LT2018-015 KEEN - Laserfiche WebLink

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Response 1: Project/Event Description* Come bird with KEEN for 3-days during the second weekend of May and discover the natural beauty of Central Washington State! The Yakima River Canyon is an Audubon Important Bird Area (IBA) with some of the highest densities of passerines and birds of prey in the State. The Yakima River Canyon Bird Fest will offer expert-led field trips, vendors, extended field trips, lectures and keynote speakers, social events and music, and a plethora of bird watching during early spring! Yakima River Canyon Bird Fest will be a family-friendly event targeting birders throughout the Pacific Northwest and from around the =rid. Birders travel thousands of miles to add to their 'life lists' and our festival will fall right in between l\o\oU complimentary festivals -the Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival in late April and the Leaven\o\Klrth Bird Festival in late May. Birders plan their travel calendars to engage in as many birding opportunities as they can, and this festival in May is the best time to see colorful, diverse and rare bird species in the Canyon. Yakima River Canyon Bird Fest will feature Friday afternoon registration at festival headquarters based in Helen McCabe Park. Most attendees will stay overnight in hotel rooms, camp in the Canyon, or stay at the Yakima River RV Camp. In addition, we will secure partnerships with Canyon River Ranch Lodge and other local hotels to provide reduced and/or group rates for festival attendees. Friday evening activities will include owl hooting and bat field trips as well as music and drinks at a local venue to be determined. Saturday morning will begin with very early field trips, and activities will continue throughout the day capping off the evening with our keynote speaker. Complementary Get Intimate with the Shrub- Steppe (another KEEN event) activities occur on Saturday as well. Sunday morning will have more early morning field trips and the festival will wrap up at noon on Sunday. This schedule will ensure our attendees will stay over both Friday and Saturday nights. Lodging tax funds will be used exclusively for advertising with Genesis Marketing ($10,635) for on line, radio and program printing. 2500 character lirril List of Intended Use of Funds* Advertising $10,635 (proposal from Genesis attached) 21 Projections of Increased Tourism Please provide the following estimates of how any money received will result in increases in the number of people traveling for business or pleasure on a trip: 1. Away from their place of residence or business and staying overnight in paid accommodations; 2. To a place fifty miles or more away from their place of residence or business for the day or staying overnight; 3. or from another country or state outside of their place of residence or business. You must provide the evidence utilized in determining your projections. Response 2.1 : Projection* 1. Away from their place of residence or business and staying overnight in paid accommdations; With over 1.1 million annual drivers and thousands of birders visiting the Canyon annually, the Yakima River Canyon Bird Fest is sure to be a very well attended event. KEEN anticipates 500 attendees in our second year. Based on last years attendance, we estimate that 60% of event attendees will be considered tourists (-300 people) and 80% of them will be staying in paid overnight accommodations (-240 people). 2500 character linit