December 23, 2008

The Black Belt Nature and Heritage Trail has received a $340,000 grant from the Federal Highway Administration. The funds, which will be administered by the Alabama Department of Transportation, will be used to enhance visitors’ experiences on the 210-mile route along U.S. 80 that celebrates the historical, cultural, and natural qualities of the region.

Various endeavors are planned, including a certified guide program, host training, interpretive panels, downtown walking tours, audio tours and video.
A portion of the route, from Selma to Montgomery, shares U.S. 80 with the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail, administered by the National Park Service, and the Selma to Montgomery All-American Road, which is a National Scenic Byway.

“As more and more people seek authentic destinations, the Black Belt Nature and Heritage Trail has a distinctive story to tell that captures the roots of the past and the natural beauty of the present,” Alabama Black Belt Heritage Area Interim Director Wimberly Robbins Comer said.

The Trail is among several projects of the Heritage Area, based at The Center for the Study of the Black Belt at the University of West Alabama in Livingston.
The Trail Steering Committee is applying for designation by the Federal Highway Administration of the trail as a National Scenic Byway. The corridor management plan for the application has been approved by the Alabama Scenic Byways Advisory Council. The route was named an Alabama Scenic Byway in 2007.

“The Black Belt not only is a cornerstone of Alabama’s history, but is also an important element of the narrative of the United States. I am honored to represent much of the Black Belt in Congress and believe that this grant will help Alabama share the richness of the region with visitors from across the country,” Congressman Artur Davis said of the FHA funding.

The corridor management plan for the Black Belt Nature and Heritage Trail was developed through the collaboration of representatives of various federal, state and local public and private agencies and organizations, as well as individual residents of the region.

“We want to preserve what makes the region unique, while developing a sustainable plan to develop communities and create a higher quality of life for the residents of the Black Belt region,” Robbins Comer said.

The management plan specifies the actions, procedures, controls and strategies to maintain the archaeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic qualities that support the byway’s designation.

The Black Belt region stretches across the state and is one of the most nationally significant areas in the United States. The region was once a thriving agricultural economy, known for its fertile, black soil that made cotton “king” and later led the nation in the Civil Rights movement.