Reporter's Notebook

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When I have a bad day, my immediate response is to hop online and plan a fabulous vacation I know I’ll never take…anytime soon, anyway. Somehow dreaming about flying off to a little hut on some exotic island helps me forget whatever is bugging me in real life.

But something Clark County Commissioner Marc Boldt said yesterday at the county’s Tourism Awards struck a chord with me: He said those who grew up in or have spent a long time in Southwest Washington take it for granted. In a sense, we become immune to its beauty and treasures you can’t find elsewhere.

And when we attract visitors to experience what we’ve got, it means big bucks. Visitor spending in Clark County has grown an average of 7.5 percent annually from 2002 to 2007 – one of the highest growth rates in Washington. That money has a big impact because it’s not money that is being traded locally – it is being infused into the region from elsewhere.

So hats off to the winners of the third annual Tourism Awards – the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad Association, Pendleton Woolen Mills, Beaches Restaurant and Bar, Chad Naeve of the Heathman Lodge, the Vancouver Wine and Jazz Festival, the Waterfront Renaissance Trail and Bethany Vineyard and Winery. You are having a major impact on not only our quality of life, but the region’s economy.

-Megan Patrick-Vaughn can be reached at mpatrick@vbjusa.com