The Maryland Heritage Areas Authority held a public hearing on December 8. The MHAA Chair, Amanda Conn, reminded the attendees that the certification of a Heritage Area and the work of its "managing entity" (proposing projects and seeking funding) are legal. She also mentioned that the Management Plan of the Patapsco Heritage Greenway is not a Master Plan for the Patapsco Valley State Park, and that only the Park Service employees can approve plans for the State Parks (individual development plans and overall Master Plans).
The Sierra Club testimony is that, without a Master Plan written by the Park Service and approved by the public, the Park Service will be asked to approve Heritage Area projects on an ad hoc basis. The public will have no way of knowing what projects are being considered.
The Management Plan, which has been presented at several public hearings for review and comment, is not a binding document. The proposals in it have not been approved for the State Park. The "managing entity" of the Heritage Area is a private organization that may propose different projects in the future with no obligation to disclose their plans to the public.
Projects proposed for the Park are subject to an Integrated Review and approval process conducted by Park staff. However, public involvement is not mandatory. In the absence of a publicly approved Master Plan for the Park, that would guide the decisions of the Park staff, the public can not be assured that their interests will be protected above those of any special interest groups.
The Sierra Cub position is that the Patapsco Valley State Park should be excluded from the Heritage Area until a revised Master Plan is written by the Park Service with public involvement.
Comments may be submitted to richard.hughes@maryland.gov until December 15, 2014. The MHAA will vote on the certification on January 15, 2015.