Make A Scene
The journey can be as rewarding as the destination if you’re lucky enough to avoid roadways cluttered with billboards, aptly nicknamed “litter on a stick.” Many scenic byways are falling prey to billboard blight and unchecked development. If you’re tired of visual clutter on your road trip, there’s action you can take. Since 1978, Scenic America has helped individuals and volunteer groups request and obtain scenic byway designations for unique local roadways, to promote and preserve natural and community landscapes.
“People realize that, as a country, we’re moving too slowly on these issues,” says Meg Maguire, president of the organization. “Scenic America’s mission is to help people organize either at the local or state level, to connect them with a network of conservationists. Our hope is to inspire people to say, ‘Whoa, I didn’t know I could do all this!'” A national “scenic summit” is planned for April 2002, in Denver. For more information, call 202.543.6200 or visit www.scenic.org.
—Elisa Bosley
