America's Byways® Resource Center

January/February 2010 Issue

Welcome to the electronic edition of Vistas, just one way we’re helping to preserve resources. Simply click the article links below to read more. If you prefer to receive Vistas in print, send your mailing address to center@byways.org.

What's Inside:

The Strategic Partnership Workshop: Re-energize Your Future

Starter List of Stakeholders

TIP! Break The Ice

Achieving Your Dreams in the New Year

Upcoming Webinars

Employment Opportunities

Oregon Scenic Bikeways Program Now On The Road

The French and Indian War: How A Historic Commemoration Unifies The New York State Byway Program

Resource Focus:
What Is A Corridor Management Plan?

Calendar

Lead Story

The Strategic Partnership Workshop: Re-energize Your Future

By Curt Pianalto, Byways Specialist, America's Byways Resource Center

If I had to choose one word that epitomizes byway sustainability success, it would be "partnerships." Let's face it, without successful partnerships, it is highly unlikely that any byway organizations could exist, much less thrive. Think about any project you've implemented along your byway; could it have been possible without the help of partners? Probably not.

Strategic partnerships are important for any organization, but especially for nonprofit organizations, which many of you are. The current economic times magnify the need for more resources to assist and sustain nonprofits; yet, less and less is being allocated or donated to those nonprofits. Organizations must work together, rather than compete.

Now is the time to acknowledge competitive situations, and it may be time to consider trying to turn those competitions into collaborations. The time is also right to strategically look at your partnerships, and ask questions about expanding your partnership base.

Before we delve further into this, we should describe what we mean by partners. Webster's says: One associated in action with another. That's a good definition, as it leaves open the specifics of what a partner could be. Specifics are important, but they come later in the partnership acquisition process for byways.

We touched on partnerships in the Jan/Feb 09 issue of Vistas. Let's take it further and outline how you can turn ideas into new partnerships for your organization.

Assess Your Current List

Start with a few questions to ask yourself and your organization about your current partners and partnerships.

• How diverse is yourorganization? This could include your board and anyone or any group that is involved in implementing byway projects.
• Off the top of your head, can you list all your partners?
• Do you have a formal list of all your partners, one that you can access on a moment's notice? If not, you should think about developing one. This formal list can be used as a tool to help you engage new partners. It justifies and gives credence to the work you do; this is especially important if you are considering widening your organizational umbrella. It also is important when it is time to thank your partners. It certainly would be unfortunate if you inadvertently missed an opportunity to thank or acknowledge them.
• Has your organization discussed how far or how large of an umbrella you could create as you consider potential new partners? Just because there may be numerous organizations to partner with, they may not necessarily be a good fit.
• Have you strategically incorporated all of your existing and potential partners into an outreach action plan? Strategic means that your partnership ideas are comprehensive, future oriented, intentional, inclusive and responsive to environmental forces.

Be honest. If you've answered no or not really to any or all of the questions above, maybe a focused partnership discussion at your next organizational meeting would be appropriate.

In working with numerous organizations on this topic over the past year, we've outlined one approach to help create partnership diversity, and this article highlights the main steps. This is not only a great chance to become strategic with your partnerships; this may be a great opportunity to re-energize your organization, and get your members and partners excited about your future.

Plan A Strategic Partnership Workshop

A Strategic Partnership Workshop is an important tool to continue moving your organization forward. Your group should be committed to completing a workshop; everyone must understand that it will
not be easy and it will take time and effort.

Then what's next? The steps outlined here can certainly be accomplished on your own. You could decide to begin this process at your next organizational meeting. It will take some tact and planning, but it is doable.

On the other hand, if you'd like to have the assistance of an outside, independent facilitator, contact the Resource Center. You, your Byways Specialist, and your State coordinator can discuss a game plan.

Here's an outline of a Strategic Partnership Workshop to consider.

1. Affirm Commitment (Large Group)

This is an important kick-off step for the entire group. If you and your organization are not committed to expanding your base, this is a fruitless exercise. Go around your table, and ask each member to state one partnership benefit. Then go around the opposite direction and ask for a potential drawback. Take note of these; discuss any issues that seem to be sticking with any of your group members. (See Acknowledge sidebar.)

2. Brainstorm (Large Group)

During this step, everyone in your group needs to spend 15-20 minutes independently writing down as many potential partners as possible. Be creative and have fun with this! Ask what group or organization could add value to the byway. Value could be in economic impact, expertise, in-kind assistance or leadership. And remember the first rule to brainstorming: There is no wrong answer. We're talking about ideas and we want to get as many as possible. At this point, we're looking for any of the following:

• Potential Partners
• Potential Stakeholders
• Potential Individuals
• Potential Organizations
• Potential Businesses
• Potential Constituencies

Think of organizations (local, regional, State, even national) or think of people (individuals, land owners, constituencies, etc.). Look for anyone or any group who may have an impact on your byway. The impact could be positive or negative. Even remote byways have plenty of ties--shoot for 100 potential partners as Copper Country National Scenic Byway in Michigan did. (See Shoot For 100 Wherever You Are.)

It's also okay to list your current partners as well, because ultimately we want a list of current and potential partners.

You'll need to somehow post all of these ideas so everyone can see them (i.e., computer w/projector or sticky notes). Remind the group that just because a potential name is up on the wall, it does not mean that you will try to make him or her a partner. That step comes later.

3. Cluster (Large Group)

Now you've got this great list of potential partners. To make it less daunting and more user friendly, reshape the list into similar groups, perhaps with four to six clusters. Potential clusters might include:

• Historical Organizations
• Economic Development Organizations
• Media
• Governments
• Elected Officials
• Businesses
• Visitor Groups

After this step, all of your potential brainstormed names should be placed into organized groupings. Ask someone to write down the clusters and the specific potential partners listed in each cluster.

4. Organize & Add Information (Small Group or Ad Hoc Committee)

At the same meeting or at your next session, break the work into smaller groups. This is important. Dividing tasks among smaller groups eases the workload and it creates ownership in this initiative.

Each group should be responsible for one or more of the clusters. Let your group members self-volunteer into the clusters that interest them or in which they hold expertise. This may be a great time to create some ad-hoc committees responsible for recommending strategies for each of the clustered groups. The Resource Center has created a Partnership Matrix Excel® spreadsheet to help you with the next step, and available to download at www.bywaysresourcecenter.org/topics/byway-organization/involvement/tools/1477/. The spreadsheet works well because you can organize all of your partner ideas and create a page for each cluster. It simplifies creating a record and database that you can continue using with your outreach.

Modify the spreadsheet to your organization's need. Each brainstormed potential partner can be entered into the spreadsheet in the appropriate group cluster. The goals are to create organized lists of clustered potential partners and answer key questions for each entry:

• What is the purpose of the potential organization or entity?
• What is its key impact to the byway?

This should be a quick analysis and discussion for each entry. No decisions are being made yet. The answers to these questions can be entered electronically or written on a printed out version of the matrix.

Note that all of the ideas have to be accounted for and entered into the partnership table at this step.

5. Identify Vision Synergies (Small Group or Ad Hoc Committee)

Each group (ad-hoc committee) starts talking through each potential partner, spending a little more time on each. The key at this step is to figure out why each potential partner is important to consider. The discussions about each entry focus on two basic questions relating to your organization's vision and mission:

• What does the potential partner perform or do that can help you reach a particular part of your vision?
• Likewise, what are you doing that can help the potential partner reach its vision?

These questions assume that your organization is clear about its vision and mission. It might be helpful to print out your vision and mission, and break the statements up by subheadings if needed.

Put your information into the Partnership spreadsheet.

6. Determine Entry Involvement

Now you've arrived at the most important part of the process. Your list is substantial. However, not every idea, entity or organization makes sense for you to pursue as a partner.

What makes it even more complicated is that there are many ways for partners to work together. It may be that the potential partner just needs to be kept in the loop with regular communication. Conversely, it may be that the partner needs to formally be part of your organization's leadership model. Maybe the relationship is somewhere in between. Or, maybe it makes no sense whatsoever to include this entity in your future. Start evaluating.

THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART IN THIS PROCESS!

Identify if and how each of the entries can be involved with you.

The partnership matrix makes this step clear and keeps your input organized. The last part of the matrix contains an area to answer these questions.

For each entry, your small groups fill in the matrix squares in the area that shows how that entry could be involved in your future. (See matrix example below.)

You'll see that this part of the tool lists potential ways of involvement. It is intended to be on a scale ranging from "No Involvement" (right side of the table) to "Leadership of Your Organization" (left side of the table).

The matrix reflects that there will be more potential to share power. As more cells are marked as you move to the left, the more involved this entity will be. The sample matrix shows how this could look. Remember, your small groups are still only making recommendations.

7. Final Steps & A New Beginning

Up to this point, the process may have taken one day or several months. Now it's time for your organization to make some hard decisions and start your outreach. Ask the small groups to recommend to your entire organization their strategies for each of the clusters.

Your organization should make formal decisions for each of the strategies. How you do that is up to you, but this shouldn't be taken lightly. These partnership strategies reflect potential changes to your organization, influencing how you communicate and work with other organizations within your region.

Perhaps you're already wondering how you let potential partners know that you've been considering them as partners--the outreach that could actually begin to bring them under your umbrella. Good question, and we'll save that conversation for a future date. But, know that you eventually will have to make a 'sell' to all of these entities.

This process can help you become more strategic in your effort to sustain yourself for the long haul. This is a process--it takes time and effort, but it can be the start of a very rewarding journey for your organization.

Acknowledge The Journey Ahead

For new organizations or those new to partnerships, now is a great time to acknowledge and affirm that:

• You and your organization are committed to partnerships as an important element of your survival
• Engaging new partners will not be easy
• That it will not happen overnight, and it will take time widen your umbrella
• By including others, you may have to share power and control over certain aspects of your byway organizational existence
• You will have to sell potential partners on the benefits of being included in what you do
• You will need to be in agreement on what your organization's vision and mission are

Shoot For 100 Wherever You Are

Does it feel as though you have too few potential partners out there in your region? Take heart with a look at the partnership/outreach list brainstormed by the Copper Country Trail National Scenic Byway as noted in the Jan/Feb 09 Vistas.

The Copper Country Trail exists in a beautiful region of Michigan's Upper Peninsula called the Keweenaw Peninsula. The Keweenaw boasts a rich history of copper mining in the 19th and early 20th century. During that time, the Keweenaw was a bustling economic machine. The region's copper industry has declined substantially in more recent history. However, today it is one of the most beautiful and remote parts of the country. The closest major metropolitan area is over five hours driving time away. Yet, the Copper Country Trail byway organization brainstormed nearly 100 potential entities with whom it could partner or provide outreach. Shoot for that number--during the brainstorming stage, more is better. You can always whittle your list down later.

The byway organizations for Michigan's Copper Country Trail (left) and the Illinois River Road (right) brainstormed lists of potential entities for partnerships and outreach at workshops facilitated by the America's Byways Resource Center.

PARTNERSHIP RESOURCES

There are a number of valuable resources with useful information partnership building.

America's Byways Resource Center

Publications:

Making The Grassroots Grow: Building And Maintaining Effective Byway Organizations, available online at www.BywaysResourceCenter.org. This publication presents basic organizational concepts, case studies and best practices from the National Scenic Byways Program. The manual contains sections on Purpose; Partners; Structure; Group Dynamics; Planning; and, Training Materials.

Articles:

Celebrate Our Friends: Partners Help Byways Succeed.
America's Byways Resource Center; Vistas, January/February 2005. Available online at www.BywaysResourceCenter.org.

Roadside Assistance: Building Community Partnerships.
America's Byways Resource Center; Vistas, January/February 2005. Available online at www.BywaysResourceCenter.org.

Presentations:

Community Involvement: Developing Partnerships For Your Byway.
Accomplish your strategic goals with help. Learn about various partnership models for your byway. National Scenic Byways Conference Presentation, 2007. See online at www.BywaysResourceCenter.org/events/conferences/2007/presentations.

For a listing of other partnership resources, go to www.BywaysResourceCenter.org, select "Topics" at the top of the page, and type "partnerships" in the Search box.

Other Resources:

National Trails Training Partnership
The National Trails Training Partnership has an extensive section on partnerships and collaboration, including articles and links to various training.
Visit www.nttp.net.

The National Park Service Rivers and Trails Conservation Assistance Program (RTCA) has an excellent resource for organizations called the Community Tool Box. The section on Partnerships contains tips on identifying and recruiting partners. Visit www.nps.gov/nero/rtcatoolbox/org_partnerships.htm.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has extensive resources on developing friends groups. For more information, go to www.fws.gov/refuges/friends/index.html.

Training:

The Department of Interior has a number of courses available. The National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) in Shepardstown, West Virginia, hosts courses on the NCTC campus, in the field and via distance learning. Classes include:

OUT8113 - Developing and Working with Friends Organizations

This course is designed for managers, superintendents, Friends members and others who are interested in creating or energizing an existing Friends
organization. You will learn key aspects and the critical elements of developing and/or sustaining a successful partnership between a Friends organization and government agency.

Length: 3 days/21 hours
Availability: Annually

http://training.fws.gov/

OUT8110 - Conservation Partnerships

Productive interagency or public-private partnerships help FWS professionals accomplish conservation goals more effectively. This course focuses on forming and managing partnerships between the Service and other entities with similar goals, including government agencies, conservation groups, nonprofit organizations and landowners. Instruction emphasizes partnerships as voluntary collaborations among entities working toward common, shared objectives.

Length: 3 days/21 hours
Availability: Every other year

http://training.fws.gov/

OUT8115 - Balancing Nature and Commerce in Communities that Neighbor Public Lands

During this four-day course, teams will focus on the economics, natural resources and community character of their areas and learn valuable partnership-building skills. At the end of the four days, teams will leave with a specific action plan for implementing a collaborative project when they return home. Participants will attend this course in teams of approximately four to seven members, consisting of public land managers, others in public agency/service roles, citizens, and local business representatives.

Length: 3-4 days
Availability: Annually

http://training.fws.gov

Partnership Series

The National Training Center(NTC) for the BLM, located in Phoenix, Arizona, recently released a partnerships series. Courses include Community-Based Stewardship and Ecosystems; Community Economic Assessment; Learning Community; Place-Based NEPA; Community- Based Friends Group. Courses are available at www.ntc.blm.gov/partner/.

Community Involvement: Public Involvement Course
FHWA has designed a course that emphasizes the importance of giving the public an opportunity to influence transportation decision-making and provides numerous methods for doing so. Successful public involvement employs multiple techniques for different segments of the affected community and addresses the public's procedural psychological and substantive needs. Visit www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/ppasgpi.htm.

Starter List of Stakeholders

Use this list to start identifying potential stakeholders in your byway's region.

Your Partners: Broad Support

• Animal advocates (equestrian clubs, dog owners, etc.)
• Arts council
• Attraction council or attraction reps
• Bureau of Indian Affairs
• Bureau of Land Management
• Campgrounds
• Chambers of commerce
• Churches
• City/county/State governments
• Community service organizations (Rotary, Lions, VFW, Kiwanis)
• Convention and visitors bureaus
• Corporations and businesses
• County extension service
• Economic development groups
• Elected officials
• Environmental groups
• Farmers
• Federal Highway Administration
• Financial institutions
• "Friends of..." groups
• Garden clubs
• Historic society groups
• Joint powers entities
• Lake associations or harbor commissions
• Law enforcement
• Media
• Merchant associations
• National interest groups and associations
• National Park Service
• Natural resource management agencies
• Property owners
• Real estate brokers
• Recreation clubs (hikers, bikers, skiers)
• Regional planning commission
• Regional tourism groups
• Resort association/lodging groups
• Schools and universities
• Special project task force
• State Dept. of Natural Resources
• State Dept. of Transportation
• State parks
• Tourism bureau/commission/council
• Tribal governments
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• USDA Forest Service
• Universities/Extension services
• Utilities
• Waste management providers
• Youth groups/Scouts

You are not likely to attract all of these groups to your byway's planning and implementation team, though extending the invitation and spreading the word about your vision can play an important public relations role.

TIP! Break The Ice

Are you looking for a positive way to start your meeting?

Why not try an icebreaker?

People may feel anxious attending a meeting, especially when they don't know the other participants very well. Icebreakers help people become better acquainted, reduce anxiety and get them focused on the task at hand.

Although it may be tempting to quickly get down to business, it's important to invest time to help people feel comfortable with each other. Creating a positive, non-threatening environment at the beginning of a group's development can lead to greater productivity and more meaningful relationships down the road.

Here are a few ideas to get you started.

The Interview

Divide people into pairs. Provide time for them to interview each other. After the interviews are complete, go around the group and ask each person to introduce his or her partner.

Hometown

Ask people to tell where they're from and share something special about their hometown.

A Lot In Common

Divide people into small groups. Each group should write (or draw) a list of six things they have in common. After several minutes, ask each group to share their list with the larger group. Give a prize for the most creative list.

Three Truths and a Lie

Ask participants to write down four facts about themselves, including one fact that is not true. Each person takes turns reading his or her list out loud and the rest of the group tries to guess which statement is not true.

Guess Who

Give everyone a 3" x 5" index card. Ask each person to write down quick answers to four or five questions (favorite food, dream vacation, hobby, most unusual job, etc.). Collect the cards and mix them. Then read them out loud to the group. After each card is read, ask people to guess which person wrote that card.

Hodge Podge

Collect a wide variety of everyday items, such as pieces of fruit, tea bags, maps, candles, toys, kitchen gadgets, books, chop sticks, office supplies, etc. Place the objects in the center of the table. Ask everyone to look at the objects and choose one that reflects an aspect of their lives or personalities. Give participants about three minutes to list characteristics that they have in common with the chosen object. Ask participants to use their objects to introduce themselves to the group.

Bumper Sticker

Give each person a sheet of paper and some colored markers. Ask them to create a bumper sticker for their byway. Ask each person to show and explain the drawing.

Achieving Your Dreams in the New Year

by Gary Jensen, Team Leader National Scenic Byways Program, Federal Highway Administration

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Do you know where you're heading this coming year? What are the dreams and goals that you are working for? What inspires you? As I consider the past year, and the beginning of the new, I have to reflect on the shared dreams of the byway community. I agree with Eleanor Roosevelt that we have to believe in the beauty of our own dreams, and I was lucky enough to have many of you share your dreams with me this past year--inspirational dreams that drive you and motivate you to achieve great things.

Do you know where you're heading this coming year? What are the dreams and goals that you are working for? What inspires you? As I consider the past year, and the beginning of the new, I have to reflect on the shared dreams of the byway community. I agree with Eleanor Roosevelt that we have to believe in the beauty of our own dreams, and I was lucky enough to have many of you share your dreams with me this past year--inspirational dreams that drive you and motivate you to achieve great things.

This past August, I was truly honored to be able to meet so many of the people that make byways great at the National Scenic Byways Conference in Denver. The energy and excitement of the Conference was contagious, and hopefully left us all with a renewed sense of motivation. I know it did for me.

Then in October, we had the pleasure of welcoming a number of new byways to the America's Byways® collection. More treasured places are now recognized for their significant contributions to our American landscape. From the Boundary Waters to the Florida Keys, and from the Colorado Rockies and on to Mt. McKinley, these new designations recognize the amazing diversity and experiences of our land and our people. The stories and dreams of our country itself continue to be told through the efforts of these communities. And through the National Scenic Byways Program, we have funded even more enhancements to these stories. Projects funded in 2009 will help tell the history and dreams of the civil rights movement, will protect and interpret the culture of our native people, and will protect scenic viewsheds to inspire future generations.

As we move into 2010, we face a number of challenges. First and foremost is the reauthorization of Federal surface transportation legislation and the future of the National Scenic Byways Program. We continue to look towards economic recovery. And, we must consider the livability and sustainability of our communities and byways. But, with the efforts of all of us, I am certain our goals can be achieved.

Dreams inspire us and motivate us to achieve success. Let's harness the power of our dreams to move into tomorrow and a beautiful future.

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The Lariat Loop Scenic & Historic Byway, a newly designated National Scenic Byway, winds through the foothills of the Rocky Mountains near Denver, CO.