On June 10, 2008, Colorado Preservation, Inc. and the Southeast Colorado Regional Heritage Taskforce (SECORHT) hosted a reception at the Koshare Indian Museum in La Junta to celebrate Preserve America grants awarded in Southeast Colorado. Preserve America grants offer competitive historic preservation funding,encouraging States, Indian tribes, and communities to realize the potential of their outstanding heritage assets as both educational and economic assets of benefit to the America public. Welcome remarks were given by Senator Ken Kester, Ed Nichols, and Ann Pritzlaff.

At the reception, Judy Walden discussed the results of the first Preserve America grant awarded in Southeast Colorado, “A Marketing Program and Strategic Plan for Heritage Tourism Development in Southeast Colorado."
Marketing materials presented included tear- off maps of historic sites in the region, a photo library of images of Southeast Colorado, Heritage Guidebooks, an advertisement in Audubon, and a kiosk at the Welcome Center in Lamar. The strategic plan developed includes a guide training program, heritage cuisine program, youth involvement in preservation, and entrepreneurship support.

Three new Preserve America grants were introduced. A Historic Theaters grant is using historic theaters to promote Southeast Colorado Historic Sites. The grant will produce introductory films on regional historic sites,
such as Bent’s Old Fort, that will be shown before new films in historic theaters in the region, including the Lamar Theater, the Grand Theater in Rocky Ford, and the Fox Theater in La Junta. The Southern Otero County
Survey involves an unprecedented partnership with private landowners to conduct a survey of archaeological and architectural resources on ranch lands. It will also produce a historic context study to be distributed
throughout the region and incorporated into heritage tourism planning. The State Historical Fund and DOLA are providing matching funds for this project. The Baca County Rural Resources Survey is a countywide survey of
rural resources, part of a pilot project designed to increase awareness of historic resources in eastern Colorado. The survey is intended to create a foundation for heritage tourism and preservation planning in Eastern Colorado counties. Products will include survey reports with preservation recommendations and color brochures featuring the historic resources of each county. The State Historical Fund is providing matching funds for this project. Colorado Preservation, Inc. is managing and conducting the surveys in Otero and Baca Counties.

SECORHT and Colorado Preservation, Inc. are grateful to the Koshare Indian Museum for hosting the reception and to the talented Koshare Indian Dancers, who concluded the reception with a performance.