I recently wrote about the steep declines in the number of visitors to the North Maine Woods that took part in “nature tourism”. Another alarm was sounded last week when the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife sent a press release announcing that the “Chickadee Checkoff” was in danger of losing its place on the Maine income tax form. The checkoff supports the non game wildlife work of the Fish and Wildlife Department and now generates less than $25,000 annually. Keep in mind that there are individual guides responsible for license sales greater than that.
In a meeting last week I also learned that another voluntary program to support the wildlife work of the Department the Maine Birder Band has exactly 400 participants, generating about $8000 each year. I predicted that this program would be a flop when it launched but still I am disappointed to learn the number is so embarrassingly low.
The “nature loving” crowd seen as the future of the outdoor recreation economy once again demonstrates that it either has no money or simply does not exist. I have written over the years about my inability to generate even modest income from this sector. Now I see that I am not the only one struggling in what we are told is a hot new market.
Clearly hunters and anglers will continue to be the backbone of support for fish and wildlife research and management (and our outdoor economy) for some time to come.
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