NPS Mission - National Park Service

National Park Service FY 2013 Budget Justifications
Oil Region National Heritage Area (2004) centers around the story of Colonel Edwin Drake's drilling of
the world's first successful oil well in 1859, which changed the course of industry, society, and politics in
the modern world. The Oil Region contains a number of remnants of the oil industry, as well as historic
valley settlements, riverbed settlements, plateau developments, farmlands, and industrial landscapes.
The area was shaped by Native Americans, the French and Indian War, African Americans and the
Underground Railroad, and Swedish and Polish immigrants. The NHA designation enhances efforts of
Pennsylvania, volunteer organizations, and private businesses, to interpret and promote the cultural,
national, and recreational resources of this region. Projects that will utilize NPS Heritage Partnerships
Funding in 2012 include:
• Continued rehabilitation of the Tarbell House, as well as hosting volunteer workshops and work
sessions; the focus now will be in the interior, including electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and repositioning
several second floor walls.
• Erie-to-Pittsburgh Trail engineering, construction, and amenities.
• Construct Oil Region Visitor Center inside Venango Museum in Oil City, PA.
• Continue Natural Gas History Initiative, including continuing annual symposium series; and
introduce new series of traveling exhibits, starting with “Walking the Line” being produced and
introduced in 2012.
• Coordination of continued implementation of Oil Region National Heritage Area Management
Plan.
• Continue researching, designing, producing, and installing outdoor interpretive panels throughout
Oil Region National Heritage Area.
Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Area (1994) is known as the Last Green
Valley due to the surprisingly rural character of the 1,085 square-mile area defined by the Quinebaug and
Shetucket Rivers systems and the rugged hills, forests, and agricultural fields that surround them in
northeastern Connecticut and south-central Massachusetts. Forest and farmland make up 78 percent of
its 695,000-acres. It is one of the last unspoiled and undeveloped areas in the northeastern U.S. in the
sprawling metropolitan Boston-to-Washington Corridor. It has important prehistoric archeological sites,
diversified agriculture, excellent water quality, beautiful rural landscapes, architecturally significant mill
structures and mill villages, 35 towns, and large acreage of green space. Projects that will utilize NPS
Heritage Partnerships Funding in 2012 include:
• The Last Green Valley Grant Program, for the marketing and interpretation of historical and
culture resources in the region.
• Green & Growing plan implementation, symposium, and identification of future projects relevant
and continuation of the “AGvocate” partnership.
• Regional economic development partnerships through the Sustainable Communities project,
Northeast Alliance, and other consortiums.
• Water Trail expansion: Currently, the first four water trail segments on the Quinebaug River
provide more than 30 miles of paddling. Volunteers are preparing improved Paddler’s Guides,
signs, and additional water trail segments. The Area is working with partners to expand public
shoreline access and undertake and complete stewardship projects to reduce erosion and protect
water quality.
• Expansion of The Last Green Valley Ranger Program, a formalized volunteer program for
community outreach and education.
• Product development and promotion: outdoor recreation guide, mobile sites and smart phone
applications, interactive maps, and “live cams”.
Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area (1996) works within the seven counties of southwestern
Pennsylvania to conserve, preserve, manage, and interpret the legacy of big steel and its related
industries. Over 270 heritage development projects are underway or have been completed in the Rivers
of Steel’s eight county region. Rivers of Steel is building on the area's remarkable transition from heavy
industry to high technology and diversified services as well as bolstering the new regional economy by
promoting tourism and economic development based on the region's historic industrial saga, including the
NR&P-73