National Heritage Areas (NHA)

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An environmental summary by the ENVS 560/L Watershed Systems class at CSUMB with relevance to the Central Coast region and the Range of the Condor National Heritage Area.

National Heritage Areas (NHAs) are nationally important landscapes, recognized for their natural, cultural, and historical resources. NHAs are designated by Congress but created at the request of local organizations and state governments. These areas are administered by local coordinating entities (i.e., local organizations, state governments). The local coordinating entities form a partnership with the National Park Service (NPS), which has a limited advisory role.

The NHA designation fosters a community-driven approach to heritage conservation and economic development. Through public-private partnerships, NHA entities support historic preservation, natural resource conservation, recreation, heritage tourism, and educational projects. Leveraging funds and long-term support for projects, NHA partnerships foster pride of place and an enduring stewardship ethic [1]. NHAs receives limited federal funding and do not affect private property rights [1].

Currently, there are 55 NHAs [2].


How NHAs are formed

Designation as an NHA begins at the local level. A local initiative must consider applying, then following a series of steps:

  • Heritage groups, tourism groups, or jurisdictions decide to pursue designation as a National Heritage Area.
  • The original supporters work to build support, reaching out to other groups, jurisdictions, and the public.
  • A formal feasibility study evaluates the quality of the heritage resources, potential sustainability, and local support for the proposed Heritage Area
  • The National Park Service reviews the feasibility study and advises Congress on the eligibility of the proposed Heritage Area.
  • Congress passes legislation authorizing the Heritage Area (public laws)
  • The new Heritage Area has three years to complete a management plan to meet the local goals of the Heritage Area [3].

Legislation related to NHAs

There is no systemic law outlining a standardized process and criteria for designating NHAs.[4] Indeed the first four areas now included in the NHA system are named "National Heritage Corridors". The first NHA named "National Heritage Area" was the fifth NHA to be designated: the Cane River NHA authorized in 1994.

Some examples of specific legislation enabling NHAs are as follows:

  • On August 21, 1984, President Regan signed the first created NHA, the Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor, into law.[5]
  • On March 30, 2009, President Obama signed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-11). This law is composed of 15 titles and designated millions of acres in the US are protected, it established a National Landscape Conservation System, and provided funding for programs and other activities by the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture [6]. This act designated 10 new NHAs.
  • On March 12, 2019, President Trump signed the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (P.L. 116-9). This was the first law to establish new NHAs since the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. This law protects public lands and modified management provisions. This act designated six new NHAs.
  • Two bills (H.R. 1049 and S. 3217) created during the 116th Congress (January 3, 2019- January 3, 2021) aimed to establish a system to help govern the designation, management, and funding of NHAs [7]. H.R. 1049 passed the House and was read twice in the Senate and has been referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources [8]. S. 3217 S. 3217 has been introduced in the Senate. It was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources [9]. The two laws have similar provisions that aim to establish a standardized NHA system and set out the relationship between the NHAs and the National Park System [10]. These provisions include ensuring that NHAs are not considered units of the National Park Service, requiring that the Secretary of the Interior conduct feasibility studies, or reviewing feasibility studies conducted by groups other than Congress.

Criteria

The National Park Service has the following ten criteria for evaluation of candidate areas by the National Park Service, Congress, and the public:

  • The area has an assemblage of natural, historic, or cultural resources that together represent distinctive aspects of American heritage worthy of recognition, conservation, interpretation, and continuing use, and are best managed as such an assemblage through partnerships among public and private entities, and by combining diverse and sometimes noncontiguous resources and active communities
  • The area reflects traditions, customs, beliefs, and folklife that are a valuable part of the national story
  • The area provides outstanding opportunities to conserve natural, cultural, historic, and/or scenic features
  • The area provides outstanding recreational and educational opportunities
  • Resources that are important to the identified theme or themes of the area retain a degree of integrity capable of supporting interpretation
  • Residents, business interests, nonprofit organizations, and governments within the proposed area that are involved in the planning have developed a conceptual financial plan that outlines the roles for all participants including the federal government, and have demonstrated support for designation of the area
  • The proposed management entity and units of government supporting the designation are willing to commit to working in partnership to develop the heritage area
  • The proposal is consistent with continued economic activity in the area
  • A conceptual boundary map is supported by the public
  • The management entity proposed to plan and implement the project is described

The National Park Service uses these criteria to evaluate potential areas and references them in subsequent testimony before congressional authorizing committees regarding legislation proposing designation of specific national heritage areas.[11].

NHA activities, planning, and administration

Need an explanation of what NHAs actually do. Are they active or passive (i.e. merely designations)? Do they have MOUs where partners commit to certain roles and activities? Are they funded?

Activities

The activities undertaken by NHAs vary widely and include:

  • ... Activity ... Example NHA that does this activity ...
  • ...

Heritage Management Plans

Typically, the legislation for a NHA will require the development of a management plan within three years of designation. A heritage area management plan is completed by a local management entity[11]. Management plan requirements often differ, but should include: long-range policies, goals, strategies, and actions; an implementation plan with short, mid and long range actions and performance goals; a business plan for the heritage area coordinating entity; and an interpretive plan. NHA management plans are approved by the Secretary of the Interior, which requires the plan to be in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other federal environmental laws. The NPS provides assistance to Heritage Area entities on the development of management plans to ensure that they address all Federal requirements.[12].

The NPS provides the following guidance documents for NHA management plans:

  • Interpretive Planning for Heritage Areas[13]
  • Business Planning Toolkit for Heritage Areas[14]
  • National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Guide for National Heritage Area Management Plans[15]

NHA administration

  • ...e.g. NHA commissions...
  • National Park Service
  • State governments
  • Local interest groups

Funding

Contemporary NHA legislation provides federal funding authorizations of up to $1 million a year over a 15-year period with a required 50:50 non-federal match to any federal funds from this program, however, newly designated NHAs rarely receive $1 million in the first few years[11].

Notable NHAs

Really need to find examples similar to RCNHA i.e. that (1) have a mission focused on conservation & open-space-based recreationN, and/or (2) are founded on inter-agency federal partnerships. Maybe it would help to build a table of selected existing NHAs with columns that address these attributes.

Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area 
[16]
Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Area 
...
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area 
...
Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area 
...

NHAs in California's Central Coast Region

The only NHA in California's Central Coast region is the proposed Range of the Condor National Heritage Area. The only existing NHA in California is the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area.

Links

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 https://www.nps.gov/articles/what-is-a-national-heritage-area.htm
  2. https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL33462.pdf
  3. https://www.cityofgigharbor.net/DocumentCenter/View/561/Background-Information-PDF
  4. White paper on NHAs by Vincent and Comay (2013) later updated 2020
  5. P.L. 98-398
  6. https://www.congress.gov/bill/111th-congress/house-bill/146
  7. https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL33462.pdf
  8. https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1049
  9. https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/3217
  10. https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL33462.pdf
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 https://www.nps.gov/subjects/heritageareas/upload/NHA-Feasibility-Study-Guidelines_FINAL-Revisions-2019_508-compliant.pdf
  12. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/heritageareas/management-plans.htm
  13. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/heritageareas/upload/Interp-Planning-Toolkit-for-Heritage-Areas-Historic-Trails-and-Gateways-2.pdf
  14. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/heritageareas/upload/Business_Planning_for_HeritageAreasToolkit.pdf
  15. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/heritageareas/upload/NHA-NEPA-Guidance_4-15-13-FINAL-2.pdf
  16. Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area web site

Disclaimer

This page may contain student work completed as part of assigned coursework. It may not be accurate. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion or policy of CSUMB, its staff, or students.