What Heritage Areas Will and Will Not Do
What a National Heritage Area WILL DO:
- Strengthen the sense of place by broadening public awareness, recognition and involvement
- Increase funding opportunities on the Greenway landscape
- Empower partners to work more efficiently
- Formalize principles of sustainable conservation on public lands
- Formalize the Greenway’s cooperative nature and provide directions for future caretakers of public lands
WHAT A NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA WILL NOT DO:
Formal Greenway recognition will not impact any current legal structures; the intent is to create a voluntary framework for stakeholders to better fulfill their missions.
National Heritage Area designation does:
- NOT add new regulatory authority or other management restrictions over private lands
- NOT require any property owner to provide public access to their land
- NOT require any property owner to participate in any plan, project, program or activity conducted by the Heritage Area
- NOT affect water rights or fishing and hunting regulations
- NOT add federal government oversight over local management decisions
- NOT legislate the acquisition of new public lands
- NOT remove ownership or management of public lands from any public agencies currently managing them
- NOT change current public land management allocations or change rules regarding wilderness or other current designations
