Last night I, along with 900 other people, attended a forum in = Chattanooga to learn more about and help shape the Mayor's desire to make = Chattanooga and the surrounding area an outdoor recreation destination. Tennessee = ranks 47th out of the 48 contiguous states in outdoor recreation = participation. The mayor would like to see Chattanooga as a place where local, state, = and out-of-state recreationists want to come to participate in various = outdoor activities for various reasons (relaxation, competition, challenge, = etc.). If implemented properly, this idea could improve the economic, environmental, and personal quality of life in east Tennessee. The focus last night was not on any one activity, but rather what outdoor assets = the Chattanooga area has and what it needs to do to accomplish the goal of making Chattanooga the Boulder of the east (Boulder, CO, Ashville, NC, Austin, TX, Burlington, VT, and Portland, OR are all being looked at as models). Nonetheless, it was clear that there were many interests = present (e.g. cycling, kayaking, rock climbing, etc.), and that they want their voices heard above the others in implementing the plan. As you all know, birding is a popular and lucrative activity that can be enjoyed by = people of all ages, income levels, motivation levels, etc., something that cannot = be said of some other activities. While there was no time for each interest group to have their say, there is a web site where people can voice = their ideas for the city's plan. We (especially Chattanooga TOS members) = should not let birding get left out. If you go to the web site (http://www.outdoorchattanooga.com), there are links to 19 different = outdoor activities. Birding is not among those listed. I encourage people to = email the people involved with this project (click on the "contact" tab of the = web site) and voice your support of birding as an important outdoor = recreational activity. The area already has 2 national birding recognitions (the = crane festival in Birchwood has been listed as a top 10 activity by Southern Living magazine, and Brainerd Levee is listed in the National Geographic Guide to Bird Watching Sites in the US), and we have many more sites to offer. If you are interested in keeping abreast of what is happening = with the plan, or want to participate in the future planning sessions, look = the web site, or keep up with the Chattanooga area news outlets. I'm sorry if I got on a soap box, but as I said, I think it's important = that the birding population not get left behind. David Aborn Chattanooga, TN =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. ----------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx ----------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s) endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group. Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ========================================================