Limpkin February 2003

2002 Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival Update

By Sarah Linney

At a recent Volunteer Appreciation function for folks who helped with the 2002 Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival (SCBWF), Laurilee Thompson, organizer for the Festival, handed out some fact sheets containing varied information on the attendance and awards results from the event. Laurilee was most ecstatic in telling us that this was the first year of the six years the Festival has been held that it broke even, with maybe a little bit left over to seed the 2003 SCBWF. Plans are already well under way with four potential keynote speakers to fill three slots and one or two others begging to come to our event. Neta and Laurilee will be working diligently this year to have the 2003 brochures out by August, which will give people more time to make plans.

Our birding festival continues to gain international recognition as we had registrants from Canada, England, and Switzerland. Additionally, a representative from Venezuela attended in 2002 (you may have seen him on a field trip) to gather information in hope of modeling a birding festival there after our own. This is something to crow about I’d say! Nationally, we had folks come from 23 other states including Washington, California, Minnesota, Vermont, and a variety in between. Statewide, excluding Brevard, attendees came from 27 of our 67 counties ranging from Broward, Collier, and Dade in the extreme south to Leon and Madison in the north. A whopping 66% of the participants were from outside the county, the bottom line of which means extra dollars in Brevard’s economy. The Titusville Area Chamber of Commerce, hoteliers, restaurants, and other local businesses are ecstatic.

The number of people that helped to make the festival a success included 70 field trip leaders and presenters, 40 volunteers, 41 businesses and organizations with booths, 29 birders (8 teams) in the Birding Competition, and 40 artists for the Art Competition. In all, the Festival Steering Committee determined that at least 1279 people participated in the Festival in some form or fashion.

Congratulations to all the winners in the competitions and to everyone involved for a successful 2002 Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival. Special thanks go out to Festival Organizers Laurilee Thompson and Neta Harris for their dedication and hours of time in planning and coordinating this great event. Updates on all the exciting events planned for this year will be forthcoming in future issues of the Limpkin, so stay tuned!