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ANCA Lands Scenic Byway Program Funding for Upstate New York Saranac Lake, NY - The Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) has received notification from the NYS Department of Transportation that ANCA will receive three National Scenic Byways 2006 Program grant awards. Fifteen counties will benefit from the grant projects that will serve to stimulate economic development, promote highway touring, increase interest in the region, and maintain the special resources that draw people to the interconnected system of byways in Upstate New York. The total 2006 project award of $260,338 will be matched with $65,128 at the local level for a combined project cost of $325,466. The $63,200 Biking the Byways grant award will enable ANCA to offer electronic recreational planning for visitors and to provide access to promotional web information about touring and mountain bicycling from Lake Ontario to Lake Champlain and from the Canadian border to the Mohawk Valley. Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida, Montgomery, Oswego, Saratoga, St. Lawrence, Warren, and Washington counties will be featured on printable maps to be posted on the Internet. The creation of an online bike atlas will compliment ANCA’s existing work with Holmes and Associates at www.bikeadirondacks.org and reach out to the ever-growing market of bicyclists and outdoor enthusiasts. The project will build linkages between Byway communities and foster travel that is not dependent on fuel-operated vehicles. The idea for the expanded Internet exposure evolved as a direct response to communities who requested assistance in promoting their recreational assets and in gaining visibility for the region’s towns and villages. For the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program Byway Community Outreach Project, ANCA will work in partnership with the Adirondack Nature Conservancy on a $106,466 regional initiative. The grant will cover $85,138 of the project costs with a $21,328 match to be provided. Through a series of meetings and workshops, byway communities will learn how to prevent adverse economic and environmental impacts caused by invasive plants. Local leaders and byway travelers will receive information on how to best steward their natural, scenic, and recreational resources along hundreds of miles of New York State byways in twelve counties. Project funding will enable ANCA and the Conservancy to continue a program partnership that began in 2004 with year-one Byways funding. Project three entails the creation of a Dude Ranch Trail Corridor Management Plan for the existing New York State byway in Saratoga and Warren counties. The $112,000 in program dollars will allow ANCA to work with county and local government officials and planners, Chambers of Commerce, tourism officials, civic groups, and businesses to create a comprehensive recreation and transportation plan for the 40-mile travel route. Current conditions will be evaluated and strategic recommendations to support community and economic development will be prepared for use by community leaders. Currently, ANCA is launching its Advanced Marketing and Interpretive Campaign for the Adirondack Trail and Olympic Scenic Byways. The project includes the creation of marketing brochures for the Adirondack Trail, a North Country Region cultural touring brochure, and the development of web pages to promote all byway communities and interpret the special natural, recreational, historical, cultural and scenic resources along the two travel routes. The multi-project funding has been made available by the New York State Department of Transportation’s New York State Byways Program through the Federal Highway Administration and Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century. "We are pleased that ANCA’s projects are competitive at the state and national level," Terry Martino, ANCA Executive Director stated. "Our ability to partner with Holmes and Associates and the Adirondack Nature Conservancy will ensure that the region secures the economic and tourism benefits so vital to our North Country communities." The byway program supports ANCA’s commitment to economically viable communities and an improved rural quality of life. The byways bring visitors to the region by providing a long list of exceptional experiences for travelers who in turn generate tourism dollars for area lodges, restaurants, outfitters, sport shops, and other tourism related businesses who offer North Country foods, crafts, goods, and culture. For additional information about ANCA’s Byway Program contact Sharon O’Brien at anca-obrien@northnet.org or visit ANCA’s website at www.adirondack.org for more information on the organization’s other programs. Sharon O’Brien can be reached at anca-obrien@northnet.org. |
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