A new kind of friendship: how humans and Purple Martins benefit from the ecotourism industry

A new kind of friendship: how humans and Purple Martins benefit from the ecotourism industry
Zach Steinhauser, Filmmaker
Since 2017 I have been leading tours to the Bomb Island Roost educating tourists about Purple Martins; their biology, ecology, migration, & nesting habits, as well as the history of Lake Murray. The first stop that’s made on my tour is to a local Purple Martin housing unit set up at someone’s backyard. Guests are educated about the Purple Martin’s nesting habits as well as the tradition & culture that came with Purple Martin Landlording. I conclude that part of the tour with the sobering fact about the species’ near-dependence on manmade housing to nest and that every Purple Martin we encounter on the trip will have been born & raised in a birdhouse. Eco-tour operators contribute to the conservation of species by providing incentives to local communities to encourage the presence of local wildlife like Purple Martins. Ecotourism provides jobs to locals & tax revenue to the local governments. Areas are protected for the sake of just one species, which that species then acts as an “Umbrella Species” for other wildlife that use these protected areas. Through this ecotourism experience, I provide my guests with a personal encounter with a species of conservation concern and a simple avenue for them to easily get involved in conserving this species at home. My clients range from local South Carolinians to tourists from Virginia. After 4 years of sold out Purple Martin Tour seasons, over 1,000 people have the knowledge to conserve this species from the comfort of their backyard.