Evaluations

Buffalo marker
Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor

National Park Service National Heritage Area Evaluations

National Heritage Area coordinating entities undergo an evaluation of their accomplishments in regards to the fulfillment of their legislation and implementation of their management plan. These evaluations occur 3 years prior to the sunset of federal funding, typically 10 – 15 years after designation.

NPS funds and oversees congressionally mandated evaluations of National Heritage Area impacts, outcomes, and sustainability. National Park Service National Heritage Area Evaluation Guide

The National Park Service transmitted the following evaluations to Congress:

• 2023
  • Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area Evaluation Findings and DOI letters to Congress
  • Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area Evaluation Findings and DOI letters to Congress
• 2022 - Niagara Falls National Heritage Area Evaluation Findings and DOI letters to Congress
• 2020 - Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Evaluation Findings and DOI letter to Congress
• 2019 - Wheeling National heritage Area Evaluation Findings and DOI letter to Congress
• 2018 - Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Evaluation Findings and DOI letter to Congress
• 2017
  • National Aviation Heritage Area Evaluation Findings and DOI letter to Congress
  • Oil Region National Heritage Area Evaluation Findings and DOI letter to Congress
  • Schuylkill River National Heritage Area Evaluation Findings and DOI letter to Congress
• 2016
  • MotorCities National Heritage Area Evaluation Findings and DOI Letter to Congress
  • Lackawanna Valley National Heritage Area Evaluation Findings and DOI Letter to Congress
  • The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor Evaluation Findings and DOI Letter to Congress
  • Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area Evaluation Findings and DOI Letter to Congress
• 2015
  • Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area Evaluation Findings and DOI Letter to Congress
  • Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canalway Evaluation Findings and DOI Letter to Congress
  • Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area Evaluation Findings and DOI Letter to Congress
  • South Carolina National Heritage Area Evaluation Findings and DOI Letter to Congress
  • Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area Evaluation Findings and DOI Letter to Congress
  • West Virginia National Coal Heritage Area Evaluation Findings and DOI Letter to Congress
• 2013
  • August Canal National Heritage Area Evaluation Findings and DOI Letter to Congress
  • Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area Evaluation Findings and DOI Letter to Congress
  • Essex National Heritage Area Evaluation Findings and DOI Letter to Congress

Conservation Study Institute Evaluations

The National Park Service Conservation Study Institute completed three heritage area evaluations. These evaluations assessed the heritage area organization's accomplishments, leveraging, partnership network and management structure.

• Reflecting on the Past, Looking to the Future: A Technical Assistance Report to the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission
• Connecting Stories, Landscapes, and People: Exploring the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Partnership
• Shared Legacies in the Cane River National Heritage Area: Linking Traditions, People and Landscapes