National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior The National Park Service has the strongest role in the implementation of the Heritage Corridor Plan in the Blackstone River Valley because it is the federal agency most responsible for the recognition, protection and interpretation of our national heritage. The NPS has particular expertise in park management designed to protect area-wide character (similar to National Heritage Corridor needs), and expertise in historic and natural resource preservation, restoration, interpretation and education. [ image by Jim McElholm-Single Source Inc. ]

There are additional reasons why the NPS is the federal agency with the strongest role in the implementation of the Heritage Corridor Plan. In recognizing that activities outside parks affect national resources inside parks, and that all nationally significant resources requiring protection are not within park boundaries, the NPS has developed important expertise relating to protecting resources where people live, beyond park boundaries.

Congress established the National Heritage Corridor as an affiliated area of the National Park System to make the NPS tradition of management available to the Blackstone River Valley.

To explore other affiliated areas of the National Park Service system visit the NPS website.