Group promotes tourism in Coulee Corridor

WARDEN - More visitors to the Coulee Corridor National Scenic Byway often equates to more visitors to the cities and communities located along the route.

Members of the not-for-profit Coulee Corridor Consortium say development projects along the byway are ways to help ensure tourists are drawn to the scenic route year after year.

The consortium works to publicize "sustainable" tourism along the byway.

Ken Caylor, of Othello, the group's vice-chair, met with Warden Development Council members on Wednesday to discuss current improvement projects along the byway.

The volunteer organization recently installed two gateway signs at each end of the byway, one near Othello and one near Omak, marking the north and south boundaries of the Coulee Corridor, he said.

Caylor said the corridor is about 150 miles long and runs between Othello and Omak.

Since the route also contains a couple of offshoots, Caylor said the group is working on adding road signs along those side loops as well.

The group is also working on installing community kiosks in about eight cities along the byway, he said. The kiosks will contain information on the Coulee Corridor, as well as information on sites and events in the respective cities, Caylor said.

"We want to enlighten people to what we really got going on in this area," he said.

Caylor said the various projects were funded by grants.

Membership fees and support from cities' tourism funds have also helped pay for improvement projects, he said.

Caylor said the goal of the improvement projects is not simply to draw visitors to the area, but also to educate them on the history and the importance of the Coulee Corridor.

"What formed the corridor, it was water during the Ice Age floods," he said. "We're trying to promote that."