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By Local report June 28. 2015 11:01PM Wine Country license plates pay off Travel Southern Oregon has received more than $37,000 from the sale of  Oregon Wine Country license plates and has appointed a committee to determine disbursement of the funds to tourism-related efforts. The advisory committee is made up of representatives from the region’s wine, culinary and other tourism industries. They include Nora Lancaster, marketing director at Kriselle Cellars in White City; Fred Wickman, owner of Prospect Historic Hotel and Dinner House; Bob Hackett, marketing manager at Oregon Shakespeare Festival; Kerrie Walters, manager of the Southern Oregon Winery Association; and Carolyn S. Hill, CEO of Travel Southern Oregon. The funding is made possible by a law passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2011 that created the Oregon Wine Country license plates. The Legislature created two programs for the state tourism office, Travel Oregon: a matching grant program and a regional tourism promotion program. For the regional tourism promotion program, Travel Southern Oregon is one of three regional agencies designated to receive the Wine Country license plate revenues. The Eastern Oregon Visitors Association and the Willamette Valley Visitors Association were also selected. Travel Southern Oregon receives disbursements (on a pro-rata share, based on vineyard acreage) from the sale of the plates. Total disbursements to all wine regions in the 2015-16 biennium will be just under $240,000. Travel Southern Oregon, representing Region 3 — Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Curry, Coos, Klamath and Lake counties — will receive $37,578 in the initial disbursement. Travel Oregon is also investing in a Wine Country license plate matching grants program, which will make more than $230,000 in matching grants available statewide in 2015-16. http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20150628/NEWS/150629700 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->