The Scenic Byways plan, constructed with community in mind…

About 2.5 years and the tremendous efforts of many hardworking locals such as Liz Illg later, the San Juan Islands Scenic Byways Corridor Management Plan is complete!

Dan Ward, the founder of San Juan Transit, and Liz Illg, CMP coordinator

The logo for our Scenic Byway, which will be displayed more often in the coming months…

What is the CMP? Simply put, it’s a plan created by an offisland consultant  and the Scenic Byway Sterling Committee, which includes members from groups of many different types that are interested in common goals of stewardship and visitor enhancement. The plan outlines historical sites and particularly scenic locations for visitors while protecting the existing nature, culture, and history of the San Juans. It’s a recommended plan for the future of the SJ Scenic Byway, with a list of goals to accomplish and strategies in which to do so. These intents range from greener and more plentiful transportation for tourists to enhancing the existing facilities  to creating and placing interpretive displays along scenic locations. It’s all listed here if you’d like to read it; the plan makers put a lot of effort into making the goals reflect what the community thinks should be done.

Speaking of the community, who was involved in this?

The CMP effort was coordinated by Liz Illg and members of the Steering Committee were Deborah Buchanan, San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau; Sandy Strehlou, Town of Friday Harbor Historic Preservation Program; Melissa Johnson, Washington State Ferries; Terri Gilleland, Orcas Island Chamber of Commerce; Shannon Wilbur, San Juan County Public Works; Dona Wuthnow, San Juan County Parks and Recreation; Judy Cumming, San Juan County Land Bank; Peter Dederich, San Juan Island National Historical Park; Michel Vekved, Friends of Moran State Park; Cathy Faulkner, Orcas Pathways; Stephanie Buffum, Friends of the San Juans; and Hawkins Pingree, San Juan County Agricultural Resources Committee. A number of citizens from San Juan Island and Orcas Island also participated in public workshops and provided input during the planning process.

Want to know more about Byways on a national level? 

The National Scenic Byways Program is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. The program was established to help recognize, preserve and enhance selected roads throughout the United States. Known as “America’s Byways,” roads in the Scenic Byways program are cherished for their scenic, natural, recreational, historic, cultural or archaeological qualities.

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