09/03/2009: "SJC Receives "Scenic Byway Award""

( Deborah Hopkins Far Left and far right is Liz Illg)

The “Revisiting Washington CD and Website Project” received the 2009 Scenic Byway Award for Interpretation at a ceremony held on August 24, during the National Scenic Byways 2009 Conference in Denver, Colorado.

There to receive the award (shown above) included San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau Executive Director Deborah Hopkins and San Juan Islands Scenic Byway Coordinator Liz Illg.

The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation led the Revisiting Washington project, producing an interactive, multi-media travel guide that updates the State’s classic 1941 Works Progress Administration guidebook called, “Washington: A Guide to the Evergreen State.” History comes alive through the fun and captivating presentation, and the State’s entire scenic byway program has benefited from the project.

Fourteen Washington Byways were involved with the project, including the San Juan Islands Scenic Byway, Chinook Scenic Byway, Stevens Pass Greenway, International Selkirk Loop, Coulee Corridor, Whidbey Scenic Isleway, Chuckanut Drive Scenic Byway, San Juan Islands Scenic Byway, Mt. Baker Scenic Byway, North Cascades Scenic Byway, Okanogan Scenic Byway, North Pend Oreille Scenic Byway, Lewis and Clark Scenic Byway, White Pass Scenic Byway, and Pacific Coast Scenic Byway.

Sponsored by the America’s Byways Resource Center, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the prestigious award recognizes eight projects of excellence from byway nominations across the country. Selection by a panel of byway community experts is based on four criteria, including community involvement and public outreach; partnerships; advancing the goals of the byway’s corridor management plan; and, innovation.

“We hope these winning projects will inspire new efforts to preserve, protect, interpret, and promote the intrinsic qualities along America’s Byways, distinctive routes designated by the National Scenic Byways Program,” commented Michelle Johnson, Director of America’s Byways Resource Center.