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Introduction
When Stacy Tomas moved from Texas to North Carolina to work for the Cooperative Extension Service, one of the first things she did was to explore our state’s coast. While traveling the rural areas of eastern North Carolina, she was amazed by the beauty and the birds she saw. Upon return, she asked her colleagues, “Where’s the bird trail?”
“I was surprised there wasn’t one,” Tomas says. “North Carolina definitely has the resources. People who have grown up here don’t always see how special it is, but the state’s ecology makes it an environmental gem—the perfect place for a birding trail.”
That was nearly three years ago. Today Tomas, who promotes sustainable tourism in North Carolina, is part of a statewide effort to open the first section of the NC Birding Trail. The trail will be developed in stages, and once completed, it will have three regional components: one in the coastal plain, one in the piedmont and one in the mountains. The first loop, the coastal plain, should be open this summer and completed by the end of 2006.
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