Plans

Emerging heritage areas are strongly encouraged to complete a feasibility study prior to seeking designation as a national heritage area. Congress can pass a bill asking the NPS to conduct a feasibility study, or areas can conduct their own study. For guidelines concerning the completion of a study to explore the feasibility of becoming a national heritage area, click here.

The NPS has assisted the following areas to complete a feasibility or special resource study prior to seeking designation as a national heritage area:

St. Croix Feasibility Study
The purpose of this 200-page study is to assess the historic, cultural and natural resources on the island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Western Reserve Feasibility Study
The purpose of this 76-page study is to determine if the area that
encompasses the modern-day Ohio counties of Trumbull, Mahoning, Ashtabula, Portage, Geauga, Lake, Cuyahoga, Summit, Medina, Huron, Lorain, Erie, Ottawa, and Ashland meets the suitability and feasibility requirements for designation as a National Heritage Area.

Champlain Valley Heritage Corridor Project Special Resource Study
A 60-page Special Resource Study describes a region encompassing the historic, cultural and natural resources in the counties in Vermont and New York that surround Lake Champlain.

Crossroads of the American Revolution in New Jersey
This report includes a Special Resource Study, Heritage Area Feasibility Study, and an Environmental Assessment for a 15-county region in New Jersey.

Low Country Gullah-Geechee Culture Special Resource Study
A study to identify and evaluate the role of the National Park Service in preserving and interpreting Gullah/Geechee culture.

Upper Housatonic Special Resource Study
This report includes a Heritage Area Feasibility Study and an Environmental Assessment for a 29-community region in western Massachussetts and northwestern Connecticut.

The following studies have or are being completed by organizations independent of but in consultation with the NPS:

Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area Feasibility Study
Completed by the Center for Desert Archaeology and as of June 2005 seeking public comment

Appalachian Forest Heritage Area Feasibility Study
Completed by the West Virginia University Division of Forestry and Extension Services and as of June 2005 seeking public comment

Management Plans for National Heritage Areas

Please read our helpful document Components of a Successful National Heritage Area Management Plan to get started.

National Heritage Area legislation usually requires the development of a management plan within three to five years after designation. The following plans are available on-line. To view the plans of other heritage areas, please contact us or the heritage area directly.

Augusta Canal National Heritage Area
The managment plan is available in its entirety as a PDF.

Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor
The 1989 Cultural Heritage and Land Management Plan was the first national heritage area managment plan created, the Blackstone being the second area to be designated but the first to require a management plan in its legislation.

Blue Ridge National Heritage Area
The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area's Management Plan and Environmental Assessment is available below for download by section.

Cane River National Heritage Area
This is a special resource study and environmental assessment.

Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor
The 1993 managment plan is available in its entirety as a PDF.

Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor
The Erie Canalway Preservation and Management Plan received the American Planning Association’s Highest National Award for a Comprehensive Plan in 2008.

Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area
This managment plan is available in its entirety as a PDF.

Lackawanna Valley National Heritage Area
This managment plan is available in its entirety as a PDF.

Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area
This managment plan is available in its entirety as a PDF.

Ohio and Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor
This Ohio and Erie Canal Corridor Management Plan was completed in 2000. Scroll to the bottom of the page to download it's components.

Oil Region National Heritage Area
The region updated to its 1994 Management Plan in 2005. The 2005 Management Action Plan Update is intended to guide the management entity to build on the accomplishments of its first ten years and to accomplish its mission. The plan is available in its entirety as a PDF.

Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Area
This management plan to protect the region's natural and cultural heritage resources was completed in 1997. 2010 Vision, A Plan for the Next Ten Years is "both an internal and external planning document" that builds upon the vision outlined in the original management plan and outlines more specific goals, objectives, and programming.

Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area
This managment plan is available in its entirety as a PDF.

Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area
The heritage area's mission is to conserve, interpret and develop the historical, cultural, natural and recreational resources related to the industrial and cultural heritage of the Schuylkill River Valley of Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Shenandoah River Valley Battlefields National Historic District
The Executive Summary of this managment plan is available in its entirety as a PDF.

Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area
Silos and Smokestacks, in northeast Iowa, is a largely rural, heavily agricultural area. The management plan proposes methods for promoting partnerships, fund raising, and encouraging education and heritage tourism.

Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area Compact
The Tennessee Civil War NHA is currently managed under a compact, which is a signed agreement among communities and organizations to work together to promote their mission.

Wheeling National Heritage Area Management Plan
Wheeling National Heritage Area revised its management plan in May 2004 to reflects its vision and goals and to better focus on the economic future of Wheeling and the complete redevelopment of the Heritage Port.

Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area
The Executive Summary of this managment plan is available in its entirety as a PDF.