Good Example of a Narrative/Project Summary:
This grant will provide funding to build and strengthen a sustainable byway organization to assist with the management of the Tioga/Big Oak Flat National Scenic Byway. The Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region will take the lead and utilize the requested grant funding to take an interagency approach, partnering with the National Park Service, Yosemite National Park to:
- Develop an outreach strategy to involve communities, groups, partners, friends groups, and other stakeholders with an interest in participating in a byway organization.
- Conduct a series of community meetings to identify interest, capacity, commitment, goals, objectives, and key participants.
- Conduct meetings/workshops/training with the core Yosemite Byway Organization to finalize working group/Board of Directors, identify goals and objectives, develop a Charter and Bylaws, initiate a membership drive, and develop a CMP implementation strategy.
- Send small contingent of core Yosemite Byway Organization members to the 2009 National Scenic Byway Conference.
The Byway is located entirely within Yosemite National Park, one of the "crown jewels" within the National Park System. A nomination package for the Tioga/Big Oak Flat National Scenic Byway was prepared in July 1996 along with a Corridor Management Plan (CMP) that identifies the scenic, historical, recreational, natural, and archaeological intrinsic qualities. The Byway was designated as a National Scenic Byway in September 1996.
In FY 2000 a grant was funded to plan, develop, and install wayside exhibits, signs, and brochures along the Yosemite Byway ($328,940). There has been no further effort to enhance or promote the byway and there is no supporting byway organization.
Although the intrinsic qualities identified in the nomination are protected because the Byway is within Yosemite National Park a byway organization would be the next logical step in enhancing the byway visitors experience and in looking for opportunities to tie in the gateway communities of Groveland and Lee Vining. These gateway communities provide important amenities and services which contribute to the byway visitor's experience. Yosemite National Park is the destination for byway travelers but the byway communities and National Forests have an important role to play in extending the byway experience beyond the gates of the Park. Byway travelers begin their scenic driving experience long before they reach the designated National Scenic Byway portion of the drive and a byway organization will help in framing the next steps in promoting the Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat National Scenic Byway.
The planned community meetings will focus on strengthening the linkages and relationships of the Highway 120 gateway communities, Caltrans, the Inyo and Stanislaus National Forests, and Yosemite National Park.
A sustainable Yosemite Byway organization will aid in the creation of a strong foundation to solidify relationships with gateway communities, local, county, state and federal agencies including Caltrans, partners, and stakeholders. Strengthening the tie between the Byway and the gateway communities of Lee Vining and Groveland will assist the Park Service in meeting management goals and provide additional opportunities for accommodating Park visitors during peak periods of visitation. The byway visitor will benefit by recognizing the Byway as yet another destination within the Park and is another way of visiting the Park - scenic driving through the Park on the Yosemite Byway. A Yosemite Byway organization will help focus future enhancement efforts in a planned and consistent manner which will benefit byway visitors for years to come.
This is a good example because it:
- Describes the project area and the location of the byway within Yosemite National Park sufficiently for those that are unfamiliar with the byway
- Is simple and succinct and utilizes bullets points to describe actions to be taken
- Provides background on prior funding and activities to date
