One of the latest, most exciting projects that the Mohawk Towpath Byway has taken on has been scenic and historic conservation. With the help of the America’s Byways Resource Center in Duluth, MN, Scenic America a not-for-profit from Washington, DC and the New York State Department of Transportation we played host to a two day Scenic Conservation Workshop in June 2007. The workshop was well attended by Byway volunteers, municipal representatives and planners, and our partners.

The Workshop built on initiatives by our member municipalities including riverfront studies, open space studies, rezoning, refining Master Plans, and – in some cases – all of the above.

As our eight municipal partners prepared for and attended the Workshop sessions, we discovered the four basic steps of scenic conservation:

1. Engage our partners;
2. Assess, Inventory, and map the Byway’s scenic and historic quality;
3. Identify and prioritize scenic issues; and
4. Develop scenic conservation strategies.

Building on the successes of the Workshop the Mohawk Towpath Byway has retained a renowned landscape architect to assist us as we move toward developing a Scenic Conservation Action Plan.

One of the most important aspects of this project is to gain community input. Our volunteers are meeting with municipal governing boards, community groups, Rotary and other civics groups, historic societies, and others to gather your opinions. If you have a favorite spot on the Byway where you would take a visiting friend or family to experience the Byway story let us know about it through the comment form below. Conversely, if there is an area on the Byway that you would rather avoid let us know that, too.

Your opinions and perspectives are important to us especially as we move from the inventory and mapping stage into identifying and implementing strategies.