America's Byways®Inside this Issue
WHAT'S NEW
CONGRATULATIONS to the New America's Byways®.
On September 22, 2005, the Secretary of Transportation announced 45 new designations. The total number of America's Byways is now 125, 27 All-American Roads and 98 National Scenic Byways, in 44 States. This includes 17 Multi-State Byways. See the "Share the Celebration" section on www.byways.org and read the upcoming Vistas for more complete information.
Ready to Rock in Cleveland?
The National Scenic Byways
Conference is ready to rock! The educational sessions are filled with great information and the speakers
are top notch. But don't forget to visit the exhibits. The products and services represented will be
beneficial to your byways, and the people staffing these booths are great byway program partners.
Take advantage of the great networking opportunities at the conference, too. Resist the urge to sit
with people you know, and use the meal functions as time to exchange ideas and stories with people
from other byways. This is YOUR conference so make the most of it. See www.bywaysonline.org to learn
more about all the great activities you'll find at the conference in Cleveland.
GREAT IDEA
Michigan State Fair
Woodward Avenue Volunteers, Joanne Samra and Jan Therrian, took the National Scenic Byways
Booth on the road and exhibited at the Michigan State Fair. This is a great way to get the
America's Byways word out to the byway travelers.
North Dakota Invests in Young Landscape Designers
In the summer of 2005, a group of five landscape architecture interns and their advisor were employed by the ND DOT to provide services to the State's byways. This group set up a methodology to assess each route, meet leaders, review planning documents and offer design ideas and concepts providing detailed and customized designs to each byway. Arik Spencer, the North Dakota byway coordinator, reported positive responses to the work from the byways and indicated the final report included budget details for proposed construction at all sites. This is the type of creativity that reaches beyond the normal byway resources, and is a great example for other byway leaders. To find out more, contact Arik at aspencer@state.nd.us
Riding for a Cause
The Historic Natchez Trace was the site of the 2005 Tour Des Trees, an annual multi-day
cycling event, where 60 riders raised money to support research on trees and their care,
and to promote the importance of urban and community forests. This year's race cruised
along the Natchez Trace from Jackson, Mississippi, to Nashville, Tennessee, nearly 500
miles on one of America's best biking roads, and of course, one of America's Byways.
The National Park Service and the local communities supported the endeavor. For more
information, contact Janet Bornancin at jbornancin@treefund.org.
ON THE WEB
Don't forget to sign up for the one-on-one meetings with the website team at the Conference. Our online experts will give you advice as to how to maximize your byway's presence on the web. For more information, go to www.bywaysonline.org.
NEWS BRIEFS
Southeast Tourism Society (STS) Honors the Southwest Louisiana/Lake Charles Convention & Visitors' Bureau
The Dorothy Hardman Spirit of Southeast Tourism Society Award for Tourism Awareness went to the Southwest Louisiana/Lake Charles Convention & Visitors Bureau. This award is for the best program to promote National Tourism Week. This CVB saw National Tourism Week as an opportunity to communicate to citizens the value of tourism in their community. Through a series of themed days that focused on the media, hotel and restaurant employees and even kids, each sector of the community was educated about the many things to see and do in the Lake Charles area and how visitors positively impact the local economy.
"Shining Example Awards highlight some of the best work in travel and tourism, and winners truly set examples that others in the industry can follow," said STS chairman Mitch Bowman.
Shelley Johnson of the Creole Nature Trail accepted the award on behalf of Danny Young.
Special note: Shelley and her staff have been displaced because of Hurricane Rita. She is checking emails, but the building her office is housed in has sustained considerable damage. The Discussion Forum on www.bywaysonline.org has a discussion thread on the Hurricanes, and people are keeping up-to-date through the Forum. Our hearts and good thoughts go out to Shelley and her team.
First-Ever U.S. Department of Commerce International Tourism Promotion Campaign in the U.K. Was a Resounding Success
The preliminary results of the campaign, "You've Seen the Films, Now Visit the Set," which featured popular American movies with place name titles, such as "Chicago," and "Sweet Home Alabama," indicated that 54% of the people within the identified advertising market were aware of the promotion campaign, having seen at least one advertisement. The campaign was effective in increasing positive perceptions of the of the U.S. as a travel destination; increasing intent to visit the U.S. on a pleasure trip; and, as a result of the campaign, the demand for travel to the U.S. was increased by approximately 1.9 million person trips within the next 24 months. The DOC ITA Office of Travel and Tourism Industries (OTTI) plans to continue this campaign in 2006. For more information, click on http://tinetdev.ita.doc.gov/about/us_promo_campaign/index.html.
OPPORTUNITIES
The deadline for submitting nominations for the 2006 Preserve America Presidential Awards is November 1, 2005. These are the highest national awards honoring historic preservation achievement. The 2006 Preserve America Presidential Award Nomination Guidance and Form (both in PDF) can be found at www.PreserveAmerica.gov.
Extra! Extra!
A special "shout out" to Ruth Brinker from the newly designated America's Byway, Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike in West Virginia. At the recent Washington, DC designation event, Patricia McNally was asked about her fractured left foot, and, in admitting that her story was very mundane, asked the audience to invent a better story. Ruth came up with the best story, and here it is...
"You were sitting at home, at your computer, editing the latest America's Byways Bulletin in August. It happened to be the time of the Perseid meteor showers. An errant meteorite came through your roof, through the attic, through your computer, desk, and hit your foot. Thankfully its speed and heat had been diminished by all the obstacles it had hit, and you had on your old heavy leather work shoes. Your insurance paid for all the damages calling it an 'act of God.'"
Thanks to everyone else who crafted great stories. The America's Byways community is filled with creative people!
November/December Topic:
"Designations"
Do you have news or ideas to share with the Byway Community?
