America's Byways®
Bulletin

June 2007 / Vol. 4 No. 3

WHAT'S NEW

A Round of Applause for All the Attendees of the 2007 National Scenic Byways Conference

Lots happened in Baltimore! New and old friends shared ideas, Rob Draper mapped our course and Michelle Johnson directed us to resources, Richard Louv brought us back to nature, Maryland byways served up some history, Congressman Oberstar shared the spotlight with former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mineta, Tom Bodett and Ben Manilla let us brag about our byways, and YES, we're going to Colorado in 2009!

One of the highlights of the conference was the announcement of the 2007 Scenic Byway Award Winners:

And the Winners are...

• For Resource Protection – Context-Sensitive Solutions for Maryland Scenic Byways, MD
• For Marketing – Arizona Scenic Roads Website, AZ
• For Planning – Ohio Historic National Road Design Handbook, Historic National Road, OH
• For Interpretation – "Journey's End" Interpretive Project, Santa Fe Trail National Scenic Byway, NM
• For Interpretation – Traveler Information Radio System, Flint Hills National Scenic Byway, KS
• For Interpretation – The Great Washington State Birding Trail Map, Coulee Corridor Scenic Byway, WA
• For Visitor Experience – Colorado Grassroots Training Program, CO
• For Sustainable Organizations – Illinois Alliance of Byways, IL
• For Leadership – Monte Hurley, Creole Nature Trail, LA

CONGRATULATIONS! We are so proud of these America's Byways leaders and their projects. Learn more on the new America's Byways Resource Center website here.

Rob Draper to Retire at the End of July

Rob Draper became the Director and "preserver, promoter, and protector" of the FHWA National Scenic Byways Program in 1999. Rob has announced his retirement as of the end of July 2007. His retirement strategy is to "learn, grow and develop," and he is ready to take you up on those offers you made to him to come visit your byways! If you have any Rob sightings on your byway, please send all photos to marketing@byways.org.

We will miss Rob's leadership and passion for the byways. All the best Rob!

GREAT IDEAS

New Mexico's New Commemorative Plate Pays Tribute to Route 66

"For more than 50 years, travelers got their first real look at New Mexico while traveling Route 66," said Michael Cerletti, Secretary of the New Mexico Tourism Department. "Even while New Mexicans look to the future, they keep their history alive and kicking with remembrances of old Route 66. This new New Mexico license plate celebrates these remembrances." The plate was established by a bill introduced by Representative Joseph Campos, also Mayor of Santa Rosa.

A contest conducted by the New Mexico Route 66 Association resulted in the chosen design, a reproduction of a Route 66 highway sign. The plates are $37 annually, which is in addition to the regular motor vehicle fees. Laurie Frantz, New Mexico State Byway coordinator, said $25 of this annual fee goes into a special fund that will be used to provide grants for preservation and restoration projects along Route 66 in New Mexico.

For more information, you may contact Laurie at 505-827-8428, or e-mail laurie.frantz@state.nm.us.

Teens Get Involved with Mountains to Sound Greenway!

Ninety teenagers in the woods for a week? With the lure of hiking the beautiful Mountains to Sound Greenway, who wouldn't want to go? Donor-supported Mountain Works is free for participating teens from 13 to 18 and is geared toward those interested in environmental issues and community service. This worthwhile project encourages the younger generation to get involved with the environment with a total of nine camps, with ten teens each, scheduled on Rattlesnake Mountain and in the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Valley.

Kansas' Wetlands and Wildlife Scenic Byway: Where Being Called a 'Birdbrain' is a Compliment

Every odd-numbered year in the spring, Kansas' Wetlands and Wildlife community showcases its birding and wildlife watching at the Wings & Wetlands Weekend. The town of Great Bend extends a warm welcome to bird watchers of every experience level who wish to discover two of the hottest birding sites in the world - Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area and Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. Both these areas are designated as Wetlands of International Importance by the International Ramsar Committee. The 2007 event took place the weekend of April 27-29th, and it featured two "Bird Brain" quizzes - one for the more experienced birder and one for even the youngest of birders. A link to the quizzes is here.

Congratulations to Wetlands and Wildlife Scenic Byway for another fun event!

And while we're on the subject, Virginia's George Washington Memorial Parkway recently held a press FAM trip that included a little bird watching of its own. We love learning about the different ways people experience America's Byways!

Connecticut River Byway: Up, Up and Away for Father's Day

Thinking of something special to do with Dad this year? If you're in the neighborhood, how about taking him on a hot air balloon ride in Quechee, Vermont? The 28th annual Quechee Balloon Festival is coming next weekend, June 15-17 on the Connecticut River Byway. There's something fun for everyone at the festival - antiques, food and, of course, balloon rides! For more information, visit www.hartfordvtchamber.com. Remember, if you're unable to make it this year, it's an annual event, so start planning for next year!

ON THE WEB

NEW Byway Inventory Feature on bywaysonline.org!

In the last bulletin, we mentioned the importance of spring cleaning for your byway's information on byways.org. Well, the team at National Scenic Byways Online (NSBO) has made that task much easier! Now, when you sign in to www.bywaysonline.org, click on "Byway Inventory" in the top menu, select your region and your byway, and you can easily look through the information we have collected for your byway. If you are a byway leader or designated byway representative, you should see an option to the right that says "Verify". From there you can easily tell the team at NSBO if your information is current, or what, if any, changes need to be made. If you are a byway leader or designated byway representative, and you sign in and find you do not have this reviewer status, you can register for that permission on the site, and someone from NSBO will be in touch with you.

Many thanks to the NSBO team for their hard work developing this valuable feature that is both easy-to-use and beneficial to the entire byway community!

NEWS BRIEFS

Notes from Our Two-Wheeled Travelers

Sally Pearce, Colorado's State Coordinator, passed on a story of locals helping travelers when a blinding snow hit Trail Ridge Road causing a group of motorcyclists to become stranded when officials evacuated the area. The Florida bikers were taken in by locals along the byway until the storm passed on and they were able to retrieve their bikes and ride home.

Another of America's Byways®, New York's Seaway Trail, was named one of RoadRUNNER Motorcycling magazine's seven "Fantastic Rides" in the June 2007 issue. This is just the latest in a series of mentions of Seaway Trail in motorcycle publications. Seaway Trail has also been featured in HOG Tales, a magazine for Harley Owners Group members, and is among suggested rides at www.motorcycleroads.com.

We also received a piece of fan e-mail from a member of Fairfax, Ohio's Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.) chapter:

"I for one enjoy visiting your web site to see what's there nationwide. As a motorcycle enthusiast, I would like to see more scenic road information specifically for those of us that ride on two wheels. One of our favorite motto's "It's not the destination, but the ride to get there". Many don't have a great deal of interest in final destinations unless it's related to riding. Last Summer (August) I rode thru Fort Pierre National Grassland Park and Lower Brule Indian Reservation. It was the web site where I learned about this route. Thanks, Bill"

Lately we've had more correspondence like this from motorcyclists and RV enthusiasts. Any additional information you have for these groups that you can incorporate into your current byways.org information could help bring more of these visitors to your byway. Things to consider: height restrictions for RVs and road conditions for motorcycles.

Do You Know Who's Writing about You: Byways in the Media

In the past few months, byways.org and America's Byways have been popping up in all sorts of interesting places. Back in April, Connecticut State Route 169 and www.byways.org were mentioned in a "Cybertrips" article about eastern Connecticut in Australia's Sydney Morning Herald. In a recent Friends of the Forest "tree-mail," both the National Scenic Byways Program and the Cherohala Skyway were featured. Last but not least, the National Scenic Byways Program website and a selection of America's Byways were the subject of an article in the May issue of The Costco Connection focusing on summer recreation and scenic driving!

Media outlets are coming to www.byways.org to find out more about you, so keep sending your photos, stories, news and events to angel@byways.org or jldungan@byways.org.

FROM THE ROADS

Personally, we think everyone who tirelessly devotes his or her time and energy to the byways is worthy of recognition, so we especially love it when we hear about other groups that think so, too! Here are a few of the latest awards and promotions in our community that we've learned about in the past two months:

Oklahoma Byways Program Receives Recognition of Excellence from UCEA

The University of Oklahoma Outreach, along with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, was awarded a 2007 Merit Award by the University Continuing Education Outreach Association (UCEA). The Oklahoma Byways Program received one of the three international awards. It is the first time that the Oklahoma Byways Program has been considered for international recognition.

For further information on the UCEA awards program and a list of 2007 award winners, visit the UCEA website. Oklahoma Byways Program's award is listed under Outreach and Engagement: Recognition of Excellence, Non-Credit Programs.

Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway Volunteer Lynn Scharenbroich Nationally Recognized

Byway chairperson, Lynn Scharenbroich, was presented the President's Call To Service Award on Thursday, May 10, 2007. Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Carol Molnau presented the prestigious award to Scharenbroich along with congratulatory letters from President George H.W. Bush and Mary Peters, Secretary of Transportation, as well as the President�s Council on Service & Civic Participation. In recognition of Scharenbroich's selfless contribution, donating more than 19,700 hours to the Byway project over the last 10 years, she also received a souvenir coin on behalf of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Byway Board member, and Paul Bunyan personality, Wayne Chamberlain presented the Lieutenant Governor with a commemorative photograph, and Scharenbroich prepared her a bountiful basket of Byway memorabilia.

Got news?

As always, we look forward to hearing the latest and greatest news from you! If you've got a great picture or some exciting stories and ideas from your byway, let us know by e-mailing pmcnally@byways.org or jldungan@byways.org!