MotorCities National Heritage Area, Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Tourism Windsor won a prestigious 2017 Partnership Award from the Director of the National Park Service for the "Find Your Road Trip" guide.

"Find Your Road Trip" celebrated the 2016 NPS Centennial and was designed to bring greater awareness to more people about the unique story of how the area 'Put the World on Wheels'. MotorCities collaborated with their tourism partners and six National Park units in Michigan to brand Michigan during the Centennial celebration. 

They created a contest too. By visiting a combination of 6 heritage sites and 1 NPS site, passport stamp collectors received a certificate from Governor Snyder stating "I Found My Michigan National Parks". To download a copy of Find Your Road Trip visit: motorcities.org

Read the National Coal Heritage Area Economic Impact Study,completed in January 2017. The report states  that Coal Heritage's work has an annual economic impact of $207 million dollars. 

That economic impact is important to West Virginia's small struggling communities and contributes to the overall economic diversity of the region.

Mississippi Delta NHA and The Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University were awarded the 2016 National Park Service Centennial Award for the Delta Jewels Oral History Partnership. The Delta Center is the management entity for the MDNHA. This cultural heritage interpretation project honored the lives of unsung Mississippi Delta church mothers featured in Alysia Burton Steele's book, Delta Jewels: In Search of My Grandmother's Wisdom. 

"The Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area and The Delta Center demonstrated exceptional leadership and creativity in organizing 15 community gatherings with Alysia Burton Steele and several of the Delta Jewels featured in the book," said Chris Abbett, associate regional director of partnerships, interpretation and education at the NPS Southeast Regional Office. "The programs throughout Mississippi, as well as the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum in Washington, D.C., connected with and helped to create the next generation of visitors, supporters and advocates for the National Park Service."

  Learn more: deltastate.edu/news

Dr. McAdams, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, Dr. Rolando Herts, director, The Delta Center for Culture and Learning and MDNHA, William N. LaForge, president, Delta State University, Fonce Bates, acting superintendent Vicksburg Military Park, and Dr. Myrtis Tabb, board chair, MDNHA. Photo by Will Jacks

Turquoise Bend, a unique curve along Alaska's Kenai River, was recently discovered as an 800-year-old, semi-permanent winter village of the Denai'na Athabaskans. 

To the Kenaitze Indian Tribe, this site is not only a cultural landmark and direct link to their ancestral heritage, but also represents a deep spiritual connection to a place that represents a holistic way of life that has persisted for generations.

What does one do, today, when such a sacred place is located on private property?

Through a Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm NHA grant, partners coordinated a initiative to address the challenges of preserving cultural heritage sites in a way that respects indigenous peoples while educating and assisting private landowners in protecting these places.  As a result, elders, youth, landowners, and archaeologists teamed to excavate the Dena'ina site at Turquois Bend. Non-invasive Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) was used to discover a semi-subterranean log home built to house multiple families.Teams examined the condition of the river bank  and performed site restoration activities. 

"There were some cultural differences that [landowners] were very willing to hear about, learn about, and work with. I feel like we could have a good conversation that was respectful of the land," said Joel Isaak, Cultural Coordinator of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe.

This multi-year project includes mapping and surveying of archaeological sites in the Kenai River Valley with an integrated management plan supported by Tribal representatives, landowners, and archaeologists. The past is still being discovered and this NHA project illustrates how members of various cultural communities can collaborate, listen, and be heard as the stories of our nation unfold.

  The Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area (MGCNHA) created a new  program that will begin in 2018 to recognize businesses that are knowledgeable about the Coast's natural environment and take steps to protect that environment by fostering environmental and cultural understanding, appreciation, and conservation.

MCNHA held a business summit on November 29 for nature-based tourism business owners and operators to learn how they could become a recognized  Gulf Coast Outpost.The summit prepared owners and operators to complete a checklist with a focus on training, stewardship, and sustainability. The program is for companies whose business is dependent on the natural environment in Mississippi's six coastal counties, including, eco-tours, tour guides, outfitters, eco-lodges, charter boat operators, and agritourism.

"Nature-based tourism is an important component of the MGCNHA mission," said Director Rhonda Price. "The MGCNHA is dedicated to balancing economic development with conservation with the Gulf Coast Outpost program," she said.

Gulf Coast Outpost business recognition program is a component of the 2016 Nature-based Tourism Plan for Coastal Mississippi developed for the MGCNHA by stakeholders in the industry. For details, visit msgulfcoastheritage.ms.gov.

	Wilson Dam, 1925, University of North Alabama Archives and Special Collections.

In October, Muscle Shoals NHA received a grant from the Alabama Humanities Foundation to develop a traveling exhibit as a companion to the MSNHA upcoming publication  The Tennessee River and Northwest Alabama. 

The exhibit will examine the Tennessee River's role in shaping life in northwest Alabama, explore the ways the Native Americans used the river, the construction of the Muscle Shoals Canal and Wilson Dam, and the role the Tennessee Valley Authority. It will travel to libraries, community centers, colleges, museums, and more across the six counties in MSNHA. They are also developing curriculum and workshops for teachers to share the river's natural history and how people affect the river.  University of North Alabama public history graduate students Brian Murphy, Brian Corrigan, and Jeremy Britten are working with MSNHA interim executive director Dr. Carolyn Barske to conduct research for the book, exhibit, and curriculum. 

From 1916-1983, workers built more than 340 tug boats, police boats, WWII submarine chasers, and other vessels.(Matton Shipyard workers, circa 1918, Canal Society of New York State collection)

Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area collaborated with Weir Farm National Historic Site for a series of dry stone wall workshops this summer and fall.  One workshop was held at Herman Melville's  Arrowhead,  a National Historic Landmark, and where Melville was inspired to write the novel Moby Dick.  

Attendees ranged in age from 14 to 64 years old, all working

as a te am to restore the  remains of the old stone wall. Under the guidance of Master Craftsman Neil Rippingale, the crew meticulously completed a 55-foot section in one area, then started and finished another 30-foot section. By the end of the day the group built a total of 85 linear feet of sturdy strong historic dry stone wall.

In October 2017, Looking for Lincoln in collaboration with Southern Illinois University Press published A Guide to Lincoln's Eighth Judicial Circuit, in which Author Guy Fraker explores the twenty-three years Abraham Lincoln practiced law on the Eighth Judicial Circuit. Twice a year, spring and fall, Lincoln's work took him on a journey covering more than four hundred miles. As his stature as a lawyer grew, east central Illinois grew in population and influence, and the Circuit provided Lincoln with clients, friends, and associates who became part of the network that ultimately elevated him to the presidency.

This is the third book in the Looking for Lincoln in Illinois book series which aims to tell the story of the distinctive role the region known as the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area played in shaping the man who became the 16th President of the United States. Lincoln's Springfield has

fifty stories about Abraham Lincoln and his home-town of Springfield, Illinois. Lincoln and Mormon Country tells more than thirty stories. Both books are carefully researched. For more information visit siupress.com/series/looking-lincoln.

Symposium: April 20-21, 2018 in Kansas City, KS . Wi th grant funding fr o m the Kansas Humanities Council, Freedom's Fro ntier National Heritage Area and partnering organi zations will host the symposium S trength Through Numbers: The Intersection of Abolitionist Politics, Freed Blacks, and a Flourishing Community in Quindaro . This event plans to bring together academic research, dramatic presentation, art and artifact exhibits, and community discussion to give voice to the rich history and future of the Quindaro townsite with the goal of designating the ruins of Quindaro as a National Historic Landmark.

The historical significance of Quindaro, Kansas is an established but growing topic thanks to the diligent work of enthusiasts and the site's listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The history of the community is essential to the telling of the larger national story of abolitionist and antislavery politics in the Civil War era, race relations, women's suffrage, native peoples, the Civil War in the West, and other significant stories of our nation. For information, visit freedomsfrontier.org

Over the course of its first 10 years as a National Heritage Area, Mormon Pioneer NHA and its community partners have leverage $2.2 million in federal funds to seed projects valued at $44.3 million. More than 67 restoration projects are completed in 26 communities in the area and several more are ongoing.

"It has been a tremendously fruitful first decade for the MPNHA and we're looking forward with excitement and optimism toward the next 10 years," said MPNHA Executive Director Monte Bona.

	Panguitch Quilt Walk Monument honors a group of settlers who traversed the mountains during the dead of winter to seek out aid for their starving community.

Along with restoration of historic buildings, the MPNHA supported local towns as part of main street revitalization efforts, supported community celebrations and educational programs, including the MPHNA's own TV show  Discovery Road and the book Legends, Lore & True Tales in Mormon Country.  Other projects include  development of an agri-tourism/equestrian center, veterans memorials, trails, museums, kiosks, a railroad village and visitors centers.

	B ill Northey, Jim Hoyt, SSNHA Board of Trustees Chair, Candy Streed and Cara Miller SSNHA.

Silos & Smoke- stacks National Heritage Area presented Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey with "The Golden Silo Award - Alan Hutchings Outstanding Visionary" The award is named for Alan Hutchings, who was a National Park Service leader whose vision was critical to the creation of Silos & Smokestacks and other NHAs.

   

"I am honored and humbled to have received the Alan Hutchings Visionary Award," said Northey.  "I thank SSHNA for continuing to nurture Iowa's agricultural heritage and making sure that while we all work to advance agriculture, our past is preserved."

"We selected Secretary Northey for this honor because of his tireless work to support agriculture and historical preservation in our state," said Silos & Smokestacks President Cara Miller. "Bill makes a point to seek out and visit our partner sites when he's touring the counties of Iowa."

 

For more information on other awardees, visit silosandsmokestacks.

Poudre Heritage Alliance's is hosting an event in Fort Collins, Colorado March 31, 2018 to  raise awareness that Good Water = Good Beer! The "Poudre Pour" will feature tastings; education stations and lectures; kids activities; entertainment; and an art exhibition. 

Poudre Heritage Alliance's (PHA) main partner on this event is BreWater, whose mission includes bringing together craft breweries in the greater Fort Collins area to discuss water issues, protect water quality, and encourage water education.  PHA will host a series talks January through March 2018 featuring guest speakers talking about a range of subjects related to "good water." For example, New Belgium will talk about how water is used from "farm to foam" and the local water initiatives they support. Odell Brewing Company will focus on the pilot program with the City of Fort Collins Waste Water Division.  For more information, email [email protected] or visit: poudreheritage.org

Schuyl kill River Heritage Area adopted a new organizational identity, changing its name to Schuylkill River Greenways NHA, (SRG) and revising its logo, reflecting SRG's mission to connect people to the river and the river corridor.  The logo features a river running though of fields and towns.

 

"Our new identity better represents the work we do, building and promoting the Schuylkill River Trail, championing the river and revitalizing the communities along it." said Schuylkill River Greenways Executive Director Elaine P. Schaefer.

The new name harkens back to the organization's roots. Founded in 1974 as the Schuylkill River Greenway Association, its primary goal was to build a trail along the river, and advocate for river conservation. The name was changed to Schuylkill River Heritage Area after being designated as a National Heritage Area in 2000. However, Schuylkill River Greenway Association continued to be used for business purposes.

The new name, Schuylkill River Greenways NHA maintains the National Heritage Area distinction while embracing the founding identity. Greenway is pluralized, recognizing the many greenways along tributaries of the Schuylkill that contribute to river health and the regional economic well being.

Veteran journalist Janice Selinger was appointed in November as executive director of Crossroads of the American Revolution Association, the non-profit organization responsible for the management of the Crossroads of the American Revolution NHA. 

"Janice joins Crossroads at an exciting time as we lay the groundwork for New Jersey's celebration of the 250th birthday of the United States in 2026," said Patrick Murray, chair of the Crossroads Board of Trustees. "Her strong track record in fundraising and project management will help our partners strengthen the state's Revolutionary War resources and increase the economic benefit to our communities through heritage tourism."

Read More revolutionarynj.org/janice-selinger

When Rivers of Steel NHA acquired the Explorer riverboat and took on management of RiverQuest late in 2016, it heralded a new era for Rivers of Steel in terms of programs and opportunities. 

RiverQuest staff joined our team including Captain Ryan O'Rourke and Senior Deckhand Terry Stockline, along with part-time crew and teachers, with Christine Statzer as Administrative Services Coordinator to help manage the transition, as well as facilitate the activities of the expanded organization.  

With financial support from foundations in Pittsburgh in 2017, Rivers of Steel added Suzi Bloom as Director of Education; formerly with RiverQuest and the Program Director of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers. Carly McCoy joined as the Director of Sales/Marketing. She was formerly with The Frick Pittsburgh, Gateway to the Arts, and Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting. The new Director of Development is Lisa Connelly, formerly VP of Development and Marketing for the Butler County Family YMCA.

Additionally, Adam Taylor joined Rivers of Steel as a full-time Maintenance Manager and contributed to significant site improvements at the Carrie Blast Furnaces this year. In June, Rivers of Steel honored Controller Doug Hartman, for 25 years of service as he retired. Dan Schwartz is the new Controller. Finally, in August, Brianna Horan completed the team when she became Manager of Tourism and Visitor Experience, bringing with her experience in the tourism industry.