As part of our technical services, Scenic America is facilitating a series of scenic conservation workshops on scenic roadways across the country.  In conjunction with the America's Byways Resource Center, these workshops are the latest installments to a long history of technical services that Scenic America has provided to the byways community.

A primary goal of each workshop is to begin the process of a creating a scenic conservation action plan that builds on the byway’s corridor management plan as well as other land use plans. The workshop framework is organized around four basic steps involved in scenic conservation planning, beginning with engagement of partners and ending with the development of strategies and actions to manage visual quality.  These four steps are:

1) Engage Partners
2) Assess and Document Visual Quality
3) Identify and Prioritize Scenic Issues
4) Develop Strategies and Implement Actions

During the course of the workshop, participants learn about these steps involved in scenic conservation planning through a series of presentations related scenic principles, issues, strategies, and methods for visual assessment. Large group and break-out group discussions are used to help facilitate interaction among those in attendance. A specific segment of each byway is chosen as an area on which to focus discussion and to serve as a model for applying basic scenic conservation action planning steps. 

While the process was developed for scenic byways, the principles of scenic conservation planning can be applied to any roadway corridor or community.  If you are interested in hosting a workshop or learning more about ways to protect the visual character of your area, contact our Director of Scenic Conservation.