The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently released a report describing the economic impact of birders and the birding inustry. This report presented information on the participation and expenditure patterns of 48 million birders in 2006. The conclusion: over $82 billion was generated as a result of total birding output, as well as 671,000 jobs and $11 billion in local, state, and federal tax revenue. This impact was distributed across local, state, and national economies. The moral of the story: there is money to be made in preservation and conservation.