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Coulee Corridor Birding Trail Map Now Available

Along the Great Washington State Birding Trail, you'll find the best places for the best bird watching in the Evergreen State. The first two routes, the Cascade Loop and the Coulee Corridor, feature sites for birders, novice to expert, to find our feathered friends every season. The free, full-color maps feature original artwork of birds along the route plus descriptions of habitat, access, and when to go.

Birding Trails are actually driving trips with stops at special places where birds are more likely to be seen. Each stop describes the habitat, what birds are there in what season, where to look, and how to get from a main road to the location.

With 71 million people in America describing themselves as interested in bird watching, Birding Trails in other states have become big business. The Trails and their birds attract visitors to primarily rural locations, which spurs economic development and gives local residents increased incentive to safeguard the natural areas around their communities and region.

The Coulee Corridor is a designated Scenic Byway with an active group of local volunteers working to promote sustainable tourism based on our local natural history, human history and agricultural resources. It extends from Othello in the south to Coulee Dam in the north, traveling along Highways 17 and 155 with some side routes. Nature-based tourism highlighting the natural habitats, geologic features, watchable wildlife and the Great Missoula Floods stories is a focus for the Corridor.

You can order either or both maps over the phone by calling the Audubon Washington office1-866-WA-BIRDS (1-866-922-4737). You can order the maps, and check for new maps, online at the Audubon Washington website:

http://www.seattleaudubon.org/natureshop.cfm?catid=395

According to the National Survey on Recreation and the Environment, birding is the fastest growing outdoor recreation in the country. Over 70 million Americans enjoy watching and studying birds to some degree. It's easy to do and can be done most anywhere - in a backyard, in the shrub-steppe, on a lake, at the coast, in the mountains, in a big city. The bare bones equipment list for birding includes binoculars and a bird identification guide.

For people living and visiting in our region, a new tool has been unveiled - The Coulee Corridor Birding Trail map - the second installment of the Great Washington State Birding Trail. The Cascade Loop segment was introduced to great fanfare and expectations are high for this new one.

The Coulee Corridor Birding Trail map is the first project to promote the goals of the Byway. Using this map, birders will be able to find the best birding locations in this area. It will also assist them to find rare birds to tick off their life lists. Additionally, amenities such as interpretive centers, campgrounds, rest rooms and other features will be listed. The map promotes birding ethics - encouraging people to be good stewards and respect the birds, their habitat and also to respect private lands.

Central Basin Audubon Society (CBAS) and the National Audubon Society's (NAS) Washington State offices have partnered with the Coulee Corridor. NAS is working to create a series of maps for our state and eventually, you will be able to travel throughout Washington and have a map to guide you to the best birding that can be experienced. CBAS has worked for several years to identify the best birding sites locally in preparation for this project.

Funding for this map has come from a variety of sources including the National Scenic Byways program, the Bureau of Reclamation and Washington Department of Transportation. Additionally many hundreds of volunteer hours will contribute to making this map both useful and accurate.

The Great Washington State Birding Trail maps are available free. To request one you may call (509) 766-0101 or send a note to CBAS at PO Box 86, Moses Lake, WA 98837, or send an email to info@cbas.org.