LAKE ARTHUR — The Jeff Davis Parish Tourist Commission has a new marketing campaign it hopes will help promote the new Flyway Byway trail through the parish.

The Tourist Commission is hoping new brochures, T-shirts and other promotional items unveiled Monday at a meet-and-greet in Lake Arthur will help make residents and visitors more aware of what the trail has to offer.

Tourist Commission Communications Coordinator Jamie Lee and Marketing Director Dione Sabelhaus will begin visiting businesses and attractions next week to promote the Flyway Byway.

“We will be targeting attractions, gas stations and any other places visitors may stop and make sure those businesses know what the byway is about so that when people ask questions about the Flyway Byway they will know what to tell them,” Lee said.

The two will also be educating businesses on what the Flyway Byway can do for them and the parish.

“We all have to be actively involved in promoting our parish, which I believe is the best in the state,” Tourism Director Marion “Butch” Fox said. “If we all believe, it goes a long way.”

Tourism dollars generate $19 million in Jeff Davis Parish, she said. Revenues are generated from the sale of gas and food, hotel stays and visits to attractions, she said.

The byway, which is the 11th designated scenic route in the state, will soon be marked by signs placed along the route.

The Flyway Byway is a more than 55-mile scenic driving route for vehicles and motorcycles, but expansion plans call for using existing waterways for boating, canoeing, kayaking and birdwatching. More bike paths are also planned.

Fox said plans are underway for a 12-mile kayak or canoe race down Lacassine Bayou from Sportsman’s Park in Welsh and a bicycle race to garner more publicity on a national scale for the Flyway Byway.

“The Lacassine Bayou is a nice canoe route,” Lee said. “It’s very untouched, with a lot of wildlife and alligators the size of canoes.”

Resident Theresa Lyons said the Flyway Byway provides an excellent opportunity for birdwatching, including opportunities to spot the rare yellow rail. “People keep a life list and come from all over the United States and other countries to see the bird,” she said.

The parish hosts the annual Yellow Rails and Rice Festival, and Thornwell has been designated as the Yellow Rail Capital of the World. This year’s festival will be Oct. 29-Nov. 2.

“Everyone who has attended in the past has been thrilled at the scenery, food and hospitality,” Lyons said.

An interactive birding list is included in the new Flyway Byway guide.(Special to the American Press)