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Contact:
Program Information
Elaine Nesmith
Delta Program Coordinator
501-463-4819

Reservations
Van Dawson, University of Arkansas
Cooperative Extension Service
870-747-3397

September 5, 2007—A full day nature tourism workshop will be hosted October 27, 2007, 8:30 am – 3:30 pm, at the Brinkley Convention Center in Brinkley by Audubon Arkansas, the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The workshop is designed to provide expertise, resources and information for landowners, farmers, and small business owners interested in developing or expanding businesses to offer natural and cultural tourism.

Marla Johnson Norris, CEO of Aristotle, Inc., is one of the headline speakers for the workshop. Ms. Norris will speak on marketing trends in nature and heritage tourism.

Others speakers include Jody Pagan, wildlife biologist for Five Oaks Wildlife Services in DeWitt. Mr. Pagan will speak on habitat management in a tourist-based nature business.

Harrison Pittman, director of the National Agricultural Law Center at the University of Arkansas School of Law, will address the legal issues facing landowners.

Audubon’s director of bird conservation, Dr. Dan Scheiman, will address serving birders and defining a birder’s tourism experience.

David Long of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will help workshop participants understand the diverse array of government funding opportunities for land management.

The afternoon “Resource Buffet” will offer business owners, landowners and civic leaders an opportunity to meet one on one with the morning’s speakers. Also on hand will be experts from the Arkansas Small Business Development Center, Aristotle, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Audubon Arkansas, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Arkansas Parks & Tourism, and the Rural Heritage Development Initiative. Topics for discussion will build on the morning’s offerings and include funding, habitat management, regional tourism opportunities, legal concerns, marketing options, business plans and business development.

Nature-based businesses and communities are encouraged to partner with others and put together tourism “packages” with proposed travel itineraries that highlight the unique cultural, natural, heritage, shopping and food offerings of their area. Workshop attendees will have the opportunity to download pictures and information about their businesses or communities free of charge to Arkansas.com, the nation’s third most popular tourism web site.

The workshop fee is only $20, or $30 per couple, and includes lunch and a workshop resource manual. Students are no charge, but luncheon reservations are required. Reservations and payment are being received at the Monroe County Cooperative Extension Office. Call 870-747-3397 for reservations.

Now in its second century, Audubon is dedicated to protecting birds and other wildlife and the habitat that supports them. Our national network of community-based nature centers and chapters, scientific and educational programs, and advocacy on behalf of areas sustaining important bird populations, engage millions of people of all ages and backgrounds in conservation.

Audubon Arkansas was founded as the 25th state office of the National Audubon Society in 2001 through a seed grant from the Winthrop Rockefeller Charitable Trust. Audubon’s vision is a state where the love and respect for nature is a cultural legacy. Our vision is a state where communities are engaged in responsible stewardship, protecting and conserving our native environment for future generations. This leads naturally to our mission to inspire and lead Arkansans in environmental education, resource management, habitat restoration, bird conservation and enlightened advocacy.

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