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Data
for "Wildlife Watchers" in the Mid-Atlantic States
from the Census Bureau's "1996 National Survey
of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation."
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State
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No.
of People Observing Wildlife at Home
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No.
of People Observing Wildlife at Least 1 Mile from
Home
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Equipment
Expenditures
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Travel
Expenditures
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Total
Expenditures
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| VA |
1,877,000
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942,000
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$501,500,000
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$196,745,000
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$698,245,000
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| MD |
1,267,000
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662,000
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$410,025,000
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$95,487,000
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$505,512,000
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| DE |
188,000
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108,000
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$51,602,000
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$12,278,000
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$63,880,000
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| PA |
3,383,000
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1,559,000
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$598,879,000
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$259,476,000
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$858,355,000
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| NJ |
1,561,000
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612,000
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$643,337,000
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$220,608,000
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$863,945,000
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| Total |
8,276,000
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3,883,000
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$2,205,343,000
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$784,594,000
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$2,989,937,000
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©
Arthur Morris/VIREO
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©
Doug Wechsler/VIREO
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Visitors,
like relatives or old friends, can be great fun to host, but
rarely do they help you clean up, earn more money and help
to beautify the home. Our migratory birds, though, do all
of these things, and seldom wear out their welcome. Upon arrival,
these "perfect visitors" begin to consume pests, attract tourists
and liven up our summer evenings. Their beauty and antics
also encourage millions to buy equipment to observe and record
every aspect of their lives. Although it is difficult to quantify
the tremendous impact their arrival has on our region, some
figures are available. Above is a table showing the economic
value of "Wildlife Watching" in the Mid-Atlantic states. All
told, just under $3 billion was spent in 1996 by people who
were observing, feeding or photographing wildlife (a majority
of whom were watching birds).
Other
aspects of birds' lives are harder to assign a dollar value
to. Their taste for insect pests is well known. An USDA
handbook on spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) predators
found that birds were an essential agent of control in budworm
populations. At least 25 species of birds have been shown
to eat these pests including Black-capped Chickadees, Red-breasted
Nuthatches, Golden-crowned Kinglets, and Black-throated
Green, Magnolia, Blackburnian and Bay-breasted Warblers.
Ovenbirds were shown to change their feeding habits from
forest floor predators to mid to upper level foliage predators
when there were budworm outbreaks. Birds can play a similar
role in the garden. Chickadees consume aphid eggs, American
Robins eat turf pests, Baltimore Orioles gobble tent caterpillars
and Northern Flickers dine on ants. Attracting birds to
one's yard will help keep pests in check.
Finally,
the sound of a Whip-poor-will, Common Loon or screech owl,
and the sight of a Scarlet Tanager or Indigo Bunting all
have a value. It is something we tend to shy away from,
assigning a value to wildlife. But the truth is, our lives
- urban, suburban and otherwise - are often improved by
the mere presence of birds in our surroundings.
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