National Heritage Area (NHA) Advisory Committee
The Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust Executive Committee is currently inviting letters of interest from individuals for voluntary service on the NHA Advisory Committee. Members of the NHA Advisory Committee will represent the many communities of the Greenway, from rural towns to urban champions of outdoor space, from conservation advocates to historians and archivists. The NHA Advisory Committee will connect the varied stories and lived experiences of the Greenway’s landscape, history and culture, and from them create a series of recommendations to ensure the Greenway’s heritage is protected and shared.
The Mountains to Sound Greenway NHA
National Heritage Areas (NHAs) are the places where natural, historical and cultural resources are interconnected in a cohesive landscape that promotes community-led conservation. In March 2019, Congress designated the Mountains to Sound Greenway as a National Heritage Area, naming the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust the local coordinating entity charged with leading a cooperative planning process that supports collaboration between land management agencies.
The Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area Advisory Committee (NHA Advisory Committee) will provide input and make recommendations to the Greenway Trust about the Cooperative Management Plan.
The Plan will contain:
- An inventory of resources related to a key set of cultural and historic themes, and strategies for preserving those resources;
- An interpretive plan that includes Tribal heritage; and
- Strategies for promoting and supporting collaborative partnerships to implement those preservation and interpretation of the Greenway’s natural, historic and cultural assets.
The Committee is expected to meet quarterly. Meeting locations will vary across the Greenway. The expected term of this committee is through approximately March 2022.
About the Mountains to Sound Greenway
The Mountains to Sound Greenway spans over 1.5 million acres of connected natural lands and vibrant urban areas surrounding Interstate 90 between Seattle and Ellensburg, Washington. For nearly 30 years, the Greenway Trust has been leading coalitions and inspiring action to conserve and enhance this landscape, ensuring a long-term balance between people and nature. [See Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust’s 2016-2020 Strategic Plan.]
Designation of the Mountains to Sound Greenway as a National Heritage Area is validation that this region is nationally significant and that the stories of this landscape, from time immemorial to today, are important chapters of our country’s story. We are very excited to be joining the company of so many iconic places across the country and look forward to sharing our region’s stories and resources as a National Heritage Area.
Who Should Join?
NHA Advisory Committee members should bring a special understanding and appreciation for the region’s cultural and natural history. Committee members will contribute directly to a management plan intended to promote collaborative conservation of natural resources in the region, and to preserve and share cultural heritage within the Greenway.
The Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust strives for a mix of cultural, multigenerational and geographic representation in its NHA Advisory Committee members. Committee members will be encouraged to think broadly with diverse community interests in mind and to use their personal and professional networks to gather input that can help inform the Committee’s work.
The Greenway Trust seeks committee members who:
- Are interested in taking part in the management planning process
- Can think broadly and work collaboratively and constructively
- Are able to commit to the full committee term
- Have experience in one or more of the following; historic preservation, planning, tourism, marketing, and cultural and natural resources
Click here to review the Mountains to Sound Greenway NHA Advisory Committee Charter.