The Sierra Club campaign "Preserve Patapsco Valley State Park" has addressed the potential environmental impacts of heritage tourism development on state land. Public hearings in Baltimore and Howard County took place in July and September of this year. The third public hearing, announced below, will be the last before the certification comes to a vote by the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority (an agency of the Maryland Historical Trust). The Sierra Club position is that all development projects on state land should be reviewed by the appropriate state agencies, with public involvement. In Patapsco Valley State Park, a new Trail Management Plan is being prepared with public input. The Patapsco Heritage Greenway's Management Plan is the subject of the public hearing, but none of the proposals in the Management Plan have been approved by the Park Service. If you would like to comment on the PHG Management Plan, please contact joanne.heckman@mdsierra.org so we can include your comments in our testimony. Maryland Heritage Areas Authority Sets Public Hearing on Whether to Designate Patapsco Heritage Area
|
BALTIMORE, MD (November 24, 2014) - The Maryland Heritage Areas Authority will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. Monday, December 8 on whether to designate an area rich in cultural, natural, and historic resources surrounding the Patapsco River as a State Certified Heritage Area. Designation creates a strategy and fosters partnership between government agencies, businesses and nonprofit organizations to promote sustainable economic development and heritage resource conservation through grants, loans, tax credits and other tools.
To be designated, communities prepare a management plan summarizing the area's heritage resources and themes, boundaries, proposed tourism and conservation projects. If the request is approved, qualified local jurisdictions, non-profits, businesses and individuals will be eligible to apply for grants, loans, tax credits or other benefit programs available through the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority.
WHAT: Maryland Heritage Areas Authority public hearing on the proposed designation of a Patapsco Certified Heritage Area WHEN: 6-8 p.m. Monday, December 8, 2014 WHERE: Catonsville Clubhouse, 10 Saint Timothy's Lane, Catonsville, MD 21228 WHO: Local government officials, heritage resource organizations, conservationists, tourism industry representatives, business and property owners, and others who are interested in the proposal to designate the Patapsco Certified Heritage Area
# # #
|
 Scenes from proposed Patapsco Heritage Area  |
 |