DENVER (Reuters) - A Colorado cattle rancher hopes that if she builds a UFO watch tower, aliens -- and tourists -- will come.
Judy Messoline moved to the San Luis Valley, which is rich in UFO lore, four years ago.
After watching the television show ``The X-Files'' and hearing local legends of hovering lights and inexplicable flying objects, she decided to capitalize on the notion that Colorado attracts more than just skiers.
So Messoline applied for and received approval to build a 10-foot (3 meter) high observation tower on her land near Hooper, Colorado.
``We need something different down here so maybe this is it,'' Messoline told the Denver Rocky Mountain News. ``We're even going to have a landing pad for UFOs.''
The area in southern Colorado near the Great Sand Dunes National Monument is sparsely populated with fewer lights than a big city, allowing good views of the stars and anything else that might be up in the sky.
``The county has quite a few UFO watchers. We have lots of reports, but not much documented,'' Undersheriff Mike Norris told the News.
Messoline plans to charge $2 for adults and $1 for children to mount her observation tower, the newspaper reported. She said she will even rent out binoculars.
``I think it's going to be a big thing,'' Wendi Maez, the Saguache County land use administrator, told Reuters on Friday. She said the watch tower would even have an alien-themed gift shop.
The tower will open Memorial Day, May 29, just in time for the summer tourist season.
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