City and county officials were appeased Friday by the awarding of an additional $95,000 in tourism funding to boost the economy in southwestern Colorado following the Bircher and Pony fires.

"I am pleased to be able to provide this funding for southwestern Colorado to help them regain some of the

 tourism business they lost due to the fire at Mesa Verde," Gov. Bill Owens said Friday.

Owens’ announcement came after local government officials reacted angrily to the minimal $5,000 in funding that was originally provided by the Colorado Tourism Office last Monday.

Cortez City Manager Hal Shepherd said on Wednesday that he was disappointed in the small amount of funding that was originally provided by the governor’s office. The city and county had asked for $240,000 from the state.

"The impression that I got when (Owens) visited the Montezuma County Fairgrounds during the (Bircher) fire was that he was going to do what he could to help us. I can’t believe the response we got," Shepherd said last week.

However, faith was restored on Friday evening after Owens announced that a total of $100,000 would be provided to Cortez to help promote the Mesa Verde area.

"I assume that (Owens) knew that we weren’t too pleased with the $5,000," Shepherd said Monday.

The city manager said that he was happy with the recent $95,000 addition. "We weren’t expecting it but we are certainly thrilled to get it," he said.

The advertising assistance will include the $5,000 from the Colorado Tourism Office, a $25,000 grant from the Colorado Office of Economic Development and a $70,000 grant from the Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance funds.

Following the Bircher and Pony fires, which closed Mesa Verde National Park for several weeks, campground occupancy has dropped 30 to 100 percent and hotel and motel lodging reservations are down roughly 25 to 80 percent so far this summer, according to the city of Cortez, Montezuma County and Montezuma County Economic Development Council.

Lynn Dyer, director of the Umbrella Tourism Council, said that Umbrella Tourism Committee members — a cross section of government and tourism officials — will be meeting later this week to develop an advertising plan for the recent funding.

"I really need to sit down and talk with my board and the city and work out a plan because (the proposal) does need to have their approval before I can spend any of the money anyway," Dyer said.

She said that because the state funding has come so late in the tourism season a portion of the money may be put towards advertising for next year.

"Because of the fact that this requires contracts being signed and plans being made. . .

"In all honesty, because we are so late in the season already and because we already have allocated some funds to do some promotional efforts for the fall, then it is possible that we may use this money to promote next year and make it a really great season for all of us," Dyer said.

Dyer said that the $35,000 that was allocated out of this year’s Umbrella Tourism Council budget has been used for a campaign to bring people back to the Mesa Verde area this fall.

The campaign involves radio and newspaper advertising and media promotion throughout key areas such as Denver, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Albuquerque, said Dyer.

"We are trying to coordinate and combine messages rather than sending out messages from various sources that say the same thing," she said.

Dyer said that she hopes to expand the fall campaign to include some area newspapers as well. "I hope that will encourage some people from long-weekend driving distance to come to the area and visit us for a few days," she said.

Officials said that the $100,000 campaign will most likely involve an expansion in print advertising as well as some radio spots.

The extremely high cost of advertising on television leaves that an unlikely option.

Dyer said that, in addition to regional advertising, ARAMARK — the concessionaire for Mesa Verde National Park — has been putting together fall packages which include combinations of lodging and tourist attractions in the area.