ST. PAUL, Minn. - The woods aren't just for hunters and tree huggers anymore.

In Minnesota, Wisconsin and across the United States, the activity, dubbed watching wildlife, is on the rise while hunting and fishing continue to decline.

Women with children and aging baby boomers appear to be leading the wildlife-watching trend, a potential economic boon that more businesses and communities are looking to capitalize on.

"People want to get out and see nature," said Jim Mallman, president of Watchable Wildlife Inc., a Minnesota-based nonprofit.

This simple desire has made wildlife watching the fastest-growing leisure activity in the United States and a powerful economic development tool, according to state officials and Mallman's group, which works with federal and state agencies across the country to preserve and promote woods, waters and wildlife.

Who qualifies as a wildlife watcher?

The term refers to people whose primary purpose in going outdoors is to observe, photograph or feed birds, fish and other animals.

Increasingly, more people are doing it, according to state and federal surveys. And that, in turn, is fueling nature-based tourism and festivals that some communities see as an opportunity to grow without adding buildings.

"It's not like building a major shopping center or something like that," Mallman said. "This is a way for a community to grow and protect."

Mallman stresses two benefits of a nature-based festival: "It helps businesses in a season that may not be as busy as they need it to be by bringing in visitors, and shows residents what they may be taking for granted."

More than $500 million is spent in Minnesota and more than $400 million in Wisconsin annually on wildlife watching, according to the latest survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

In 2001, the most recent year for which data exists, the Pennsylvania Game Commission estimates that wildlife watching contributed $2 billion to the state's economy.

Mallman credits single-parent families headed by women for much of the trend.

Such women want to involve their children in outdoor activities, but they are less likely than men to favor hunting and fishing.

"More than anything, they are the driving force," he said.

Amery, a western Wisconsin community of about 2,800, has been a leader in watchable wilderness. Amery began working with the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and Watchable Wildlife for ideas to promote the Apple River, several lakes and woods that are home to abundant wildlife and attract song birds and waterfowl.

"We have a lot of pretty nice natural resources around here that we have largely taken for granted," said Dave Clausen, president of the Amery Community Club.

For decades, Amery's "Farm City Days" drew crowds to the community about 60 miles northeast of the Twin Cities. But the gathering, like the family farms that once fueled the city's economy, was in decline.

Last summer, the city launched "The Nature of Amery," the first community festival in western Wisconsin that seeks visitors looking for wildlife. The hope is they'll stay in town to shop and eat.

"We wanted to preserve Amery, Wis., rather than look like every town," Clausen said.

Wisconsin and Minnesota communities also are supporting birding trails that wind through large areas, promoting natural resources and drawing economic benefits

The 18-county Lake Superior North Woods Birding and Nature Trail opened to the public in May and includes Amery and Crex Meadows near Grantsburg. It's the first of five planned trails that would make up the Great Wisconsin Birding and Nature Trail.

The 32,000-acre Crex Meadows State Wildlife Area is considered among the top 10 birding destinations in the Midwest, according to state officials. Its bald eagles, loons, sandhill cranes, swans and assortment of ducks help draw more than 120,000 visitors annually - 42 percent of them from out of state - and bring an estimated $2.4 million to the region.

There are roughly 46 million birders in the United States, according to the most recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service study, which found that the hobby accounted for $32 billion in retail sales nationwide in 2001. The study also reports that 52 percent of Minnesotans and 41 percent of Wisconsinites say they are birders - some casual backyard birders and others who log many miles for their hobby.

Birders and other wildlife watchers don't wear blaze orange and usually aren't noticeable in the field, but they stand out at the bed-and-breakfasts, cafes or antique stores where they spend money.

That was clear last winter during the influx of great gray owls to northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin.

"We had people from Chicago, Kansas, Texas and all over the United States come for the owls," said Lisa Hobbie, manager of the Best Western Northwoods Lodge in Siren, Wis. "And they need someplace to sleep, eat and get gas."

The owls flew down from Canada in search for food and likely won't return next winter, but the trail and Crex Meadows create steady business.

"It's definitely made an impact. They are spending a lot of money to see what is right in our backyard and what we have taken for granted," Hobbie said.

Some people have had a hard time grasping the economic impact, said Carrol Henderson, a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources nongame wildlife specialist. But he said the influx of first the owls and then the tourists was an eye-opener for many.

"It was quite a revelation," said Henderson, who notes that resort owners, visitors bureau administrators and others now want to learn more about watchable wildlife.

"They want to find out how they can provide the service needed and how they can work with this industry," Henderson said.

Colleges and universities have also noticed and are educating a wide range of professionals, including those in the tourism and hospitality industry.

About 18 months ago, the UW-River Falls began offering graduate certificates in Wildlife Recreation and Nature Tourism. The program, which requires 15 credits and can be completed online, will soon be expanded into a master's program in Sustainable Community Development.

"Others are talking about it, but we are ahead in the ballgame. To our knowledge, the program is the only one like it in the world," said Kelly Cain, a professor of environmental science and management and the new program's coordinator.

"This is the antithesis of the Wisconsin Dells model. Nature is a backdrop. Entertainment is the attraction," Cain said. "This brings people to an area for a personalized experience with nature. It combines economics with the environment. It is sustainable and socially and ecologically responsible."