National heritage areas are involved in hundreds of projects and programs to achieve the objectives outlined in their management plans. The following exemplary projects, highlighted in the 2008 issue of Heritage Development Partnership Magazine, illustrate a diversity of national heritage area initiatives that engage people and organizations in conserving what's important about their regions. These activities present ideas, approaches and lessons that other collaborative conservation initiatives can learn from. The best practices address these disciplines:

• Cultural Conservation
• Cultural Education
• Preservation and Stewardship
• Marketing Heritage Tourism Through Partnerships
• River Protection
• Natural Resource Management
• Cultural Resource Management
• Community Revitalization
• Strategic Engagement

Download the ten case studies

 

Nine National Heritage Areas designated in 1996 will soon be undergoing a Congressionally-mandated evaluation process beginning in 2009. Authorized by PL 110-229, the evaluation directs the Secretary of the Interior to assess the progress each NHA has made in achieving the goals set forth in its authorizing legislation and management plan. In addition, the legislation also calls for analysis of investments and partnerships within the NHA, with the purpose of identifying the critical components for sustainability of the Heritage Area. Click here to see the evaluation language.

In preparation for evaulations, Heritage Areas may want to begin looking at the following:

Previous evaluations:

• In 2005, the National Park Service Conservation Study Institute completed a study for the Blackstone Valley Heritage Corridor Commission to evaluate the Corridor's accomplishments, leveraging, partnership network, and current management structure, and present options for the future. Download the report, entitled Reflecting on the Past, Looking to the Future: A Technical Assistance Report to the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission.
• In 2006 , the Conservation Study Institute completed a similar technical assistance project for the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Commission entitled Connecting Stories, Landscapes and People: Exploring the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Partnership.
• In 2009, the CSI completed a third report, Shared Legacies in Cane River National Heritage Area: Linking People, Traditions, and Landscapes: A Technical Assistance Report for the Cane River National Heritage Area Commission.

Self-Assessments:

• The Self-Assessment Tool for Non-Profit Public Lands Partners produced by the Association of Partners for Public Lands, describes the the reasons behind conducting a self-assessment and provides a framework for conducting a thorough assessment.
  

• National Trust Publication "Getting Started with Heritage Areas" To request copies call 202-588-6296, email the Trust, or order online.
• National Trust Forum Journal "Regional Heritage Areas: Connecting People to Places and History" To request copies call 202-588-6296, email the Trust, or order online.
• George Wright Forum Journal "Stewardship of Heritage Areas" To request copies call 906-487-9722, email the Forum, or visit their website.

For a bibliography of heritage areas, updated monthly, click here.

• America's Special Landscapes: The Heritage Area Phenomenon by Sarah Peskin
• Case Study of the Blackstone River Valley: Federal Investment Attracts Private Investment in Industrial Historic Sites by Robert Billington
• Heritage Areas in the West by Brenda Barrett, published in Colorado Preservationist
• National Heritage Areas: Developing a Model for Measuring Success by Brenda Barrett and Suzanne Copping
• The National Heritage Areas Phenomenon--Where it is Coming From by Paul M. Bray
• National Heritage Areas Program and How it Affects Byways A Teleworkshop Fact Sheet provided by the America's Byways Resource Center, April 2003
• The National Register and Heritage Areas by Brenda Barrett
• Planning for and Preserving Cultural Resources through National Heritage Areas by Judy Hart
• Rethinking Urban Parks by Paul M. Bray

NPS, the Alliance of National Heritage Areas, and Michigan State University have completed a study that estimates the direct and indirect regional economic impacts of heritage visitors in seven national heritage areas. MSU used a modified Money Generation Model (MGM2) to analyze data collected through visitor surveys. The seven participating areas were: MotorCities NHA, Essex NHA, Lackawanna Heritage Valley, Silos and Smokestacks NHA, Cane River NHA, Augusta Canal NHA, and Ohio and Erie National Heritage CanalWay.

A report for each each area reflects visitor demographics, visitation profiles, and the level of awareness among residents and visitors of the heritage area designation. A summary report highlights trends across the heritage areas, project conclusions and recommendations. to view the procedure guide, individual area results and a summary report, visit the MSU website.

To view the most recent MGM2 report, click here.

See also:

• Pennsylvania Heritage Tourism Study (1999)
• Path of Progress Heritage System: Visitor Characteristics and Economic Impacts (2002)
• Investing in Our Communities: Maryland's Heritage Areas Program (2003)
• Heading the Call for Heritage Tourism, Parks & Recreation, September 2004, pp. 38-49.