DAHP Secures $150,000 for National Maritime Heritage Area Study
April 11, 2008 — Gov. Chris Gregoire has approved funding in the amount of $150,000 for the state Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation to study the feasibility of a "national maritime heritage area" covering Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the state’s Pacific Ocean coastline. The allocation is in the 2008 state supplemental budget signed by the governor on April 1. Completion of the study could lead to a congressional designation of the area as early as 2009.
A maritime heritage task force sponsored by 4Culture and King County heritage groups first recommended creation of the heritage area in a 2005 report. The Pacific Northwest Maritime Heritage Council, an umbrella group of maritime heritage organizations in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, worked with 4Culture and others during the 2008 Legislature to secure the study funding.
The National Park Service, which administers national heritage areas, defines them as places where natural, cultural, historic, and recreational resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally distinctive landscape arising from patterns of human activity shaped by geography. Unlike a national park, which is owned and operated by the federal government, a heritage area is managed locally over a complex matrix of public and private land. The Park Service helps with technical assistance. Designation of a maritime heritage area in Washington State, if approved by Congress, would boost efforts to preserve historic ships, lighthouses, and traditional maritime skills and offer access to as much as $1,000,000 annually for heritage tourism, interpretation, promotion, and development projects.
Working with a steering committee, DAHP will hire a consultant to write the report and deliver it by June 30, 2009. The study will include an assessment of maritime attractions and resources; identification of project partners and their roles; identification of a proposed management entity; and a proposed boundary for the heritage area.
For more information, contact DAHP at 360-586-3065.
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