SOUTHEAST UNIVERSITY GETS DONATION FOR SCENIC BYWAYS

Southeast Missouri State University has received a $10,000 donation to help launch the Southeast Missouri National Scenic Byways Initiative.

School officials said the donor wants to remain anonymous.

The initiative seeks to establish three National Scenic Byways in Southeast Missouri -- Crowley's Ridge, El Camino Real and Trail of Tears.

Scenic byways are roads that highlight the special natural, historic and cultural features of an area, said Dr. Paul Keys, dean of Southeast's College of Health and Human Services.

Crowley's Ridge is a unique natural land form that runs from near Cape Girardeau to Helena, Ark. The only other geological formation like it is in Siberia, Keys said.

Historically, Crowley's Ridge was the major route through the Mississippi River delta country for prehistoric peoples, early explorers, settlers and Civil War armies.

The proposed El Camino Real National Scenic Byway would run from New Madrid to St. Louis along the north-south route of Highway 61 and Interstate 55. This byway traces the old King's Highway used by the Spanish when they settled the region.

The proposed Trail of Tears Byway would follow the route from Cape Girardeau westward into the Ozarks, a route that the Cherokees followed in their forced relocation from North Carolina to Oklahoma.

Keys said recognition of the byways would benefit the region's economy.

Studies have shown that each mile of a national scenic byway results, on average, in $36,000 of new tourist dollars being spent with establishments along the route.

New jobs also are created, Keys said.

With about 500 miles of byways proposed in the region, establishing the three byways would have a direct economic impact of more than $16 million, Keys said.

Other states have seen the benefits of byways designations.

Last year, Arkansas established its portion of Crowley's Ridge as a National Scenic Byway. Arkansas applied for and received more than $2.5 million in federal and state money to support tourism along the byway.

In its first year of operation, the Great Rivers Byway near Alton, Ill., saw an increase of 10 to 15 percent in tourism traffic, infrastructure improvements, new jobs and a renewed sense of community pride, Keys said.

The university must submit a detailed corridor management plan as part of the application for the national designation.

The plan would detail how the byways would be managed and identify attractions along the routes.

The deadline for submission of the application is August 2000.