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National Heritage Area 2019 Accomplishments
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In 2019, NHAs nationwide served as catalysts for community development and in 2020, despite much uncertainty, continue to adapt and help their partners adapt.
* Leveraged $84.5 million in cash and in-kind support for projects and programs, increasing the impact of the $19.3 million in Heritage Partnership Program funds received.
* Engaged 2,674 formal partners & 5,286 informal partners.
* Benefited from 36,289 volunteers contributing 475,511 hours a $12.3 million-dollar value.
Education programs provide meaningful and inspirational connections to our heritage.
* Capacity-building assistance provided to 1,162 groups.
* 302 educational programs were offered.
* 2,700 education grants awarded totaling $2.1 million.
Recreation projects - land and water trails improve connectivity, accessibility, and healthier communities.
* 154 recreation projects undertaken.
* 567 trail miles maintained and 95 new trail miles developed.
* 72 recreation grants awarded totaling $1.2 million.
Preservation projects impacted:
* 214 historic sites and 13,840 acres of cultural landscapes.
* 104 community development projects.
* 55 collections projects, artifact conservation and oral history.
* 82 historic preservation grants awarded totaling $904,294.
Conservation activities improve air and water quality and support healthy ecosystems.
* 12,858 acres restored /maintained via invasive species removal, replanting, and remediation.
* 54 conservation grants awarded totaling $601,078. More
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NHA Operation Pollination
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During this time of increased physical distancing, more Americans are enjoying parks, trails, and gardens. National Heritage Areas (NHA) continue to partner to adopt the Operation Pollination project and engage residents in conservation. Hear more about how it is impacting NHA communities:
The Salazar Center for North American Conservation unveiled a Connectivity Challenge Prize Booklet that lists all 46 grant submissions that competed for their inaugural Connectivity Challenge Grant. A summary of the Operation Pollination NHA submission is on pp. 44-45. The Borderlands Restoration Network project Bacanora for Bats won the $100,000 grant.
"While the NHA grant proposal was not a finalist for the prize, this was a very worth while exercise to go through for potential future grant submissions, especially since 14 NHAs joined together for this proposal," said Chris Stein, Chief, National Heritage Areas and Large Landscape Initiatives in the NPS Midwest Region.
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Revolution New Jersey 250th Update: Hear the latest information on planning efforts from the team working on New Jersey's commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Guest speaker, Algernon Ward will present "Freedom First," a discussion of African American participation in the American Revolution.
Phone: 1-872-240-3412
Access code: 740-952-381
The US Semiquincentennial Commission, America 250 was established by Congress to orchestrate "the largest and most inclusive anniversary observance in our nation's history." Goals of the commemoration: educate, engage, and unite. The Commission held listening sessions to hear ideas about topics such as education and tourism. There will be national programs, partnerships with organizations such as major league sports, celebrity ambassadors, commemorative items, social media, and involvement of children and youth.
For updates, tools, and ideas, visit America250 or Facebook page to follow plans to "remember the past, celebrate the present, and look forward to a promising future."
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A Summer Unlike Any Other Inspires Programs
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The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area (BRNHA) serves as a steward of the natural and cultural treasures of Western North Carolina - a region full of traditional musicians and craft artists. This summer proved a difficult time in the region as the COVID-19 pandemic caused public spaces to close, including galleries, studios, and music venues. To protect the area's Appalachian traditions, BRNHA created new programs and strengthened partnerships: The Trail Ahead Online Workshop Series - BRNHA partnered with the N.C. Arts Council to guide traditional musicians and music venues on how to connect with their audiences and generate income through social media and streaming events. See workshops:  |
| | Henderson County on the Blue Ridge Craft Trails |
Blue Ridge Craft Trails - In July, BRNHA celebrated Blue Ridge Craft Trails Month in Henderson County. The promotion brought buyers to makers and increased heritage tourism. Blue Ridge Craft Trails is a region-wide BRNHA initiative. Watch Pandemic Arts Series BRNHA partnered with Will And Deni Films as they created Pandemic Arts, a video and podcast series featuring artists sharing how the global pandemic has affected their careers, creativity, finances, and vision of the future. Learn more and read more:
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Oil Region NHA Responds to Closures
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| | Ida Tarbell House Tour video made for the Titusville Historical Society's 2020 History Camp. Take a virtual tour to learn about Tarbell, the investigative journalist who broke up Rockefeller's oil monopoly. |
The Oil Region National Heritage Area (ORNHA) and partners experienced a mix of closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All regional organizations were closed completely in March. ORNHA staff returned when Venango County entered green phase in late May; however, remains closed to visitors.
The Drake Well Museum and Park, which is operated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, didn't open for the 2020 season. Oil Creek & Titusville excursion railroad cancelled its 2020 season as well. Both attract tens of thousands of visitors to the region annually.
The area's smaller museums opened later in the season with limitations on visitors. ORNHA participated in the Titusville Historical Society's annual History Camp, which was virtual. To keep the campers' attentions, a video tour of the historic Ida Tarbell House was produced as well as live "archaeology in a box" presentations.
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Ohio and Erie Canalway Partners joined the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and Cleveland Metroparks to celebrate the opening of the 1.9-mile segment of the Towpath Trail encompassing Clark Field, the Towpath Mounds and Observation Deck, and the Roundhouse Overlook with its sweeping views of downtown Cleveland.
Mera Cardenas, Canalway Partners' Executive Director described the Towpath Trail as "a catalyst for the city, county and the region". Read more details in their blog.
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New Spin On National Public Lands Day in Mountains to Sound Greenway NHA100 Facts
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The summer of 2020 set records for recreational usage across Washington. While it's great to see so many people connecting with nature, there are unfortunate impacts that come with overuse, such as an overabundance of trash. The Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust and partners are working hard to spread the word to #RecreateResponsibly, and presented an opportunity for people to get out and make a difference: National Public Lands Day 2020!
Instead, of an in-person volunteer event considering the pandemic, they transformed into a week of giving back through individualized volunteering. From September 19-26, individuals pitched in by (safely) picking up trash from public lands. Because this is focused on individual work, members of the public have the option to stay close to home and pick up litter from a local park or clean up on the trails. All public lands are important, and they all need help to keep them beautiful and accessible for future generations. Learn more
MSGNHA Clean Water Ambassador internship with King County became a four-week, online certificate program this summer. Thirty-eight teens joined on Zoom for eight hours a week to learn about water systems, ecology, sustainability, and conservation careers. Read the Ambassador Report
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Mississippi Gulf Coast NHA Embrace Your Cultural Story Video Projects
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The Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area conducted two video projects that capture stories about life in Mississippi's six coastal counties.
February 2020 launched the "Embrace Our Cultural Story" oral history project, a social media campaign highlighting coastal residents and their unique South Mississippi stories. Over a three-day period, we conducted interviews with more than fifty coast residents of all backgrounds.
MGCNHA releases one video each week on Facebook and Instagram. Each video is no more than one minute long and focuses on an aspect of life in coastal Mississippi that is considered historic, innovative, natural or flavorful. Some of the video guests are well-known; others are not, all are rich with significance. Help embrace Mississippi Gulf Coast cultural story by watching, enjoying, and sharing stories. Follow along at: https://gulfofmexicoalliance.org/embrace/
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Junior Ranger Ramble Connects Kids and All
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Beginning October 5th, kids, families and adults can embark on a six-week Junior Ranger journey, exploring the nature and history of the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area (AMNHA) to earn a Junior Ranger badge. The Junior Ranger Ramble was reimagined to feature an online, weekly series of videos and activities to bring kids and their families out of the house and into nature. A virtual swearing-in will be held in November.
The program introduces kids of all ages to the historic and natural significance of the AMNHA, a 40,000-acre landscape located near Atlanta. Featuring massive granite outcrops of Arabia and Panola Mountains, historic Flat Rock community and Lithonia, the Monastery of the Holy Spirit, the Atlanta Wild Animal Rescue Effort, the waters of the South River and more, it offers opportunities for discovery and exploration.
"Getting outside, experiencing nature and discovering history are more important than ever, and we hope that people of all ages across metro-Atlanta get the opportunity to participate in this exciting program," said Sarah Lisle, Director of Interpretation with AMNHA.
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Housatonic Heritage Promotes and Preserves River Walk
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 The Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area (Housatonic Heritage) partnered with the Great Barrington Land Conservancy and others to create a series of " Wild Edibles" virtual tours on the Housatonic River Walk, a National Recreation Trail located adjacent to Great Barrington, MA's Main Street which offers a rare nature experience of river and wildlife. Housatonic Heritage worked with the River Walk's stewards to interpret several important stories, including the William Stanley Overlook (first commercial AC electricity) and W.E.B. Du Bois River Park (world-renowned civil rights leader). The partners promote the river's significance to industrial and civil rights leaders. The trail is cared for by Greenagers, a local youth organization dedicated to good stewardship, that is also supported in-part by Housatonic Heritage. River Walk offers riverfront access in a densely populated setting, permitting pristine riparian areas to remain forever wild. Since 1988, 2900 community volunteers contributed to clean up, construction and maintenance, removing over 400 tons of debris, building the trail and planting thousands of native plants. Approximately 12,000 people visit yearly and experience simple methods of natural resource protection-native plant vegetative buffers, invasive-exotic plant control, bio-engineered riparian stabilization, local non-toxic trail materials, and non-point source pollution controls with raingardens, drop inlets, and permeable trail surfaces.
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Essex NHA Baker's Island Light goes Solar
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Essex Heritage was busy pivoting programming and finishing grant projects in the heritage area. Knowing online resources are necessary during this time, Essex Heritage created a new website called Heritage at Home to compile online resources to help explore the Essex NHA from home.  Essex Future Leaders and Park for Every Classroom programs operated at reduced capacities, but they were very successful with opportunities to meet in person and online. Essex NHA hosted a "flip the switch" at Bakers Island Light Station to celebrate a grant from Green Mountain Energy Sun Club for a new powerful solar array at the light station. It is bringing the light station into the 21st century. A new exhibit highlighting the history of the light station funded in part by a grant from the Col. Timothy Pickering Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Although unable to offer tours this year, overnights and volunteer opportunities on the island were popular this summer allowing Essex Heritage to accomplish many necessary projects. Overall, it was a challenging but rewarding summer in the Essex NHA.
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Canalway Challenge Keeps Community Active During Pandemic
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Enthusiastic participants in this year's Erie Canalway Challenge are proving the value of accessible trails, parks, and waterways. Recreational resources, which are important in normal times, have been critical for mental and physical health during the pandemic. When New York began to open up in June after an intense battle to stop the spread of Covid-19, the Canalway Challenge took off. More than 1,000 participants pledged to walk, run, cycle, or paddle a combined 145,000 miles on the 500+ mile Canalway Trail and NYS Canal System.  The results are inspiring. One young woman walked from Buffalo to Albany; another rowed the length of the Erie Canal. Families with young children are cycling together; and many participants report that they are discovering places close to home that they never knew were here.
Canalway Challenge 360-Miler Mark Laskowski sums it up best: "The canal is 360 miles and 195 years of awesomeness. What a great experience to ride through history and ride across New York State!"
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Delaware & Lehigh NHC Transitions Fundraiser
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As organizers of most large events, the D&L Heritage Half Marathon Event Committee faced the difficult decision of cancelling the in-person 10th Annual D&L Heritage Half Marathon. This event serves as the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor's biggest annual fundraiser, staff and committee members leveraged the uptick in trail use and presented the new D&L Trail Challenge as a virtual alternative to the half marathon. This new event will challenge runners and walkers to complete at least four cumulative half-marathon (13.1-mile) distances. New this year, cyclists are also challenged to complete at least four full-marathon (26.2-mile) distances. Miles can be accrued over several workouts, on the 165-mile D&L Trail any time between October 1- November 1. While it was disappointing to cancel the race this year, the hope that the D&L Community is excited for the D&L Trail Challenge.
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Work continues in Tennessee with New Tools
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Although adjusting to the "new normal" felt anything but normal this summer, the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area (TCWNHA) effectively blended technology and safety measures in a variety of new ways in order to continue operations across the state.
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| | Parker's Chapel Fieldwork |
Zoom proved to be a vital tool for staff and student meetings as well as fieldwork. Staff continued to meet remotely and interview prospective research assistants from across the country. All fieldwork was conducted with masks and social distancing, like at Parker's Chapel, and accommodated staff and students that weren't able to participate in person. In July, TCWNHA reopened their Heritage Center with precautions, including shorter hours, limited visitors, masks, and plexiglass shields. To better serve at-risk populations that don't feel comfortable traveling, they developed virtual options to convert in-person and brochure tours into free, mobile-friendly tours with an app Pocket Sites.
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Boarding Passes Encourages Visitation to Sites
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The National Aviation Heritage Area (NAHA) created a campaign featuring 10 aviation sites to invite people to sign up for a free Boarding Pass to take advantage of discounts on admission, retail, theater experiences, and more. NAHA encouraged visitors to "Get your pass today and fly when the time is right" with the hashtag #StayLocalGoFar.
 The campaign targeted residents and visitors within a one-hour drive of the area. Over 11,000 people visited the promotion webpage and 1,148 passes were downloaded resulting in earned revenue for NAHA partner sites. This was a joint campaign from NAHA's Communications Council, a group representing NAHA partner sites and community partners that gathers six times a year to work on promotions and communications. NAHA and partners each paid for digital and social advertising for the campaign, and local visitors bureaus listed the pass on their visitor apps and in media outreach for travel bloggers.
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Videos and Digital Guides Help Tell Stories in Blackstone
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Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor (BRVNHC) learned new skills, including how to make and edit videos. They partnered with Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park and the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council to produce a video to celebrate National Park Service Founders Day and hosted a Facebook Premiere.
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| | A Virtual Celebration in the Blackstone Valley |
To support partners during the shutdown, Blackstone River Valley NHC launched a Partnership Grant program to support nonprofits in making programs virtual. BRVNHC distributed $16,622 to Gallery Night Providence, Uxbridge Historical Society, Asa Waters Mansion, Bay State Trail Riders Association, Gallery Night Providence, Millbury Historical Society, Burrillville Historical & Preservation Society, Mass Audubon at Broad Meadow Brook, Breaking Branches Pictures, Inc. A volunteer program, the Blackstone Valley Paddle Club, was set to celebrate its 20th anniversary this spring. Due to COVID-19, programming was stopped. In response, club volunteers helped create a digital paddling guide. Paddle trips in the Blackstone River Valley can be selected to bring people to explore places the Paddle Club would host events.|
| | | Tick Talk with Terri | |
With the increase of people exploring outdoors, BRVNHC highlighted a local tick safety expert with a video.
To shift programming from in-person to virtual, Blackstone River Valley NHC created a new Field Trip Fridays video
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| | | Field Trip Fridays: Salisbury Mansion | |
series. Utilizing photographs taken by volunteers from its Photography Ambassadors program at museums and historic sites, staff members take visitors on a virtual tour of these places that are currently closed and tell the story with pictures.
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For a fifth year, Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area (MDNHA) awarded grants focused on cultural heritage development in Mississippi Delta communities. The funded work totals $226,085 in grants for 12 projects focused on MDNHA's themes, ranging from the Delta blues, the Civil Rights Movement, and Native American and African American history. The grants support tourism, learning opportunities for students, museums, documentary films, and the historic preservation of Mississippi Delta landmarks.  Due to COVID-19 social distancing measures, the orientation session was held virtually. Awardees shared plans for projects and MDNHA staff introduced them to the MDNHA's new online portal for managing projects and reporting progress quarterly. See the full FY20 MDNHA grants program announcement here.
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Baltimore Steps up Virtual Tours and Events
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Baltimore National Heritage Area (BNHA) stepped up in the virtual world to better serve partners by posting partner programs on social media and digital networks, filming and promoting virtual walking tours and plugging partners into grant resources to aid them during this time. BNHA focus is to ensure that historic neighborhoods and cultural gems continue to thrive for generations.
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Hudson River Valley NHA Suffrage Centennial Activities
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Coming soon: "Women Voted Here-Before Columbus" Nov 8, 2020: Imagine that women have the right to choose all political representatives, remove from office those who make bad decisions. When women in New York State began to organize in 1848, they looked to Haudenosaunee communities where women had political rights. HRVNAH welcomes Dr. Roesch Wagner, a author and story-teller of women's rights history to celebrate the 19th Amendment.
In the spring HRVNHA supported Scenic Hudson's "Let's Bike HV: Women's Bicycle Festival" with International Women's Day and the Kingston Women's Bicycle Festival, a free workshop for women to learn more about cycling.
$5,000 to the Friends of Schuyler Mansion: "Sharing a Fuller Story through Multiple Perspectives" to expand displays to include the story of an escaped enslaved women and the story of Margaret Schuyler.
$5,000 to the Natural Heritage Trust for a "Thematic Survey of Dutch Cultural Resources in the Hudson Valley" Women in Dutch culture could own property, run businesses, handle financial transactions and inherit property.
$4,995: to the Jewish Federation of Ulster County OBO the Reher Center for Immigrant Culture and History to honor the lives of women who are often absent from history: Mollie, Sadie, Gertie and Elsie Reher, unmarried, working Jewish women who operated the Reher's Bakery in 1959.
$4,990: to the Walkway Over the Hudson for programs including a virtual lecture on Sojourner Truth and the Underground Railroad.
$4,000: to the Town of Saugerties to develop a self-guided walking tour brochure on local women's history during the time of the 19th Amendment passage.
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Amy Baldonieri Joins Rivers of Steel NHA as Vice President & COO
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| | Amy Baldonieri |
Rivers of Steel NHA is excited to announce that Amy Baldonieri is their new Vice President & Chief Operating Officer. Her 25 years of serving nonprofits led her to Europe and back. Rivers of Steel first collaborated with Amy when she served as the director of development and finance at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, from 2001-2013.
A Latrobe native, Baldonieri returned from Italy where she served at The American University of Rome. Previously, she was worked at the Central European University in Hungary.
"After four years in Europe and a lot of exhilarating and crazy experiences I've had - like crawling around archaeological digs and fighting for academic freedom in Hungary, to name a few. I still look back on a partnership I had with Rivers of Steel while working at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art as the highlight of my career," said Baldonieri. "It tied in art and music, two of my passions, to my deep sense of identity as the grandkid of immigrant steelworkers and coal miners who literally built our nation. Now, more than ever, that heritage needs to be preserved," Baldonieri continued. "I took this job because I want to be a part of preserving it and promoting it and teaching it to those too young to remember or understand its importance."
Jeffrey T. Leber, retired at the end of June after nearly 20 years of service to Rivers of Steel NHA. Read more.
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NHA Best Practices
Learn about the NPS
African American Civil Rights Network and the African American Civil Rights Preservation Grants from Porsha Dossie and Madeline Konz.
Thursday, October 29
2:00 PM ET
Meeting ID: 896 7605 8303
Passcode: 501301
Listen to recent presentations:
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| June: -NHAs Response to Racial Injustice and Juneteenth
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| | 19th Amendment Commemorations |
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| | September - Underground Railroad Network to Freedom |
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Join the next NPS Connected Conservation (C2) webinar titled "Battlefield Preservation Planning Grants as a Partnership Tool" on Wednesday, October 7, at 2:00 pm ET.
Presenter: Emily Kambic with the NPS's American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP).
Register for Go to Meeting
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Up Next:: ArcheoThursday presentation of NHAs and Archeology
"Save the Date: Join the NPS Archeology Program's ArcheoThursday webinar on Thurs. Oct. 22 at 3 pm ET
Hear about the NHA Program and examples of archeological research in two NHAs: Crossroads of the American Revolution NHA and Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor.
Save this link to join |
Grants fund research, documentation, planning, partnership building, and interpretation projects at sites associated with armed conflicts from any period in American history.
Most awards range from $30,000-$100,000, with no match required. The funding opportunity is typically available on grants.gov in late fall, with an early 2021 deadline. NPS American Battlefield Protection Program will offer webinars during the application period.
Visit https://nps.gov/abpp or email abpp@nps.gov for more information. |
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continues to draw new viewers. More sessions are planned for the fall, following a total of 8 successful events.
Watch more:
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| | | MotorCities at Home #6 | Rosie the Riveter | Alison Beatty | |
The number of MotorCities highway signs welcoming drivers to the National Heritage Area jumped to 14 this spring with the addition of five more in the metro Detroit area. The signs made an impact, playing a role in 2020's 60+ percent surge in website traffic year-over-year at MotorCities.org.
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Hit the Road with Flat Lincoln!
After a successful launch of a mascot character 'Flat Lincoln' in 2019 (think: Flat Stanley), Abraham Lincoln NHA was seeking creative ways to encourage visitors to explore outdoor sites safely during Covid 19.
The result: The Flat Lincoln Roadtrip with his dog Fido encourage fun and creative trips in the NHA in Illinois. They explore the area in their red convertible, seeking out the historic, unique, and sometimes weird sites found throughout Illinois. The Heritage Area was uniquely positioned to offer great day trips to outdoor sites, which is the preferred travel option in 2020. |
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US Biosphere Reserve
Keynote addresses from scientist and Senior Fellow at the UN Foundation, Tom Lovejoy, and Sharon Farrell of the California Landscape Stewardship Network and VP, Stewardship & Conservation at Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. They will speak share their years of experience in landscape conservation and collaborative stewardship programs.
What: US Biosphere Network Virtual Workshop
When: 11/10 1-4pm EST
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The Great American Outdoors Act was singed into law in August to support maintenance backlogs in National Parks with more than $9 billion in funding and full and permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The LWCF is a critical tool for conservation efforts across landscapes, and will provide $900 million annually to protect important land, water, and recreation areas that benefit all Americans.
"Last year, the National Park Service welcomed 327 million visitors who generated an economic impact of more than $41 billion and supported more than 340,000 jobs. Increasing popularity of our public lands has resulted in our national parks needing upgrades and improvements for more than 5,500 miles of paved roads, 17,000 miles of trails and 24,000 buildings. This legislation finally provides a long-term solution to this significant issue for the benefit of the American people and the betterment of our public lands." wrote Department of Interior Secretary Bernhardt in a statement. |
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