Telling Americas Stories: Heritage Areas

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Telling Americas Stories Heritage Areas
Mississippi Alabama Rural Tourism
Conference October 2008 Mary Jeanne Packer,
GWC, Inc.
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1. What are heritage areas 2. How can heritage
development unite local citizens, leaders, and
organizations to work together in preserving the
unique natural resources, landscapes, culture,
and historic sites of a region?
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Heritage areas are physical landscapes, defined
by geography and history and recognized by
residents as special places
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Heritage areas integrate multiple approaches to
achieve local and regional goals
Recreation
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Tourism and Economic Development
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Historic Preservation
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Conservation
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Education and Interpretation
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Landscapes, stories and people
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Heritage Areas are also a Strategyto conserve
the past and build for the future

• - Locally initiated
• - Built on partnerships between organizations
• - Planned around a regions shared heritage and
  place-based resources
• - Work within existing zoning and land management
  strategies

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Where are the 37 National Heritage Areas?
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International Les Parcs Naturels Regionaux
(French Regional Nature Parks), English Areas of
Outstanding Natural Beauty
Not Just a National Program.or an American One
State and Ad-hoc programs Multiple states
including MD, LA, PA, NY and UT.
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• NHAs Different Sizes, Resources, Stories

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• Trends More Diverse and Moving West, North, and
  South

Coordination with Park Units
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National Heritage Areas are

• Designated by Congress based on
• National importance of resources stories
• Assemblage of cultural, historic, scenic and
  natural resources that tell a valuable story
• 2) Support capacity of local communities
• - Residents, business, non-profit and local
  government working in partnership with
  proposed management entity
• - Support of boundary map and key themes

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What National Heritage Areas do

• - Foster improved quality of life,
• - Grants and assistance for projects that meet
  heritage area goals,
• Integrated resource
• conservation opportunities,
• - Foster new partnerships

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Why Create a National Heritage Area? Offers an
innovative and sustainable method to enhance the
quality of life for the citizens and
their Communities Enhances and preserves
cultural landscapes, historic sites, and
traditions for future generations Improves
cultural understanding and heritage appreciation
through educational programming Increases
revenue and creates jobs through increased
tourism, which stimulates community and economic
development
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Why Create a National Heritage Area? Builds
capacity of local businesses and
partner organizations through technical
assistance and expertise Encourages
collaboration to identify and utilize all assets
and resources for economic development, preservati
on, and conservation Boosts community pride
and cohesion by preserving regions uniqueness
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National Designation The Basics

• There is no formal process for NHA designation
• Program Legislation has been introduced
• Recommended
• Completion of feasibility study
• Public involvement in planning
• Demonstration of widespread community involvement
• Commitment from key constituents

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Feasibility Studies What are they and why are
they important?

• A process to engage local people and
  organizations in discussing the future of their
  regions resources and quality of life
• A means to inventory, assess and document the
  NATIONALLY IMPORTANT resources and stories of the
  potential National Heritage Area
• Tangible and intangible resources
• Whats unique, important, endangered
• Whats underutilized
• Whos going to do be involved
• New opportunities created by the NHA
• A method to promote a wide base of involvement
  among Residents, Business interests, Non-profits,
  Tourism and development interests, State and
  local governments, Congress, NPS
• A way to identify management, funding and
  sustainability strategies

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What the National Park Service provides

• Planning
• Assistance with both feasibility studies and
  later management planning
• Funding
• National Heritage Areas receive Federal Funding
• Branding
• A Nationally significant story aligned with the
  other stories and resources told by the National
  Park Service The NPS arrowhead and accompanying
  public awareness
• Technical assistance
• NPS is home to historians, GIS experts,
  biologists, archaeologistsetc
• Continued partnership
• Work with existing NPS units
• Designation is permanent

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What is the Economic Impact of a National
Heritage Area?
In 2007, the National Heritage Area Program
allocated 14.5 million in federal funds to
existing National Heritage Areas
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Heritage Area Performance Results
Increased community partnership for capacity
88,256,828 visitors 201,980 volunteer hours
1,516 formal partners 3,224 informal partners
401 grants leveraged 55,857,120 in additional
funds Conserved natural and cultural resources
and expanded recreational opportunities 141
grants awarded to National Register/eligible
structures 281 new National Register listings
53 grants for recreation trails
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Heritage Area Performance Results
Improved quality of life and sustainable
economic strategies 861 educational programs
857,083 participants in educational programs
8.5 billion in direct and indirect sales
152,324 jobs supported 3.2 billions paid in
wages and salary 5 billion direct and indirect
taxes paid to government Created grant-making
efficiencies and effectiveness through Heritage
Partnership Program
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Charting a Future
-Legislation -Policies -Shared program
management -Share lessons learned -Research
evaluation
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Birding Trails Black Belt Nature and Heritage
Trail Scenic Byway Pineywoods Birding
Trail State Wildlife Action Plan Amplification
Project Interior exhibit development for Old
Cahawba's new visitor center to illustrate impact
of human occupation on regional wildlife habitat
Series of small panels for placement along
trail system at UWA Prairie Restoration Area
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Interpretative Exhibits Gateway site kiosks
state parks, ACOE facilities Waypoint low
profile panels wildlife management
areas Natural Resources Education Center
Auburn University partnership with Wilcox County
for youth programming and place-based education
Landowner demonstration and education Driving
tours of geology, habitats and management
practices
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www.alblackbeltheritage.org