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ELKINS -- Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area officials said they are happy with the passage of "landmark legislation" that will benefit National Heritage Areas.
In one of the last acts in the 117th Congress, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the National Heritage Area Act by a bi-partisan vote of 326-95. Days earlier, the Senate passed the same bill without opposition.
The legislation now awaits President Joe Biden's signature.
The Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area "will benefit from this bill establishing a strong, sustained, National Heritage Area Program that will provide us support and assistance from the National Park Service," said Phyllis Baxter, AFNHA Executive Director.
The Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area consists of 16 counties in West Virginia -- including Randolph, Barbour, Tucker, Grant, Hardy, Pendleton and Pocahontas counties -- and two in western Maryland.
"This bill also reauthorizes Wheeling National Heritage Area and National Coal Heritage Area in West Virginia and Baltimore National Heritage Area and Journey Through Hallowed Ground in Maryland, and establishes the new Southern Maryland National Heritage Area," Baxter said.
The National Heritage Area Act creates standard criteria for the funding, management,and designation of National Heritage Areas across the country and provides them an annual authorization of up to $1 million per year for the next 15 years.
The bill also protects as many as 45 existing NHAs whose authorizations were set to sunset within the next two years, and also authorizes seven new NHAs.
"The National Heritage Area Act is a testament to the tremendous work National Heritage Areas do within communities across America," said Sara Capen, Chairwoman of the Alliance of National Heritage Areas. "It is a direct reflection of the determination and resilience that is not only the bedrock of National Heritage Areas, but also the history of the places and people National Heritage Areas represent."
The National Heritage Area Act was championed by Representatives David McKinley (R-W.Va.) and Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) in the House and Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) in the Senate. The bipartisan bills are co-sponsored by 16 Senators and 138 House members.
President Ronald Reagan established National Heritage Areas in 1984 when he signed a bill that created the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Area. Since then, 54 additional NHAs have been created across the United States, all through community-led efforts.
Rather than an enclosed park as is typical of other programs administered by the National Park Service (NPS), NHAs are lived-in spaces that often span large geographic areas that cross multiple jurisdictions, including a total of 591 counties in 34 states.
"Establishing a system for National Heritage Areas will help breathe new life into the historic preservation movement in America," said Alan Spears, Senior Director for Cultural Resources for National Parks Conservation Association. "Our history, complicated as it may be, serves as a rallying point for Americans of different backgrounds and ideologies. This piece of legislation exemplifies what our country can do when we stand together to protect our shared legacy."
To learn more about the work of Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area, and the recently completed management plan, see www.appalachianforestnha.org.