the coalition is James Bernard, Executive Director of the Mendocino Land Trust. At the Economic Development Conference he made a compelling presentation about the need to protect the resources that make
Following the conference, the Nature Tourism Coalition continued the dialog about how to encourage responsible and sustainable nature tourism. James told me, “People were very involved in talking about the issues, and listening to each other. It was a catalyst to bring people together.” With assistance from the Mendocino Land Trust, the Coalition was successful in getting a Community Foundation grant to do an inventory and assessment of nature tourism sites that will detail what level of use each site can sustain. It is the first step in a creating a regional strategy and plan for nature tourism.
One cannot help be impressed by the work of the Coalition members who are developing a model of how we can balance the need to promote the special qualities that make Mendocino County such a spectacular place to visit with the need to protect and enhance our resources. As James puts it, “We live in an incredibly beautiful place, but we can’t take our natural assets for granted. We don’t want to “love this place” to death.”
The Nature Tourism Coalition is planning a workshop, Making Nature Your Business, at the
The Community Foundation makes grants to organizations that bring people together to solve the complex and challenging issues that are facing local communities. If you want to find out more, visit our website at www.communityfound.org.
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