America's Byways®WHAT'S NEW
FHWA Announces Solicitation for FY 2009 NSBP Grant Applications
The Federal Highway Administration is now seeking grant proposals for National Scenic Byways Program funding consideration for FY 2009. SAFETEA-LU authorized up to $43.5 million for this fiscal year. FHWA has decided to continue to be more strategic in its grant awards process by targeting its resources toward projects that provide the greatest benefits. FHWA invites the application of large-scale, high-cost projects that provide strategic benefits to the byway and the byway traveler. Applications are due to FHWA division offices by March 13, 2009.
For more information, please visit http://www.bywaysonline.org/grants.
Update on Nominations
The FHWA division offices received about 65 applications by the December 17th deadline, and are now in the process of reviewing applications. Applications that meet the requirements outlined in the National Scenic Byways Program Interim Policy (Text, PDF) will be forwarded to FHWA headquarters by January 16th, 2009.
The FHWA is currently putting together a review panel that will consist of six to eight experts, designated by FHWA and reflecting a cross-section of the scenic byway community of interests including intrinsic qualities, tourism, and economic development. The review panel will develop recommendations and materials used in the decision by the Federal Highway Administrator and the Secretary for selecting roads to be designated as part of the America's Byways® collection. It is expected that designations will be announced in late summer 2009.
ON THE WEB
Grant Articles on Bywaysonline.org and CCR Reminder
As we begin the FY 2009 National Scenic Byways Program grants cycle, the Useful Information articles will be updated to help you as you prepare your application. Please frequently check the Grants page, http://www.bywaysonline.org/grants/, for new or revised articles. New content will be at the top of the list.
The article, "Tips for Using Grants.gov," http://www.bywaysonline.org/grants/articles/73500, has been updated to reflect changes to the Grants.gov website since the FY 2008 cycle. For example, Grants.gov has collected all of their applicant information and listed it in one place, Applicant Resources, http://grants.gov/applicants/app_help_reso.jsp. Here you will find Frequently Asked Questions, User Guides, Tutorials, Troubleshooting Tips and more tools and documents to help you through the process.
Also included in this article are steps to ensure that your Central Contractor Registry (CCR) status is active. If you have registered your organization with CCR in prior years, you still must renew once every 365 days to maintain an active status. Applicants who are registering with CCR for the first time should start early as the initial confirmation process could take up to two weeks. Renewals typically take less time, but you are strongly encouraged to start the process early. Start your registration or renewal here, http://www.ccr.gov.
NEWS BRIEFS
Exploring the Connection between Trails and Byways
The National Trails Symposium, held in Little Rock, Arkansas on November 15-18, provided an opportunity for the trails community to come together to learn from and network with a wide variety of people working on trails today. This included State Trail Administrators, who convened in Little Rock for their annual meeting on November 13-15, in which the agenda included a plenary session that focused on fostering relationships with Federal partners that could also enhance opportunities along America's Byways.
Participating in the discussion were representatives from FHWA National Scenic Byways Program, Recreational Trails Program and Transportation Enhancement Activities; the National Park Service, National Scenic and Historic Trails, and the Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program; and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The development of trails and greenways as part of the America's Byways experience adds to the traveler's experience. While trails that support a byway's intrinsic qualities and help enhance the byway experience can be funded through the National Scenic Byways Program, the Transportation Enhancement activities also includes categories for scenic and historic highway programs, and the Recreational Trails Program can support trails associated with byways. For more information see: www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/te/brief.htm and www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/rectrails/brief.htm.
SPOTLIGHT ON BYWAYS
Enjoying Winter on America's Byways
Time to hit the slopes! Our new Skiing activity stories, just posted on www.byways.org, are sure to motivate travelers to plan their winter adventures along one of America's Byways. By adding and rotating stories seasonally that are of benefit to the byway traveler, FHWA and the National Scenic Byways Online (NSBO) team continue to generate new and maintain current visitor interest in the byways.org website, our primary means of marketing America's Byways. As byway leaders, you can be involved in this effort by responding to Byways Blast emails asking for information regarding upcoming story ideas. If you have anything to contribute, you can contact Angel Crane at angel@byways.org or Cindi Ptak at cindi.ptak@dot.gov.
