Hughesville, MD — The public is invited to participate as planning for the future of the recently designated Southern Maryland National Heritage Area begins with a meeting on September 13, 2023. The meeting will be held at Calvert Marine Museum in Solomon’s Island.
“The Southern Maryland National Heritage Area was designated by Congress in December of 2022 in recognition of the region’s unique and nationally significant history,” said Lucille Walker, executive director of the Southern Maryland National Heritage Area.
“The goal of a National Heritage Area is to create a community-driven network to support historic preservation, natural resource conservation, recreation, heritage tourism, and educational projects,” Walker said. “This meeting will begin a year-long process to develop a management plan that will reflect the interests of our communities in guiding the National Heritage Area’s work.”
The National Heritage Area boundary includes Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties (which make up the state-designated heritage area) and southern Prince George’s County. The National Heritage Area works in partnership with the National Park Service which will provide technical assistance and funding.
The management plan will be developed by a team led by Cultural Heritage Works which includes some of the country’s top experts in working with National Heritage Areas. The consultant team will work with National Heritage Area staff, an Advisory Committee, and the public to develop the plan which will be approved by the National Park Service and the Secretary of the Interior. Once approved, the Southern Maryland National Heritage Area will be eligible to receive federal funds to support implementation of programs and projects included in the management plan.
The public meeting will be held from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. and will include a presentation on the process and timeline for development of the management plan, examples of success stories from other National Heritage Areas, and a discussion session with participants to share what they consider important opportunities to develop and sustain the area’s heritage and culture.
Register online here.
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As authorized by Congress in 2022, the Southern Maryland National Heritage Area includes Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s and southern Prince George’s County. The Southern Maryland National Heritage Area operates under the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland. To learn more about Destination Southern Maryland, visit our website.
