America's Byways®
Bulletin

August 2007 / Vol. 4 No. 4

WHAT'S NEW

New Team Leader Announced - Welcome Gary Jensen!

Gary Jensen, Team Leader of the National Scenic Byways Program, the Transportation, Community, and System Preservation (TCSP) Program, and the Delta Region Transportation Development Program has thirteen years of experience with the Federal Highway Administration, including spending the past seven years as an Environmental Protection Specialist in the Office of Natural and Human Environment. Prior to working at FHWA Headquarters, Gary worked in the FHWA Tennessee Division Office as an environmental engineer on a broad range of environmental and programmatic issues - including CMAQ, Transportation Enhancements, Recreational Trails, Scenic Byways and other discretionary programs. He is a 1993 Graduate of the University of Idaho with a degree in Civil Engineering.

Here is a note from our new Team Leader, Gary Jensen:

Swan Falls Dam

As luck may have it, my appointment as Team Leader of the National Scenic Byways Program at FHWA coincided with a trip to my hometown of Kuna (pronounced "Q nuh"), Idaho. Filled with the excitement of my new position, I visited the Western Heritage Historic Byway. Just a short distance from the fast-growing Boise metropolitan area, this National Scenic Byway traverses a stark, but beautiful, intermountain desert landscape of sage brush, volcanic formations, and the breath-taking Snake River canyon.

Western Heritage Historic Byway

My boyhood memories of a barren landscape have now been replaced with the unique experience of seeing a familiar landscape from a different perspective. This distinctive American road allows the visitor to experience the unique features of this place, such as Swan Falls Dam (built 1901) which represents the importance of early hydroelectric development in Idaho.

However, what I found most exciting was how the designation of this byway and the installation of interpretive and informational facilities have unified the intrinsic elements of the area in such a marked way. In the past, this facility was really only appreciated by local residents, but now the regional significance of the byway can be appreciated and treasured by the entire nation.

And now, I have been given the great opportunity to play a part in furthering the development of this important American collection. I look forward to working with the byways community to preserve, protect, interpret, and promote America's Byways.

Please join us in giving Gary the warmest of Byway welcomes!

GREAT IDEAS

Byways Blitz on the Ohio & Erie Canalway

Tim Donovan of the Ohio & Erie Canalway (OH) writes, "We have run a program along a portion of the Canalway Byway in Cleveland in concert with our Court Community Service called the Byway Blitz. Essentially we clean the Byway of litter, illegal posters on poles, and empty any of the existing garbage cans EVERY SUNDAY from June 1 - October 15."

Now in their 4th year, they are seeing significant progress - less litter, and a growing effort of reinvestment and caretaking from owners and businesses along the routes. What a great idea!

See the International Selkirk Loop in Virtual 3-D!

Carol Graham, Executive Director for the International Selkirk Loop (ID/WA), let us know about their website's, www.selkirkloop.org, new 3-D virtual tour feature! Click on the "virtual tour" 3-D map, and go to the options section on the left of the page to "fly to" where you have a choice of cities, trail heads, birding sites or cycling maps with elevations. Try a few, especially the cycling segments, as they have elevation cutaway graphs that are downloadable by section. Then in the "search for" section you'll see the ability to search for camping sites, trail heads and birding sites.

According to Carol, in the six short weeks it's been on the webpage, they've already gotten 615 fly throughs. "Our website in general is generating more and more visitors. In June alone we had 22,500 unique visitors, compared to June of 06 with 15,110 unique visitors." What a fantastic interactive feature!

Lake Erie TV Special Airs in Cleveland With Help From Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail

WKYC-TV 3 in Cleveland aired a half-hour high-definition program about Lake Erie on Saturday, July 7th, but in case you missed this special, you can tune in online by visiting http://www.wkyc.com/life/programming/shows/lake_erie/. This is the first in a four-part series that will be aired over the next year. This program gave an overview of all that will be discussed in upcoming specials, and includes interviews with the byway leader, Melinda Huntley, Dr. Jeff Reutter, Senator George Voinovich and others.

The Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail (OH) office helped with this program by working with the writer who pitched the idea to Channel 3 about a year ago. It was originally pitched as a one-time program, but because of the depth of stories, Channel 3 is developing four half-hour features. This Cleveland channel serves approximately 1.3 million households in NE Ohio. Melinda Huntley says, "We're thrilled that these messages that are all about protecting the resources and promoting them hand-in-hand are reaching these viewers."

Great job, Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail!

DOT, Byways and State Tourism Offices Working Together!

In Minnesota, an attractive travel brochure has been developed that includes photos, maps, logos, itineraries, and listings purchased by tourism organizations and businesses along the byways. Copies have gone to the Minnesota Historical Society, Minnesota DNR-State Parks, and Minnesota State Arts Board for inclusion with a mailing to their arts and culture network. They will also be distributed at travel information centers and in response to consumer inquiries.

Minnesota is also promoting their scenic byways through a new television commercial airing in 12 markets in five states and Canada; and on the exploreminnesota.com website, one traveler shares his enthusiasm for riding Minnesota scenic byways in a "My Favorite Minnesota" personal webisode.

Also, in Utah, the new "Utah - Life Elevated" official state highway map was developed by the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) with assistance from the Office of Tourism. The map uses dots to indicate scenic byways. UDOT executive director John Njord said the map was developed jointly with tourism officials in hopes of helping out-of-staters and Utah residents "to get out and see the many incredible sights Utah is home to."

This summer in Colorado, in partnership with the Colorado Department of Transportation's Scenic and Historic Byways Program and the Colorado Historical Society's State Historical Fund, the Colorado Tourism Office is developing two Scenic and Historic Byways marketing guides. An abbreviated, brochure-style guide providing an overview of Colorado's 25 Scenic and Historic Byways will be produced, as will a magazine-style guide that will serve as a more detailed trip planner for byways travelers.

With these fine success stories, it is needless to say that developing partnerships with your state's tourism office is a GREAT idea!

ON THE WEB

It's Road Trip Time!

We're in search of your byway's quirky fun stories and driving itineraries to put on byways.org. Let's face it - no one knows your byway better than you do! You may have your own website, but please share your photos and fun with us. Being represented on byways.org increases your visibility on not just the national level, but globally! Since the last bulletin, we've received e-mails from Israel, the Netherlands, and Australia asking about America's Byways! How great is that?

Don't know where to begin? Take a look at our bird-watching stories and road trip itineraries here to get some ideas. Explore ideas and gain insight from potential partners like wildlife refuges, local retailers, and chambers of commerce. You name it! The possibilities are endless. As always, any stories, itineraries, or photos you have regarding activities along your byways can be sent to Jessica at jdungan@byways.org, Angel at angel@byways.org, or Patricia at pmcnally@byways.org.

NEWS BRIEFS

A Tribute to Lady Bird Johnson on George Washington Memorial Parkway

Lady Bird Johnson's legacy was recently honored by several hundred people at a ceremony held along Virginia's George Washington Memorial Parkway, which includes 157 acres of land designated as Lady Bird Johnson Park and Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove. Over 220 visitors stopped by a tent to speak with rangers and many shared their thoughts about Lady Bird in a remembrance book. In addition, park staff organized a special tribute and a moment of silence for 40 attendees during the time of Mrs. Johnson's burial in Texas on Sunday, June 15. The George Washington Memorial Parkway was designated as one of America's Byways in 2005.

St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum Becomes Charter Member for Friends of A1A

The St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum organization enrolled in the Friends of A1A Scenic & Historic Coastal Byway, one of the area's newest non-profit organizations with a mission to promote, enhance and protect the intrinsic resources of the National Scenic Byway. The St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum, Florida's first lighthouse operating since 1824, is one of the historic and archaeological gems along the A1A Scenic & Historic Coastal Byway corridor. Both the Friends of A1A and the Lighthouse strive to preserve this natural marriage of maritime and coastal heritage to share with others. The St. Augustine Lighthouse is featured on the front cover of the A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway travel brochure.

The Lighthouse and all its rich history certainly adds to the value of the Byway. For more information, visit www.scenicA1A.org and www.byways.org.

FROM THE ROADS

Senator Byron Dorgan Visits the New Rosebud Visitors Center

U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota visited the newly completed Rosebud Visitors Center on Sheyenne River Valley Scenic Byway in late June.

"The historical and interpretive exhibits at this new visitor's center are another great reason to visit the Sheyenne River Valley," Senator Dorgan said. "I'll keep working to find ways to develop the recreational opportunities here, both for the benefit of the citizens of the Valley City area and to help draw more tourists and economic activity to the region."

Just One Part of the Action of the Prairie Rose State Games

Mary Lee Nielson, the new Marketing Coordinator for Sheyenne Valley Scenic Byway, sent us this great photo of cyclists on the 41-mile bike race portion of the Prairie Rose State Games! Thank you Mary Lee, and welcome to the community!

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!