MISSION VALLEY — For many business owners in the Mission Valley, the winter months can be trying at best. It’s no secret, once the snowbirds leave, things slow down considerably. This year, however, a different kind of bird, the snowy owl, has brought an unexpected boost to the local economy.

Often seen sporting a good pair of binoculars, or a spotting scope on a tripod swung over the shoulder, birders – and wildlife watchers in general – have flocked to the Polson area in recent months to witness the beauty and wonder of the snowy owl.

As a group, bird enthusiasts have been noticeable contributors to the off-season economy, and local businesses are starting to catch on.

Brian Morton, manager at the Ninepipes Lodge and Restaurant near Charlo, has seen firsthand the economic impact this kind of tourism can bring to a community. His bottom line got a major bump in the month of February when birders flocked to the area to experience the snowy owls; they contributed about five times the revenue that month, as compared to January when word about the snowy owls was just beginning to spread.

“About 80 percent of our business from the month of February was related to the birders, between our lodging sales and then the people who were in the lodge would eat at our bar and restaurant,” he said. “They’re choosing to stay here locally and when they do that, they buy fuel, groceries and all their meals — everything they’re doing for those three or four days they’re spending their money here in the valley.”

Often retired, wildlife watchers tend to take their time exploring a place to its fullest. They tread lightly on the environment, but don’t skimp on meals or shopping. If even a few hundred of these low-impact visitors come through town for a couple days apiece, every business around has the opportunity to benefit from their presence.

“I don’t think people quite realized how valuable they were until this year and there’s been a little more of a buzz,” Morton said. “I’m more of a ‘seeing is believing’ kind of person. Now that I’ve actually lived it and I see it three or four days a week, I know there’s a lot of economic value to birding and ecotourism, and I think it’s something that’s just sort of catching on. Down the road, five years from now, it’s going to become a much bigger part.”

Whatever your political or environmental persuasion, there can be no doubt that “ecotourism” has become a buzz-word of epic proportions in Montana and throughout the world. Towns across the country are pushing for sustainable community development. A state-championed ecotourism campaign highlighting Montana’s natural beauty has won national awards and is now the go-to model for regional travel marketing. The ads, which are all over billboards and newspapers from Chicago to Seattle, target an older population – people with money who like to be catered to – offering visitors an experience they’ll never forget, and Montana delivers.

According to a study by the University of Montana’s Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research, in the summer season of 2001, over 2.1 million travel groups visited Montana. Of those, approximately 344,500 (16 percent) passed through Lake County. In Lake County, nonresident visitors spent almost $17 million, or about $627 per county resident. Wildlife watching attributed to 39 percent of the visitors’ recreational activity participation.

Residents of St. Ignatius, the study’s central location, felt that tourism could enhance their quality of life by improving the condition of job opportunities, as well as road conditions and park and recreation areas. A clear majority (82 percent) of St. Ignatius respondents agree that tourism promotion and advertising to out-of-state visitors by the state of Montana is a good idea and would like to see it continued. Sixty-nine percent felt that their community was a good place for tourism investment, while 74 percent indicated that they believe increased tourism will help their community grow in the right direction.

Polson Chamber of Commerce president Heather Knutson said the chamber is always looking for more ways to bring tourism to town in the off-season and, in general, she’s noticed a big increase in Polson’s activity level this winter.

“The chamber office has fielded a ton of calls, people from all over the nation coming up to see the snowy owls and take pictures,” she said, noting the owls haven’t been the only draw this year. “The state speech, debate and drama meet that the school brought in, that was great for us and we should continue to push for these events.”

With a picturesque lake and truly awe-inspiring mountains, the Flathead and Mission Valleys have quite a lot to offer. Going beyond the landscape, interested ecotourists, sometimes called “geotourists,” have the opportunity to see and interact with such rare and inspiring wildlife that very few places can compare.

Montana has more breeding owl species than any other state, and the Mission Valley in particular is one of the best sites for raptors in North America. In the winter, Arctic-dwelling snowy owls and other raptors, like the rough-legged hawk, venture south in search of food. Drive the back roads of Valley View or Irvine Flats and you can’t help but see throngs of these magnificent hawks with white bellies and brown shoulder patches soaring overhead.

“We talk a lot about geotourists and how Polson can capitalize on that,” Knutson said. “I think it’s a good market to reach. We have the things here that they’re interested in. They have more disposable income and want to be catered to a little bit more than your average tourist.”

While the chamber has a limited budget in reaching out to potential tourists, it’s working on coming up with targeted visitation packages, offering different groups of visitors recommendations for things to see and do that are focused more on their unique interests.

Now the general manager at Country Foods, Inc., Knutson was once the public relations manager for the Billings Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and the Custer Country Tourism Region.

“I think that locations need to find and be who they are and promote that to the right people,” she said. “We need to find our strengths, fine tune those things and promote them.”

For Morton, the snowy owl experience has been something like an enlightenment, if you will.

“I had a birder tell me the other day he’s never seen so many hawks in one day in his life,” Morton said. “I’ve never thought about a hawk being all that special before – if I drove to Polson I’d probably see four or five – but it is an oddity elsewhere and we are very lucky here.”

Morton, who says he likes nature, will at times drive around noticing things, but unlike the birders who come to the Ninepipes Lodge, doesn’t usually go around looking for one specific animal.

“I am doing that now,” he said. “I’m going up to Polson tomorrow to see the snowy owls. The more people that do that, it’s just going to feed off itself. It’s great for people to realize how special a place we live in.”