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Log inLeaf-peeping is looking up
Leaf-peeping is looking up
by Outspoken on Thu Sep 11, 2008 4:36 am
Leaf-peeping is looking up
Maine's fall foliage should be 'magnificent,' thanks to summer rains, the first report of the year says.
By ANN S. KIM
Staff Writer Portland Press Herald
Maine's fall foliage season officially opened Wednesday with good news for leaf-peepers: The rains that dampened vacations this summer made for a healthy forest, setting the stage for a stunning display of color.
"I expect leaf coloration to be magnificent once again for this season," said Bill Ostrofsky, a forest pathologist, in the Department of Conservation's first foliage report of the year.
Weekly reports are being posted online – that started Wednesday – and will be available on the department's foliage Web site through at least Oct. 15. Rangers report that few leaves have changed color yet, but cool nights and sunny days should bring gradual change.
The reports include information about different regions of the state.
Foliage season is a critical time for the lodging industry, said Greg Dugal, executive director of the Maine Innkeepers Association.
"It is very important for us, I can't minimize that," he said.
Bookings the first two weeks of September can be sketchy, and this year seemed lighter than usual, he said. The second half of September and first week of October are too far away to predict, given that booking windows are getting shorter, he said.
Leaf-peepers tend to be older visitors with disposable income who stay for more than a night, Dugal said. They also tend to be flexible with their time and don't need to do their leisure travel on weekends, which benefits lodging businesses trying to fill rooms midweek, he said.
Keith Neubert, the innkeeper and chef at the Inn at Long Lake in Naples, is hoping for a strong autumn after a summer that was slightly off. While the fall is considered a shoulder period, because it is between the more clearly defined summer and winter tourism seasons, it is the busiest time except for summer at the inn, he said.
"I think we'll see a little bit of consumer hesitation during this transitional time in our economy, but I'm not giving up any hope the true nature – literally – of New England's autumn will lure guests from everywhere."
Some visitors clearly try to time their trips to coincide with an area's peak fall color.
"People will call the chamber, and say 'I'm calling from X state. Can you tell me which week leaf-peeping is?'" said Michael McClellan, executive director of the Greater Bridgton Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=209579&ac=PHnws
Andy Molloy/Blethen Maine News Service
Maine's fall foliage should be 'magnificent,' thanks to summer rains, the first report of the year says.
By ANN S. KIM
Staff Writer Portland Press Herald
Maine's fall foliage season officially opened Wednesday with good news for leaf-peepers: The rains that dampened vacations this summer made for a healthy forest, setting the stage for a stunning display of color.
"I expect leaf coloration to be magnificent once again for this season," said Bill Ostrofsky, a forest pathologist, in the Department of Conservation's first foliage report of the year.
Weekly reports are being posted online – that started Wednesday – and will be available on the department's foliage Web site through at least Oct. 15. Rangers report that few leaves have changed color yet, but cool nights and sunny days should bring gradual change.
The reports include information about different regions of the state.
Foliage season is a critical time for the lodging industry, said Greg Dugal, executive director of the Maine Innkeepers Association.
"It is very important for us, I can't minimize that," he said.
Bookings the first two weeks of September can be sketchy, and this year seemed lighter than usual, he said. The second half of September and first week of October are too far away to predict, given that booking windows are getting shorter, he said.
Leaf-peepers tend to be older visitors with disposable income who stay for more than a night, Dugal said. They also tend to be flexible with their time and don't need to do their leisure travel on weekends, which benefits lodging businesses trying to fill rooms midweek, he said.
Keith Neubert, the innkeeper and chef at the Inn at Long Lake in Naples, is hoping for a strong autumn after a summer that was slightly off. While the fall is considered a shoulder period, because it is between the more clearly defined summer and winter tourism seasons, it is the busiest time except for summer at the inn, he said.
"I think we'll see a little bit of consumer hesitation during this transitional time in our economy, but I'm not giving up any hope the true nature – literally – of New England's autumn will lure guests from everywhere."
Some visitors clearly try to time their trips to coincide with an area's peak fall color.
"People will call the chamber, and say 'I'm calling from X state. Can you tell me which week leaf-peeping is?'" said Michael McClellan, executive director of the Greater Bridgton Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=209579&ac=PHnws
Andy Molloy/Blethen Maine News Service
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Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
