October 02, 2008

The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area is proud to announce that its 10-Year
Management Plan and Environmental Assessment has been approved by the
Secretary of the Department of the Interior.

When making a National Heritage Area designation, Congress mandates that each
NHA develop a comprehensive 10-Year Management Plan to guide its operations.
Approval of a Management Plan increases a Heritage Area's opportunities for
federal funding.

"The Management Plan was the result of a lot of work by BRNHA Board and staff,
Heritage Development Officers, County Heritage Councils, Equinox Environmental
Consultation and Design, and an Interdisciplinary Team of experts assembled by
Equinox," stated Penn Dameron, Executive Director of the BRNHA.

In addition to offering a comprehensive set of goals and strategies for heritage
preservation and promotion, the plan includes an extensive inventory of cultural,
historical, natural, and recreational resources of Western North Carolina - the craft
artisans, musicians, historic sites, festivals, and landscape features that make the
region so distinctive.

"We feel this plan will be an excellent resource for us and for anyone else who is
interested in preservation, interpretation and heritage development activities now or
in the future," Dameron said.

The Management Plan and Environmental Assessment can be downloaded from the
Blue Ridge National Heritage Area website.

The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, designated by Congress and the President
in November, 2003, works to protect, preserve, interpret, and develop the unique
natural, historical, and cultural resources of Western North Carolina for the benefit
of present and future generations, and in so doing to stimulate improved economic
opportunity in the region. National Heritage Areas are locally-governed institutions
that encourage residents, non-profit groups, government agencies, and private
partners to work together in planning and implementing programs that preserve and
celebrate America's defining landscapes.