Finger Lakes Region Conservation Recreation and Interpretation Improvements Feasibility Study
Hoover Dam
Finger Lakes Region Conservation Recreation and Interpretation Improvements Feasibility Study,
Finger Lakes National Forest, Hector, NY
The Finger Lakes region is renowned for its scenic beauty and fine wines, but the economic health of the region is marginal. Manufacturing, once the economic backbone of the region, has declined. Agriculture and tourism remain mainstays of the modern economy (summer visitors and the fall wine-tasting season are vital to local merchants), but the tourism business is markedly seasonal (winter sports are limited by a lack of reliable snow cover). There is an extraordinary wealth of cultural resources that includes dozens of small museums, the Women’s Rights National Historic Park, the Erie Canalway National Historic Corridor and exceptional examples of Greek revival architecture and early American barns.
The EDA project team was tasked to develop and test alternatives for interpretive/recreational improvements that would contribute to the development of sustainable tourism in the region (“sustainable tourism makes great places better” was our project tagline). The team conducted interviews with managers of town, county and regional tourism promotion organizations and Chambers of Commerce, municipal planning staffs, local mayors and representatives of nearby state parks, wildlife areas and historic sites as well as wine-growers’ and motel owners’ associations and tourist attractions (i.e. the Corning Museum of Glass). An audience analysis based on secondary data was completed, as well as an inventory of regional interpretive and recreational assets.
Using this database, the team crafted a list of more than twenty possible improvement scenarios that included a floating visitor center, farm tour, scenic byway and an observation tower on the National Forest. A set of regional interpretive themes was also developed.
The improvement alternatives were tested using SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis in a day-long workshop held at a local winery that was attended by more than thirty stakeholders. Plenary sessions included discussions of the interpretive themes. A public open house was also held, at which interested parties provided comments and input.
A short list of five scenarios and a set of primary interpretive themes and subthemes was the result of the process. Detailed financial analyses of the improvement alternatives (that included five- and ten-year financial performance estimates) were developed. These analyses were presented at another day-long workshop attended by stakeholders. The alternatives were discussed and rated for feasibility.
The final work product was a report that included the financial data, regional interpretive themes, strategic recommendations (including an analysis of partnership possibilities) and a database of interpretive and recreational opportunities in the Finger Lakes region.