Cache La Poudre River National Heritage Area to start attracting tourism

Source: Greeley Tribune, Colo.迷你倉Aug. 26--Take a look at northern Colorado's latest tourist attraction: the Poudre River.Oh, you've heard of it? Yes, paddlers, anglers and campers have long enjoyed the river from the Poudre Canyon to Island Grove Regional Park. And sure, the river hasn't always been a pure tourist spot 限-- not like the World's Largest Prairie Dog off Interstate 70. It's really more of a fun place for locals. But that may change soon.That's because it shouldn't be long before the federal government approves the Cache La Poudre River National Heritage Area's management plan and allows its board members to get to work. The heritage area includes nearly 45 miles of the river from the edge of the Roosevelt National Forest in the Poudre Canyon to the confluence with the South Platte River east of Greeley.The organization has a plan the size of a small book for review online, and it covers the hopes, dreams and goals of what the area could mean for places such as Greeley.The fun stuff includes possibly establishing the Poudre Learning Center as a kind of visitor's center, hosting events such as a Poudre river festival and lining the trail and our highways with signs educating the public about the beautiful sights you'll see along the way, as well as the history of the area and how the river helped established water law that governed the West.But the tourism comes in part from the heritage area designation. There are 49 heritage areas in the country, and Colorado has three. It's a federal designation, and though it may not carry the glamour of being a national park like the famous one in Estes Park, some of them -- especially the ones in the eastern part of the United States -- are major attractions, said Karen Scopel, chairwoman of the Poudre heritage's board. The heritage area was designated in 2009, but it had to remain in hibernation until the board developed a plan.The area's already brought in people who want to check it off their list, much like birders or those who want t新蒲崗迷你倉 visit all the national parks or climb all the 14ers."They really can be huge economic drivers," Scopel said of heritage areas.The Poudre heritage area's board is close to hiring an executive director who would run the organization, talk it up at functions and raise money. But the designation also allows the heritage area access to a significant amount of federal dollars, as long as it matches the money and the government stops sequestration.In many ways, showcasing the natural beauty of the area, one of the objectives of the heritage area, has already been accomplished through the development of the Poudre Trail in Larimer and Weld counties and the Poudre Learning Center. The goal, though, is to also tell a story about the history of the area and the contributions it made to water law in the West as well as its development, not only in its past but in modern times. That part hasn't been marketed or talked about as much, and yet it's just as important."The place to tell the story is along the river, and the trail can act as a venue for that," Scopel said. "But once they're there, we want to engage them."The river, after all, already attracts outdoor enthusiasts, but the water issues and their past could bring in a whole new group of history buffs to the area, and that's not even counting the school groups and those attending festivals and other events.Some of the more visual attractions would be the signs, though board members would be careful not to litter the trail with them, and an app that would give people an audio/video tour of the river as they bike, hike or drive it. The heritage area already has a guidebook giving a history of the area along with some recommended drives and hikes.The board members hope the plan will be approved in three to six months. Then the real work on establishing a future can start.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Greeley Tribune (Greeley, Colo.) Visit the Greeley Tribune (Greeley, Colo.) at .greeleytribune.com Distributed by MCT Information Servicesmini storage