By Bianca Durrant
Turnagain Times
Hope Correspondent
Alaskans can now claim to have their first national heritage area. Even better, those of us lucky enough to live in the Turnagain Arm/Eastern Kenai Peninsula actually reside within this national heritage area, known as Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area (KMTA NHA).
The signing of the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act by President Obama in March of 2009 created the KMTA NHA. Within this legislation, bill S. 3045 recognizes the historical significance of the eastern Kenai Peninsula as a transportation corridor and as such, designates it with heritage area status. This label is more than pretty; small communities that sprouted up along these travel routes now have a mechanism to acquire federal funds that can help to preserve, protect, and promote their local areas.
Indian, Bird, Girdwood, Portage, Whittier, Hope, Moose Pass, Cooper Landing, and Seward are all communities within the KMTA NHA.
It was a long road from the idea for NHA designation to the bill being signed into effect in March of 2009. The work for the NHA began in 1998 by a small group of volunteers knowledgeable in our area's historical significance and savvy enough to recognize the benefits of implementing an official NHA. The Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm Heritage Corridor Communities Association (KMTA CCA) is the entity handling the disbursement of federal funds for KMTA NHA projects. Already, projects like the restoration of the Roundhouse Museum in Girdwood have been helped along with KMTA CCA help.
“The great thing about NHA designation is that projects and programs will originate from a local, grassroots level. The individual communities decide what projects will take place,” said Kaylene Johnson.
Johnson is contracting with the KMTA CCA to write the management plan for the NHA. The comprehensive plan will be submitted to the Department of the Interior in December.
Currently, the KMTA CCA is requesting suggestions from communities as to what projects they would like to see implemented. They have created a short, four question survey that KMTA NHA residents are encouraged to fill out. The surveys will help the KMTA CCA gauge what projects have the most community support.
Suggested projects will be considered for inclusion in the National Heritage Area Management Plan. The KMTA CCA has set a target of the first of June for completed surveys. This will help them in developing their management plan. In addition, proposals for projects that may occur this summer need to be submitted as soon as possible.
There will be a public meeting in Moose Pass on May 15 at 1 p.m. at the Sportsman's Lodge for input and discussion of potential NHA projects. Residents can get more information by emailing Kaylene Johnson at kaylene.johnson@gmail.com. To pick up a copy of the KMTA CCA survey contact your local community council.
