Since 1989, many groups, organizations and individuals of western Iowa have participated in planning and developing the Loess Hills Scenic Byway. Preparing the Corridor Management Plan (CMP) has been an essential part of that process. The plan identifies the need for, and means of, undertaking actions to enhance and preserve the unique intrinsic qualities that make the Loess Hills Scenic Byway an attraction for hundreds of thousands of visitors each year from all over the world.
The Loess Hills Scenic Byway weaves through a landform of windblown silt deposits that make up the Loess Hills. The Loess Hills are one of North America's gems, possessing natural features only found in one other place on this earth, China (Mutel 4, 1989). Their deep loess deposits form a north-south band approximately 200 miles long the eastern edge of the Missouri River valley. The Loess Hills are located in the following seven western Iowa counties: Plymouth, Woodbury, Monona, Harrison, Pottawattamie, Mills, and Fremont.
The Loess Hills Scenic Byway is a connected system of over 220 miles of state highways and county roads. The initial routes were located in Harrison and Monona Counties and were later extended into Pottawattamie, Mills and Fremont Counties. By 1992 the Byway's final routes were selected in Woodbury and Plymouth Counties. Route identification signs were fabricated and installed and a Loess Hills Scenic Byway map and brochure was published and distributed in 1993.
Development of the Corridor Management Plan began in 1993 with special studies about enhancing and preserving the region's resources, developing tourism, providing adequate amenities, and economic development. These studies are the foundation for development of the Corridor Management Plan.
The Corridor Management Plan consists of the following five sections:
- Introducing the Plan, discusses the processes used for planning and developing the Loess Hills Scenic Byway. It also discusses the role of Byway stakeholders in implementing the Corridor Management Plan.
- Understanding the Resources, identifies the intrinsic qualities of the Loess Hills, or special natural and human-made resources in the region.
- Understanding Tourism, examines the economic impact and market potential of tourism in the Loess Hills Scenic Byway Corridor.
- Corridor Development Actions, contains a series of recommended actions for the management and protection of the Scenic Byway Corridor's intrinsic qualities. A matrix presented in this section suggests the "Leaders" and "Participants" responsible for completing these actions along with levels of priority. Leaders and Participants are the stakeholders of the Loess Hills Scenic Byway.
- References, lists the references used in developing the Plan
This Loess Hills Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan provides guidance for the development, management and protection of an American Treasure unique in the world.