The Eye: Rafting guide paddles hard for tourism

If election season were rafting season, Dave Costlow might be reaping the benefits of a timely marketing tool.

Instead, Costlow will have to rely on high water and his pigeons (more on that later).

Costlow, owner of Rocky Mountain Adventures, a Fort Collins rafting company, is the mustachioed man you may have seen advocating for Amendment 33 on television commercials in recent weeks.

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Amendment 33, if you haven’t been following along, is the proposal to allow video lottery machines at five Front Range dog and horse tracks.

If approved by voters on Nov. 4, a large chunk of video lottery proceeds will be directed to tourism promotion in Colorado, which explains Costlow’s support.

As the face of Amendment 33, Costlow shows a polished delivery, which he attributes to a background in public speaking from his previous career (which he coyly calls “a mystery.”)

Still, despite the steady stream of television exposure — which includes a shot of rafts bearing the Rocky Mountain Adventures logo — Costlow contends he’s not getting any extra attention in public.

“When I was asked to do the ad ? I didn’t think people would recognize me or even care that much,” he said. “Our pigeons probably get us more attention than that ad.”

The pigeons are Rocky Mountain Adventures’ courier system between Poudre Canyon and the company’s offices in north Fort Collins. After photographers take shots of the rafters in action, the birds fly back with canisters of film for processing.

While Costlow defers publicity chores to the pigeons, he has taken speaking engagements this fall to deliver his message — that Colorado tourism is in dire straits due to lack of funding.

As for the campaign, Costlow said he expected controversy.

“I knew who the opponents would be,” he said, referring to the established gambling casinos in the state. “They weren’t going to let it be an easy win.”