GULF SHORES, Ala. — In 2007, the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium and the Auburn University Marine Extension and Research Center joined forces to oversee the development of the Nature Tourism Initiative.

The project was designed to evaluate the nature-based businesses in Baldwin and Mobile counties and to provide  resources to meet their needs.

Now, the Nature Tourism Initiative has announced the launch of its new Coastal Nature Guide Certification Program with a full-day workshop scheduled for Feb. 22, 2010.

“We have been seeing clear data the nature tourism in the area has been on a steady increase,” said Joanne McDonough of the Nature Tourism Initiative. “Just this past spring, nearly 100,000 overnight guests to Baldwin County indicated that they were interested in wildlife watching. Those numbers equal the total number for the entire year in 2000.”

When McDonough was brought in as a consultant in 2007, she did an initial inventory of existing businesses, and found 42 nature tourism related businesses between Baldwin County and Mobile, the majority being dolphin cruises.

“I was a tour guide in the early ‘90s and there were five or six of us on the water giving tours,” McDonough recalled. “Today there are 32 boats, so they make up a large majority of the businesses. But there are new businesses springing up such as guided kayaking tours and guided beach walk tours.”

McDonough said that nature tourism experiences should provide quality opportunities to engage the public with natural resources in ways that lead to great understanding and appreciation, while protecting and preserving the wildlife they are viewing.

“When I looked at the steady growth of businesses and what was going on here, I had many questions come to mind as to how we can make sure that future generations can enjoy these opportunities without endangering the wildlife,” McDonough said. “It is vital for the sake of our natural resources and coastal economies that tour operators lead by example and adopt and encourage behaviors that contribute to the sustainability of the Gulf Coast region’s natural ecosystems and resources.”

The certification program will tell customers and potential customers that tour operators have received training in stewardship, ecosystems and natural resource laws.

During the one-day workshop, participants will gain a vast knowledge of the local ecosystems, discuss applicable local resource protection laws and regulations, review and follow an established code of ethics for nature guides and will become familiar with responsible advertising.

“I believe that there is an advantage for us right now to work together with tour operators, putting them together with scientists in the area, so that they understand the human impact on the ecosystem, and that they realize what are the best management practices in dealing with our natural resources,” McDonough said.

McDonough said she has been talking one-on-one with many of the tour operators and they have all expressed interest in learning more and want to make sure they are doing the right thing.

According to McDonough, there are similar certification programs in Florida and Mississippi.

After implementing the practices learned at the workshop, nature tour operators will request an evaluation of their business, which will include the observation of a tour and the review of Web sites, brochures, a current business license and other advertising materials.

Once the program director finds the business to be in compliance with the program’s standards and rules, the nature tour operator will receive the certification and decal with the program’s logo and current calendar year to display on tours and in advertising.

Annual recertification will include submitting a coastal nature guide reporting form, completing a training course and evaluation.

The cost to participate in the certification program is $70 and there are only 20 spots available. Businesses wanting to participate in the certification program may contact Joanne McDonough at 974-4634.

Partners in the Coastal Nature Guide Certification Program include the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources – Coastal Section, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Auburn Marine Extension and Research Center, Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, Baldwin County Soil and Water Conservation District VI, Alabama Department of Marine Resources and the Alabama Department of freshwater Fisheries and Wildlife.