Nighttime eco-tourism

[dogg57]

James Mallman, president of Watchable Wildlife, Inc. believes they will. At a recent workshop in Cape May Court House on wildlife tourism, Mallman listed nocturnal wildlife viewing as one of 10 ways to attract more eco-tourists to Cape May County.
The problem can be getting everything in place, including expert nighttime guides, to create such programs. The county, right now, is just scratching the surface with a few programs geared to species such as owls and frogs.
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/...cle_9294f43a-5c50-11e2-af49-0019bb2963f4.html

 

[manumuskin]

I've always done the night time stuff on my own.Some folks will pay for anything.

 

[manumuskin]

Perhaps Adam could be a Bigfoot guide?

 

[manumuskin]

I know where every species of frog native to south jersey can be found except for Pickerel frogs.People actually pay to be drug around ponds and swamps at night to hear frogs?No some good owl spots.They will have to go to Adam for Squatch though.

 

[Old Crazy]

I do a lot of hiking after dark. The wind usually dies down and it's quiet and peaceful. It's actually quite nice hiking in the pines on a moon-lit night. But invariably when people find out that I hike at night , they usually ask, "Aren't you afraid to hike in the dark?" I always tell people that if they can rationalize it in their own mind that the only thing that changes in woods after dark is the level of light, then they'll be just as comfortable hiking in the dark as they are hiking in day light.

If you're going to hike at night I would recommend you carry a GPS, a 100 lumen headlamp and some spare batteries. For years I hiked with a standard 30 lumen headlamp and did trip over exposed roots a few times and walked my face into a few low hanging branches. The 100 lumen light is nice because it illuminates about about a 10 foot wide beam for 15 yards in front of you, so you see everything on the ground and every branch hanging down from the trees.

You can get headlamps up to 300 lumens on ebay for under $10. Just remember that a light that powerful will drain your batteries down in probably 5-10 hours.

 

[manumuskin]

Unless looking for critters I like just walking at night without the light and concentrating on sounds,if you wander off trail doing this I'd recommend goggles to protect the eyes but in the barrens on a full moon night where sand is exposed you can actually read,in open woods under those conditions goggles are not really needed either.

 

[Gibby]

I also do some night hiking. A bright headlamp is helpful but I have walked many stealthy miles with the red LED option on my Tikka Plus lamp. I find it difficult to adjust my eyes to the shadows thrown by a brighter head lamp. The throw of the red light is enough for me to avoid immediate obstacles and it also preserves my adjusted vision to see into the darker shadows and distance. However, I like having the option of white flood light that is always a button click away.

My favorite toy is my digital night vision monocular. It is incredible as long is there is an ambient light source. The only downfall is nights with out any moonlight requires the addition of an IR lamp.

 

[Boyd]

Is "eco tourism" an oxymoron?

 

[46er]

Doesn't the use of lighting negate the claim of hiking in the dark? Just wondering

 

[Old Crazy]

Ticks are definitely harder to spot at night.