Byway grants will help ward off knotweed, create signage

NARROWSBURG, NY — The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has awarded the Upper Delaware Scenic Byway, Inc. (UDSB) a $12,400 grant to undertake an Invasive Plant Species Educational Campaign and Interpretive Signage Project.

The project will raise awareness of the detrimental effects of Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum) on the UDSB corridor and offer eradication strategies. The aggressive proliferation of this herbaceous perennial threatens the river valley’s natural resources and its appeal to the traveling public.

For the second project, eight outdoor interpretive panels will be installed along New York State Route 97 in the participating communities of the City of Port Jervis, Towns of Deerpark, Lumberland, Highland, Tusten, Cochecton, Delaware, and the Village of Hancock. The signs will link the byway municipalities together thematically and aesthetically, featuring a comprehensive map with a “you are here” symbol, the UDSB color logo and a common narrative description, along with site-specific information.

The $12,400 allocation represents approximately 80 percent of the total project cost of $15,940. The grant will cover the UDSB’s development and distribution of 20,000 copies of a Japanese knotweed brochure in cooperation with the Delaware River Foundation, Inc. and the National Park Service’s Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River Resource Management Division. A series of four public seminars with expert speakers will follow throughout the region. For the signs, UDSB will contract with a vendor to produce the 48-by-24-inch upright graphic panels and partner with its member municipalities to select appropriate locations for their installation.

The FHWA selected a total of 276 projects in 41 states in the Fiscal Year 2007 National Scenic Byways Program grant round, as authorized under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users.

The Upper Delaware Scenic Byway’s application was one of 14 approved in New York State’s federal funding share of $1,279,720.

For more information email info@upperdelawarescenicbyway.org or call 845/252-3022.