Editor’s Note: This is part of a continuing series of articles, featured in Vistas, about the nomination of roads to join the distinct and diverse collection of America’s Byways. Future articles will supplement information currently available on this Web site.
Many of the preparation tools are in place for the nomination process. By now, you’ve looked over the Designation Readiness Worksheet and started collecting your planning documents, maps and corridor management plan (CMP). You’ve been thinking about the intrinsic quality - or qualities - that can be clearly identified and documented, and how they relate to the byway traveler’s experience. Maybe your traffic engineers are already checking the wayfinding signs along the route. Collecting, assembling and organizing the facts and documents are very important. But the nomination process isn’t only about filling in the blanks or checking off items on a list. It’s about capturing the essence of your byway and communicating that distinctiveness to the reviewers and ultimately to the potential travelers.
Currently, the National Scenic Byways Program team is making the final edits on the 2005 Nomination Guide. The changes in the nomination document reflect the maturing of the America’s Byways™ brand, and the recognition by existing and potential visitors that “we have stories to tell.” The intrinsic qualities are still at the core of your nomination submission, yet it’s important to think of your byway in a way to encourage stewardship and promotion. You need to manage the visitors’ expectations by ensuring an authentic byway experience.
Your designation document is not an application. It is a nomination document to become part of the America’s Byways collection. Your nomination needs to demonstrate to the reviewers why your road is worthy of designation by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. You need to win your audience over and make them want to learn more about your byway.
Catch the Byway Buzz
The 2005 Nomination Guide is separated into a request for preliminary information followed by three main sections. The first section addresses the “Traveler Experience.” Information collected from this section will be used for the America’s Byways map, the Web site pages, and in response to traveler and media inquiries. The features you list and the experiences you describe should support the essence of your byway that you included in the document. These features, activities and events will be used to produce itineraries for the www.byways.org Web site to be accessed and used by potential travelers.
When writing this section of your nomination, try to capture your byway and its intrinsic qualities in a way that will spark imagination and creativity. Think about something you are passionate about… rafting, hiking, antiquing, woodworking, dancing. If you want your friends to come along with you, or to appreciate what you are passionate about, what do you do? It’s natural to paint a picture in their minds of all the fun and all the interesting parts of the activity. You tell them a compelling story, and hope they catch your enthusiasm. If you just show them the final product, or tell them methodically about the steps it took to create or enjoy it — without engaging them or sparking their interest — you won’t win them over, and they won’t share in your passion.
It is important to include a variety of high-definition, media-ready photos pointing out the features, activities, sites, vistas, and events along your byway (see the article entitled “Media-Ready Photos” on the Program section of this website for more specific information and photo tips.) These photos will be displayed on the www.byways.org Web site for people who are interested in visiting and/or writing about your byway. In addition, you will be asked to submit a “Primary Photo.” This photo will be used for your online application and on the Web sites. This single digital photo will act as your byway’s signature photo — it should express the distinctive quality(s) of your byway.
The Process Continues…
The “Designation Justification” section is key to the nomination process. Here you are asked to identify the intrinsic quality(s), and demonstrate how the intrinsic quality(s) reflects the essence of your byway. You must realistically assess the regional and/or national significance of your byway, and what your byway adds to the America’s Byways collection. In addition, this section requests information on your CMP.
The third section, “Technical Components,” asks for a route description that will be used to establish an official record of the byway. You will be requested to provide information on distinct segments of the roadway, adjacent roadway conditions, verify the continuity of your route, and document any gaps. Detailed user-friendly maps are required that show the location of your byway and its relation to other America’s Byways in your region. The roadway, corridor, communities, local features, wayfinding signs, and public visitor services need to be clearly described and identified.
As you prepare your byway’s nomination, remember the power your words and images can convey. You should express a sense of excitement so the reader will be inspired to “come closer” and visit. The Designation Readiness Worksheet and the 2005 Nomination Guide are tools to help you achieve national designation should you choose to make this long-term commitment. Becoming one of America’s Byways and joining the “collection of distinct and diverse roads designated by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation” is a privilege and carries great responsibility. The responsibility is to ensure that your Byway has a plan for sustaining the quality and integrity of your product, to enable our children and future travelers to experience your byway for years to come.
Your nomination needs to demonstrate to the reviewers why your road is worthy of designation by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. You need to win your audience over and make them want to learn more about your byway.
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