Winter visitors in the Imperial Valley

Each year in the Imperial Valley, as the summer comes to a close, as the wind starts to blow from the west and the oppressive heat starts to lift, visitors arrive and make our economy better.

The first wave comes at the start of each September, as dove hunters flood Valley fields in search of their quarry. Many hunters — dove, duck, pheasant and otherwise — come to the Valley from elsewhere in Southern California and beyond and spend a night or more here, bringing increased proceeds to businesses all over the Valley, particularly motels, convenience stores and restaurants.

Within a few weeks, tens of thousands of other visitors, these of a non-human kind, will be coming to the Valley for our temperate winters. Sheep will be brought to our area from northern climes to feed in our fields and bask in our winter sun. And yes, there is positive economic impact from the flocks’ tenure here each year.

The sheep will be followed by thousands of human visitors, also mostly from areas well to our north, who will spend their winter here as they escape snow, ice, fog and rain in their home areas. Such “snowbirds” will help lift the spirits, and the coffers, at golf courses, RV parks, restaurants and various other businesses around our area.

Because of how much they do for our economy, we should be welcoming to all of our seasonal visitors. Many local businesses use the extra money made from hunters and snowbirds to survive the leaner months of summer. If not for the insertion of such seasonal income, some Valley businesses would close shop for good.

So we should be polite, even indulgent with such visitors.

The truth is, though, that we really don’t have to go out of our way to be friendly to the people who come here during our cooler-weather months. Most such folks are engaging and amiable. Because many of our winter visitors are retired and therefore rarely in a hurry, most are unfailingly patient. And because many of the hunters visiting the Valley are from more hectic urban areas, they are happy to be in more of a relaxed, slower-moving atmosphere.

Being from elsewhere, our seasonal visitors also bring a degree of diversity to our culture. We can find out how people cook a steak in Saskatoon, how folks hit a 9-iron in Bozeman, how Canadians say “about” in Kamloops.

So be welcoming and appreciative of our seasonal visitors in coming months, because we certainly want those good folks to return every year.

Such visitors not only bring needed dollars to our economy, they bring welcome smiles to our faces.