visitors and grow their membership and fundraising bases . Current efforts undertaken by individual organizations could be leveraged to strengthen , align , and coordinate advocacy , heritage stewardship , and educational activities .
Coordinated interpretation of individual resources would emphasize the interconnected nature of historic sites , linking resources to each other and communicating the bigger story
in a more holistic fashion . this will increase awareness of existing resources and attractions and show how the region ’ s stories relate to one another , enabling visitors and regional residents to easily see and travel to other sites .
National recognition , effective cooperation between diverse heritage groups , and the opportunity to promote broader regional development goals could attract funding from larger foundations , allow competition for new funding related to economic development , and provide access to granting programs that individual organizations either are not eligible for or for which they would not be competitive . New funding would support activities of the Heritage Area and support a granting program to fund local organizations working to implement NHA management goals .
Designation as a National Heritage Area provides incentive and structure for constituent organizations to develop regional programs and priorities , identify cooperative strategies for implementation , and work in partnership with local communities , state and federal agencies , and tourism organizations . Downeast Maine is rich with organizations , local governments , community groups , business owners , and individuals who share the same values . Based on our need to develop stronger regional collaboration amongst our many existing heritage organizations , NHA designation provides the best framework and support for heritage organizations to more effectively implement our mutual and complementary goals .
Organizations and communities have an opportunity to proactively support development that reflects and continues important community values and livelihoods . If communities actively build upon their unique heritage stories , people will have greater awareness and understanding of our local culture and values . As people put their collective energies into protecting and sharing their stories with the world , it becomes more likely that people who visit and move to this region are aware of the personality and offerings of the place and people , and purposefully choose to be stewards of locally-important aspects of national heritage .
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