Examples of Grant Applications

Narrative/Project Summary

Good Example of a Narrative/Project Summary:

The Osage Reservation contains 1,469,240 acres or 2,296 square miles. The Osages were the only tribe to purchase their final homeland in 1870. The Osage Reservation is the only federally recognized Reservation remaining in Oklahoma. The capitol of the Osage Nation is in Pawhuska. Prior to statehood in 1906, all surface Osage lands were divided among the 2,229 enrolled Osages. The Osages retained ownership of the subsurface resources, which included oil and gas reserves. With statehood, the Osage Reservation also became a county with Pawhuska being the county seat. The Osage Nation Reservation is contiguous with Osage County. Since 1906, much of the Osage land allotment has changed ownership and is held by non-Osages, large portions of which are cattle ranches. The Osage Nation asserts de facto sovereignty over the Osage Reservation which permits the Nation to offer distinct legal, economic and market opportunities, as well as reduced tax and regulatory burdens.

Past Accomplishments, Future Plans:
In 2000, the Osage Nation received an ANA SEDS grant to begin the process of building tribal government institutions and infrastructure that were necessary to develop a sustaining tribal economy. One of the outcomes of that project was to establish a list of prospective projects that could form the foundation of the Osage Reservation's economy for the future. One of those projects was the development of tourism.

The Osage Nation received an ANA SEDS grant in 2002 to develop regional tourism as a major component of its economic development plan for developing and sustaining tribal economy on the Osage Reservation. One of the successes of that grant was the formation of the Osage Nation Tribal Tourism Program. This project fits with the Tourism Plan to bring together historic, cultural, scenic, natural and recreational opportunities and attractions on the Osage Nation under one central unifying project.

Project Implementation:

The Osage Nation Transportation Improvement Program will be responsible for the overall management of this project. This project will help plan, design and develop an Indian scenic byway program called the Osage Nation Heritage Trail. The Tourism Program will work closely with the Transportation Improvement Program and other stakeholders in the partnership.

The project will be implemented with the help of a consultant who is highly experienced in scenic byways and planning, and who will be able to facilitate byway design in a step-by-step systematic manner.

1. The first step will be to explore the parameters and resources for potential byways. Although a possible byway route has been discussed over the past several years, there are some other major attractions of the Osage Reservation that might need to be considered. The proposed byway that has been discussed is US Highway 60 that travels the width of the Osage Reservation through Pawhuska, the Osage Nation capitol, with Bartlesville as a bookend on the east, and Ponca City as a bookend on the west. The route is approximately 70 miles. Each bookend City has attractions that are related and intertwined with Osage history, oil baron mansions, Native American museums, and accommodations for byway travelers. The consultant will meet with a core group of representatives who have been working on the byway project, which includes representatives and program directors of the Osage Nation, the Osage County Industrial Authority, and the Osage County Tourism Board. A mission statement and goals for the byway will be developed. The Consultant will meet with other stakeholders along the byway or associated with significant resources to expand the base of participants in the byway process. A multi-agency partnership of stakeholders will work with the consultant on all phases of the project providing resources and information. The partnership will sponsor and attend citizen participation meetings that will be held throughout the planning process to educate local citizens about the byway program and the benefits it will bring to the Osage Reservation, which is contiguous with Osage County.
2. A Resource Inventory and base map will be developed that will help to determine tourism themes. An analysis of the themes and attractions will lead to the final definition of the byway route or possibly a main route with several loops. The byway route and corridor will be defined and mapped.
3. The next step is a Master Interpretative Plan that will identify all the providers of interpretative services to travelers on the byway. The Plan will tell a cohesive and comprehensive story of the byway, there will be a central organizing theme that will connect all the stories. The Plan will have orientation, learning, emotional and behavior objectives. From the Master Interpretative Plan will come a 3-5 year Strategic Plan for a phased development of byway facilities.
4. The Corridor Management Plan will be developed to cover the 14 elements required by the Scenic Byways Program.
5. Upon completing these activities, the project will be in position to prepare a nomination for the Scenic Byways program. The nomination is the final task for the consultant to perform.

This project needs the financial support of the Scenic Byways program due to the large and comprehensive scope of the project and the need for technical expertise to help achieve the goals.

This project benefits the byway traveler by providing a heightened awareness of the Osage homeland, and its resources, that attracted outside cultures which impacted the Osage culture and tradition. The story of the Osage is intertwined with cowboys and ranchers attracted to the tall bluestem grasses, where bankers, lawyers and oil men attracted to the rich oil reserves located beneath the surface. Once completed the proposed project will benefit the byway traveler by providing travelers a glimpse into historical events and scenic panoramas that stimulate the imagination to come alive to those past eras. But most importantly, the byway traveler will come to realize and appreciate the fact that after 100 years, the Osage culture has remained intact and continues in the same traditions of the ancestors who chose this unique area, the Osage Reservation.

One of the most important elements of the byway experience for the traveler is the effective use of way finding media (maps, Internet, tour guides, signs, turn outs and information centers) that will improve the safety and enjoyment of the byway travelers.

The byway will be a tool to strengthen existing resources as well as develop others that will help to convey the themes and stories of the Osage Reservation. A byway traveler will become involved in an interactive experience that help to expand his knowledge of the Osage Nation as well as the other intertwined related themes of cowboys, ranchers, oil and oil barons of the Osage Reservation.

The project will also fulfill an important goal of the enhancing the tourism and recreation industry on the Osage Reservation. This is a stated goal of the current stakeholders in the byway program, the Osage Nation, the Osage County Tourism Board, the Osage County Industrial Authority and the City of Pawhuska. Tourism and recreation is recognized as one of the seven-targeted industries for the economic development in Northeastern Oklahoma. With the development of the Corridor Management Plan, the goal of enhancing tourism and attracting more tourists will become an important objective. This project will also benefit a wide range of public and private officials and their staffs in their collaborative planning and policy efforts.

The outcome of the planning grant, and the related Plans will help to support projects that will improve the quality and continuity of the traveler's experience, essential to attracting more visitors and enticing them to stay longer.