The NSBF Byway Leader Training in St. Augustine was conducted by Chris Sieverdes, Ph.D, President of NSBF, and Sharon Strouse, MS, Executive Director of NSBF, who tag-teamed for workshops on March 30th and 31st 2022.
Training was attended by Florida DOT representatives, county byway advocates, grassroots byway leaders, and byway consultants. One participant attended from out-of-state: Kim Foster of the Natchez Trace Parkway came from Mississippi.
Among the FDOT and the Florida Scenic Highways Program (FSHP) leadership participating in the training, there were Dean Stoddart (FSHP State Coordinator), with District Scenic Highway Coordinators: Janice Charles (FDOT D2), Larry Wallace (FDOT D4), Claudia Calzarreta (FDOT D5), Roger Roscoe (FDOT D7), and, Daniel Kastelic (FDOT – Turnpike).
Among Florida’s byway organizations participating in the training were the following: A1A Scenic & Historic Coastal Byway, Old Florida Heritage Highway, William Bartram Scenic and Historic Highway, and, River of Lakes Heritage Corridor.
Chris Sieverdes, Ph.D, President of NSBF, presents.
Sharon Strouse leads a group exercise.
The following topics were included in the training:
Maintaining Intrinsic Quality Integrity, Wayshowing & Wayfinding, Creating a Useful Corridor Management Plan, Authenticity & Visitor Experience, Interpretation, Conservation, Partnerships for Sustainability, and, Social Media & Byway Marketing (a webinar from Sheila Scarborough and Leslie McClellan of Tourism Currents).
There were many interactive exercises to get everyone on their toes!
Everybody was welcome to participate. Those who paid for and completed training received ‘Certificates of Completion.’ Those who wanted to drop in just for a session or two were also welcome.
The Byway Leader Training was a very productive, educational, entertaining and successful experience, which benefited many members of the Florida Scenic Highways community.
Our Thanks to Chris and Sharon for coming to Florida, bringing their wealth of knowledge and experience!
The training included fun and engaging exercises that allowed everyone to have a voice, and to target the specific needs of the group.
Sharon Strouse, Executive Director of NSBF, Dean Stoddart, FSHP State Coordinator, and Chris Sieverdes, President of NSBF
The National Scenic Byways Foundation is the “National Voice for Scenic Byways and Roads,” and its members have advocated tirelessly for byways in the buildup to a new National round of federal funding.
Early this year, Old Florida Heritage Highway (link to their page on FSHP website) won a micro-grant sponsored by NSBF in partnership with Toyota. Read about it in our blog post: https://floridascenichighways.com/old-florida-heritage-highway-selected-for-love-our-byways-grant/
To learn more about NSBF, visit their website: https://nsbfoundation.com/
