CHAPTER 5
Downeast Maine ’ s Nationally Significant Heritage Story
Chapter 5 evaluates Criterion 2 of the required criteria for National Heritage Area designation .
Criterion 2 : Reflects traditions , customs , beliefs , and folklife that are a valuable part of the national story .
A proposed National Heritage Area must demonstrate its significance as a Nationally Important Landscape according to the National Park Service ’ s Feasibility Study Guidelines . Nationally Important Landscapes are places with regional and national stories that , together with their associated natural and / or cultural resources , enable the American people to understand , preserve , and celebrate key components of the multifaceted character of the nation ’ s heritage . This term includes an ecological and cultural context of historic and cultural sites , along with the ecosystems and human communities surrounding those sites .
A Significance Statement and list of Interpretive Themes are required as part of the Feasibility Study . A Significance Statement expresses why and how a proposed area is nationally important and what exceptional values or qualities it holds that demonstrate this . Interpretive themes
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