Summer 2000 Newsletter page 4

N.M. Route 66 given Millennium Trails Designation

Working with Carla Sanders of New Mexico Arts, a Division of the Office of Cultural Affairs, in 1999 the New Mexico Route 66 Association applied for Millennium Trails status through the White House Millennium Council. In June of 2000 we received word that Historic Route 66 had been selected as a Community Cultural and Heritage Millennium Trail.

The theme of the White House Millennium Council is "Honor the Past - Imagine the Future." The goal of the Council is to lead the country in a celebration of the new millennium by initiating and recognizing national and local projects that contribute to creative, educational and productive ways Americans can commemorate this milestone.

In writing a letter of congratulations to the Association on Historic Route 66 being named to the program, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton stated that; "These Trails carve a path through urban and rural areas, reintroduce us to our landscape, make it possible for us to walk or bike to work and school, and help us understand and celebrate our history and culture...I want to thank all of you who devote time and effort to developing these valuable resources."

Millennium Trails is a public/private partnership led by the White House Millennium Council, the United States Department of Transportation and the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy with the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Park Service, the American Hiking Society and other committed federal agencies, national organizations and private companies.

National Scenic Byways Designation for N.M. 66

Three years of hard work and collaboration among the New Mexico Route 66 Association, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, New Mexico's Route 66 communities and Seely Associates, the consultants who constructed the required corridor management plan and applications...the result is National Scenic Byway status. Congratulations, New Mexico!

Very few roadways and trails are honored with the designation of National Byway. New Mexico's portions of Historic Route 66 were designated a State Scenic Byway in 1994. With the partnership and assistance of New Mexico MainStreet Program, the Association has applied for and completed a series of local historic brochures, the installation of Scenic Byway Trailmarkers, a CD-Rom and is completing a series of off-interstate signs leading to the historic roadway.

Funding for these and other Route 66 New Mexico projects has come from the state Scenic Byway program of New Mexico. The Federal Highway Administration administers the National Scenic Byway program which channels funds through the State Scenic Byway system.

Scenic Byway funds are intended to support projects to improve the quality of the visitor's experience, essential to attracting more visitors or enticing them to stay longer. Proposed projects help manage the intrinsic qualities which shape Historic Route 66's story, interpreting the roadway for new generations of visitors. Categories of eligibility for funding include, Corridor Management, Safety Improvements, Byway Facilities, Access to Recreational Areas, Resource Protection, Interpretive Information and Marketing.

Association President Richard Williams was flown to Washington, D.C. to be part of the designation event with Deputy Secretary of U.S. Department of Transportation Mortimer Slater, Federal Highway Administrator Kenneth Wykle, National Scenic Byways Program Director Rob Draper, Transportation Specialist Mary Ann McNamara, Marketing Manager Sharon Hurt Davidson and Byways Resource Center Director Gary Tonkin.

The next round of funding will begin this fall for 2002. Williams has identified two programs that the New Mexico Route 66 Association will sponsor for interested parties wishing to apply. There will be a workshop on Roadway Interpretation and a workshop on the Corridor Management Plan. Proposals will need to conform to state regulation of the Scenic Byway Program and the Corridor Management Plan. Successful applications receive an 80/20 match grant.

Federalo Highway Administrator Kenneth Wykle and Association President Rich Williams meet in Washington D.C. Photo courtesy of National Scenic Byways.