National Heritage Areas Program Releases 2020 “By the Numbers” Annual Report

In 2020, the Appalachian Forest NHA led a tour for its management planning consultants and held a masked, outdoor, distanced meeting with an interpreter at Sites Homestead, Seneca Rocks Discovery Center, in WV.

Appalachian Forest NHA

2020 was a busy year for the National Heritage Areas (NHAs), despite unprecedented conditions during the global COVID-19 pandemic. The program and its partners have employed creativity and ingenuity to adapt to our current climate—and continued to engage our traditional work within preservation, conservation, and recreation.

NHAs expand on traditional conservation approaches by supporting large-scale, community initiatives that engage communities in heritage preservation activities. NHA coordinating entities collaborate with stakeholders to determine how to make heritage relevant to local needs and interests. These entities serve as catalysts for community and economic development. At the NHA Program, we are grateful for the tireless and dynamic work of our partners for making 2020 successful.

The 2020 By the Numbers Report is the first NHA Annual Report to include data from the six NHAs designated in 2019. For a comprehensive list of 2020 accomplishments in the NHAs, read the full 2020 By the Numbers Report here, and check out some major highlights and accomplishments below:

• $88.5 million in cash and in-kind support leveraged to carry out heritage projects and programs, greatly increasing the impact of the $20.9 million in federal Heritage Partnership Program funding.

• Capacity-building assistance provided to 991 organizations, and 256 educational programs offered.

• 22,033 acres of land restored and maintained via invasive species removal, replanting, and toxic site clean-ups.