Building Colorado's Birding Trail Network

A coalition of Colorado agencies is working to build a network of birding trails that will eventually span the state - and likely draw many new tourists.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife, Colorado State Parks and several other local organizations are developing the Colorado Birding Trail, a project aimed at increasing the state's nature-oriented tourist attractions and providing an alternate revenue source for rural communities.

Funded by the DOW, the project has created a web site for birding enthusiasts that contains information and maps for the 14 trails that are currently included in the network. And starting last summer, the project's organizations began marking all of the system's trails with "Colorado Birding Trail" signs.

The effort is meant to help state businesses cash in on the booming agritourism trend. Agritourists - vacationers who forego traditional beach or theme park-oriented trips for stays at farms, ranches, wineries and other nature-related locations - spent $2.2 billion on agritourism activities in Colorado last year. And the Colorado Birding Trail hopes to increase those numbers.

Besides offering maps and signs to make finding the trails easier, the Colorado Birding Trail has a list on its site directing vacationers to more than 200 interesting sites and towns on or near the trails. Organizers hope to boost visitation at attractions such as Bent's Old Fort and Pueblo Reservoir and in towns like Rocky Ford - home of the namesake melon - and Yuma.

The majority of the trails so far are located in southeastern and south central Colorado, areas that rely predominantly on the farming industry to drive their economies. The state's Western Slope - another predominantly rural area - is next on the project's expansion list.

For more information on the trail, visit its website at www.coloradobirdingtrail.com