SPECIAL EDITION (2003) THANK YOU! A special “thank you” to our conference sponsors and exhibitors—we couldn’t have done it without you! SPONSORS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Platinum Level) American Road Magazine (Gold Level) Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau (Gold Level) USDA Forest Service (Silver Level) EXHIBITORS Interpretive Graphics Rice Creek Resources Carter & Burgess, Inc. Heritage Design, USFS Los Alamos Spin Maps, Inc. SlipStone, Inc. Enchanted Circle Moriarty Civic Center Heart of New Mexico USDA Forest Service Interpretive Arts Unlimited U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service American Recreation Coalition New Mexico Department of Tourism Mobil Travel Guide Published in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration by: America’s Byways Resource Center Arrowhead Regional Development Commission 227 West First Sreet Suite 610 Duluth, MN 55802 1-800-4BYWAYS, Ext 5 2003 National Scenic Byways Conference Revisited The 2003 National Scenic Byways Conference was about more than just beautiful weather, breathtaking mountains and spicy southwestern food. It was about old friends, new friends, networking and, most importantly, learning! Sunny Albuquerque, New Mexico was the perfect location for more than 400 byway representatives and advocates to come together for one main purpose: to learn about funding, marketing, interpreting and sustaining their byways. Now that the conference is behind us, let’s see some of the highlights that made it such a memorable time. Join us in looking back at our special Vistas photo album! Sunday Evening Gala The opening reception, sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, was a superb conference kick-off event. The evening consisted of fajitas, pasta, chips and salsa, and lots of pre-conference networking. (And who could forget that dessert bar?) It was a chance for old friends and acquaintances to catch up before we rolled up our sleeves and got to work on Monday. Thank you, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for hosting a wonderful evening! The Workshops Begin Monday morning, keynote speaker Michael Wallis left the audience spellbound. His nostalgic account of Route 66, also known as “The Mother Road,” took the audience back to a time of adventure, glory and fond memories. One lucky conference participant, Valerie Horton from the Louisiana Department of Transportation, won an autographed copy of his 75th Anniversary Edition of Route 66: The Mother Road. Mr. Wallis also signed copies of his book during the morning break, making it a truly special morning. Also at the opening general session, gold sponsor American Road Magazine held a drawing for three valuable prizes – two full-page advertisements in the magazine, and one spread. Lakes to Locks Passage (New York) and the Energy Loop (Utah) won the full-page ads, and Historic National Road (IL, IN, MD, OH, PA, WV) won the spread. Congratulations to the winners! Following the opening general session, the workshops began and the conference excitement revved up. Roadside Reflections by Michelle Johnson, Associate Director, America’s Byways Resource Center What is your favorite memory from the national conference? Is it Michael Wallis’ passionate stories about the influence roads have on our lives? The KiMo? Route 66: The Mother Road? A byway friend you’ve known for ages or perhaps a new acquaintance? Is it the new skill you learned in a workshop or an idea that popped into your mind on a mobile workshop? Did you leave with a renewed sense of a community? My favorite memory of the conference can be summed up in one word: Energy. I really appreciate the excitement and enthusiasm that each of you have for your special byway. Your individual passion grows that much more when surrounded by all the others in this program. I felt your energy from the buzz of the opening night reception to the last step off the bus on Wednesday, and at all the sessions, workshops and meetings in between. Judging from the photos and the evaluation feedback, we know you all had a great time in New Mexico and that you have a special memory or two from conference. The combination of great food, rich local culture, blue skies, warm winds and, of course, the company, made for a fun and energetic conference. Hats off to our experienced and proficient speakers who generously shared their skills and knowledge with participants. We hope that in the next few months you will have a chance to put your new contacts, skills and ideas to use on your byway. Conference presentations and a full participant list will be posted on the byways.org Web site. You'll be able to see presentations you may have missed or find contact information on any conference participant. As always, please call us if you need help implementing your new ideas. We love to hear from you. I hope you bring your renewed energy from the conference home to your byway. It's contagious, and with it we can do wonderful things. Thanks for making the 2003 National Scenic Byway a success! PHOTO: Bill Kelley shares a few moments with Michelle Johnson. Best Practices Awards Luncheon Lunch on Monday featured the awards presentation to the 2003 Best Practices competition’s eight winning byways. These eight projects, demonstrating the best of the best, were awarded for their work ranging from marketing to recognizing and acting on possibilities. Later in the conference, attendees had the opportunity to learn from these projects in small, interactive workshops featuring Best Practices for Byways. In all, there were 12 Best Practices sessions focusing on nine specific areas. 2003 Best Practices for Byways Winners: A1A Scenic & Historic Coastal Highway (Florida) Creole Nature Trail (Louisiana) Little Dixie Highway of the Great River Road (Missouri) Kancamagus Scenic Byway (New Hampshire) Historic Route 66 and El Camino Real (New Mexico) Sheyenne River Valley Scenic Byway (North Dakota) Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway (Oregon) Mountains to Sound Greenway -I-90 (Washington) Congratulations to all the winners for your innovative work! Poster Sessions – A Conference Hit! The poster sessions were the surprise hit of the conference. Thank you to everyone who presented such creative and educational posters: Aletha Resan and Sharon Strouse, Ohio Byway Links Anne Wilson, A1A Scenic & Historic Coastal Highway Sally Pearce, Colorado Scenic & Historic Byways Program Gary Clay, Ph.D., California Polytechnic State University Bobby Koepplin, Sheyenne River Valley Scenic Byway Jamie Gaines, Creole Nature Trail Dawn Hegland, Minnesota River Valley National Scenic Byway Curt Warber, Parametrix Ray Keller, Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition James H. Fisher, Schoodic National Scenic Byway David Cutter and David White, Seaway Trail, Inc. John Sloan, Umpqua National Forest/Rogue-Umpqua National Scenic Byway Joseph Jarzen, The Historic National Road/Indiana National Road Association Brent Hanchett, Flaming Gorge – Uintas National Scenic Byway Judy Lorenzo, Washington State Department of Transportation Mary Barrick and Abby Schrader, Grand Rounds Allysia Angus, Utah, Scenic Byway 12 Leah Quesenberry, Gold Belt Tour Scenic & Historic Byway Maralee Britton and Patrick Martin, Historic National Road Jeanette Kloos, Historic Columbia River Highway Sharon Strouse, Amish Country Byway THANK YOU FOR THE EVALUATIONS! Thank you to everyone who completed and returned conference evaluations. Your thoughtful, honest reactions to the conference are much appreciated! Dawn Hegland (Minnesota River Valley Scenic Byway) was the winner of our random drawing of returned conference evaluations. She won a gift basket containing fun items from New Mexico, such as salsa mix, jalapeno hot chocolate, green chile stew, a Jemez Pueblo music CD, and more. Congratulations, Dawn! 2003 National Scenic Byways Conference Photo Album PHOTO: The 2003 conference featured many forms of learning. PHOTO: Opening Reception: Food and fun courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. PHOTO: Networking is always a conference favorite! PHOTO: Thoughtful questions, interesting conversations and plenty of smiles reflected the event’s success. PHOTO: The mobile workshops provided an outstanding conference finale. Mobile Workshops Hit the Road Wednesday morning began with breakfast and a New Mexico byways preview presented by New Mexico State Scenic Byways Coordinator Laurie Evans. After everyone was hyped-up and ready to go, it was time to board 10 coach buses and hit the road! The coaches departed for different, but equally enjoyable destinations, such as Acoma Pueblo, the Jemez Mountains, Madrid and Santa Fe. Mobile workshop highlights included lunch at the renowned Casa Vieja restaurant in Corrales; walking the trails of the Turquoise Trail; exploring the caves and ancient ruins of Bandelier National Park; creating a bus “wreath” (inspired by Michael Wallis’ keynote speech); watching a corn dance demonstration; and enjoying a traditional Pueblo feast. Much of the mobile workshops’ success is due to the wonderful assistance and expertise that the local mobile workshop leaders provided. A special “thank you” goes out to the following people for their help throughout the mobile workshop planning process and for making these tours educational and memorable: Johnnie Meier, Historic Route 66: Preserving Roadside Culture Carla Ward, Turquoise Trail: Mining for Tourists Larry Valtelhas, Turquoise Trail: Marketing on a Budget Ron Zimmerman, Michael Gross and Jim Bucholz, Salt Mission Trail: Interpreting the “Spirit of Place” Linda Fahey, Corrales Scenic Byway: Preserving an Agricultural Heritage Juanita Seonia, Donna Wylie and Carol Breen, Jemez Mountain Trail: Sharing Cultures, and Artists & Entrepreneurs – Businesses of Jemez Springs Ruth Doyle, Jemez Mountain Trail: By Design – Recreation Opportunities of the Jemez National Recreation Area Rick Dustin, Jemez Mountain Trail: Building a Team, Designing an Experience – Valles Caldera National Preserve Donna Wylie and Mary Beth Woodall, Jemez Mountain Trail: Arrowhead to Atomic Bombs – Exploring Our Heritage Laurie Evans, Santa Fe Trail Scenic Byway: The Tale of Two Cities – Historic Preservation Success Stories An Evening at the KiMo Planned and hosted by New Mexico Route 66 Association president Johnnie Meier, the evening historic KiMo Theatre was a special one. More than 200 people strolled along Central Avenue to this historic, Pueblo-Deco-styled theatre and marveled at its craftsmanship and design. Attendees enjoyed “Route 66 Beer” (root beer in collectible bottles) and selected from a variety of desserts courtesy of restaurants along the Historic Route 66. The evening concluded with a special showing of the Route 66 epic, The Grapes of Wrath. The America’s Byways Resource Center would like to extend a special thanks to Johnnie Meier for making this evening possible. The Conference Comes to a Close Wednesday evening, we celebrated the close of a successful National Scenic Byways Conference—New Mexico-style! The Hyatt Regency decorated the Grand Pavilion with huge cacti made of lights and topped with colorful sombreros. We feasted on southwestern appetizers and relaxed after three days of workshops. A NOTE FROM THE NSBO TEAM The National Scenic Byways Online team wishes to extend a hearty “thanks” to everyone who came by to talk with our developmentand research staff during our One-on-One Sessions at theConference. When we finally stopped to catch our breaths after three jam-packed days, we were delighted to discover we had met with representatives from 64 America’s Byways (out of 68 attending the conference), 5 state or federal byways, and 8 state byway programs. During these sessions, we discussed the Web site’s content, design and features. The program’s decision to split the Web site into “traveler” and “program” segments met almost universal support among conference attendees, and fueledlively and enthusiastic discussions during our individual sessions. The updated information we received about photo copyrights will help make the Web site’s Digital Media Library a more valuable resource for travel writers and those seeking photos for their articles about America’s Byways. Our research staff took pages of notes on these topics and more, which will be invaluable to us as we proceedtoward the scheduled release of the redesigned Web site this fall. Thank You! America’s Byways Resource Center Arrowhead Regional Development Commission 227 West First Street, Suite 610 Duluth, MN 55802 SIDEBAR: VISTAS is printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, processed chlorine free.