Jonesboro, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – Representatives working to make the Arkansas Delta a National Heritage Area (NHA) gave a presentation Friday that showed off the plan’s feasibility study, and informed attendees on how they could help make the area an NHA.

Two meetings occurred in other cities in the proposed area earlier in Helena and Pine Bluff. An NHA is a congressional designated area that represents the intersection of natural, historic, and cultural resources that is significant. NHA’s are managed locally through partnerships supporting causes such as preservation, economic development, and more.

“It’s a place where people and the landscape have had an impact on each other for a very long time. It’s a living landscape that is significant to the history of the United States,” said Nancy Morgan with POINT Heritage Development Consulting, which helped with the feasibility study.

The proposed Arkansas Delta NHA is made up of 17 counties encompassing eastern Arkansas, including Craighead County.

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The study is in its final draft form, and pending congressional approval, will receive federal appropriations for 15 years. Officials said during Friday’s meeting that an area being designated as an NHA serves as an economic development strategy and gives area Advertising and Promotion (A&P) Commissions an additional tool for marketing their communities.

Officials said the plan has support from Arkansas legislative leaders, including Sen. Tom Cotton and Rep. Bruce Westerman, who have said they plan to introduce the NHA designation legislation in their respective chambers of Congress. Officials noted they also had been speaking with Rep. Rick Crawford about the plan.

“We see across the country that National Heritage Areas have broad bipartisan support. They’re in all parts of the country, any member of Congress that has them in their district, likes them and fights for them,” said Dr. Adam Long, executive director of Arkansas State University’s Heritage Sites, which launched the initial NHA designation application.

Should the NHA designation be approved, Morgan said A-State wants to work to expand the area’s music tourism industry, and bolster visibility of any nationally historic sites in the area. She added that A-State wants to set up a competitive grant program that prioritizes causes such as preservation, conservation, the arts, and more.

“That National Heritage Area designation kind of serves as that good housekeeping seal of approval, so, it really makes it possible to leverage both the funding and the designation to attract more money and partnership,” Morgan said.

Officials with the study are currently seeking public comment, which closes Dec. 11. Long said the study needs input and letters of support from individuals, economic development organizations, A&P Commissions, cultural organizations, and more.

Those with comments or letters to submit can send them to Long via email at adamlong@AState.edu. The draft of the study can be read in its entirety here.

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