By Dave Mitchell
West Marin tourism, which was temporarily interrupted by the Inverness Ridge fire, should quickly rebound, Supervisor Gary Giacomini and National Seashore Supt. Don Neubacher told merchants Friday.

Speaking to the Point Reyes Business Association and the West Marin Chamber of Commerce, Giacomini warned that tourism may resume almost too quickly for a community still recovering from the disaster.

Neubacher noted that many parts of the Point Reyes National Seashore were reopening last weekend and that even the burned area will reopen in a week or two although for the moment "we're still putting out spot fires."

Supervisor Giacomini likewise told the merchants, "I think your business is going to leap. People are going to want to come out and gawk."

Supt. Neubacher said the National Seashore is already getting numerous calls from people who want to know how soon they can visit the park: "We're expecting a pretty good crowd."

He noted the Park Service plans to erect wayside displays and provide other information to visitors interested in seeing how nature recovers from a fire.

With so many firefighters in West Marin recently, there's been "a shortage of B&B rooms in West Marin," he added, and some firefighters were lodged in Petaluma.

The officials' comments, however, failed to reassure Realtor Gerry Coles, who owns Sandy Cove B&B in Inverness.

Coles, who last November created an enterprise called the West Marin Visitor Bureau, this week complained to the chamber that news media coverage exaggerated the extent of the fire.

The B&B owner added that as "coordinator" of his bureau, he sent out a press release to the media "that has done some good to soften the blow that's resulted from the misconception which would, if believed, unnecessarily scare away visitors from our area."

Coles also wrote the chamber that he has begun a "pledge drive" among merchants and the County and Convention Bureau to raise funds for "an advertising/PR program" to "reverse that trend."