Canyons and Plains annual meeting was held at Bents Old Fort December 8.  If you could not attend you missed a very informative meeting and tour of the fort.  A Dutch oven lunch was served then a presentation of the economic effect  Bents Old Fort has on the area.  Then the Economic Impact Study recently completed of the 6 county area was presented reflecting the tourism dollars spent in the region.

Canyons and Plains’ mission is to grow a vibrant Southeast Colorado heritage economy by promoting our attractions and increasing the visibility of the region. The board of directors is as follows: President Chad Hart, Vice President Pat Palmer, Treasurer Pam Denahy, Secretary Carla Scranton, directors – Alexa Roberts, Richard Medina, Dean Ormiston, Janet Frederick.

In 2016, each of the board members were involved in making a positive contribution to Southeastern Colorado. The organization has been represented at many events: Scenic By-ways meeting, Snow Goose Festival, Southeastern Colorado Business Economic Association, Governor’s tourism conference, Boggsville Charette.

Accomplishments for the year:

Hosted a German Fam Tour as part of the Santa Fe Trail exploration
Hosted the Colorado Tourism Office Coordinator of International Tours
Hosted Colorado Tourism listening session in Lamar
Administered one week of Colorado Instagram with southeastern Colorado photos.

• Economic Impact Survey has been completed with plans being discussed for implementation.
• Southern Colorado Summit. A partnership of Canyons and Plains with Southern Rockies Crossroads of Cultures to bring together 11 county's representation to present a summit meeting to promote economic growth and show everyone what southern Colorado has to offer.  May 17-19, 2017 La Junta, Colorado.
• Cultural, Heritage and Agri-tourism Mentor Program (CHAMP) and Colorado Blue Print, which targeted two areas of interest, purpose goals and sustainability
• Snow Goose Festival, Lamar, Colorado, Feb. 15 through 18, 2016. Promoting heritage and watchable wildlife of southern Colorado.  February 17 and 18, 2017

Our next Regional meeting will be in Lamar February 9.