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Guam National Heritage Area Feasibility Study
Pacific West Regional Office » Guam National Heritage Area Feasibility Study » Document List
Welcome to the Guam National Heritage Area Feasibility Study project website. The National Park Service (NPS) will use this website to post project information, meeting dates and locations, updates, and documents for public comment throughout this study.
The National Park Service is conducting a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating sites on Guam as a national heritage area. Congress authorized the study in Public Law 117-339, which directs the Secretary of the Interior, through the National Park Service, to evaluate the area for potential designation as a national heritage area (NHA).
Working collaboratively with local stakeholders, subject matter experts, and the public, the study team will evaluate public support for an NHA designation and whether there is a commitment to manage the national heritage area through a local partnership. At the completion of the study, the findings and any recommendations will be submitted to Congress for consideration.
National heritage areas are designated by Congress as places where natural, cultural, historic, and scenic resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally distinctive landscape arising from patterns of human activity shaped by geography. These patterns make national heritage areas representative of the national experience through the physical features that remain and the traditions that have evolved in them. Continued use of national heritage areas by people whose traditions helped to shape the landscapes enhances their significance. They are lived-in landscapes in which NHA coordinating entities collaborate with communities to determine how to make heritage relevant to local interests and needs.
The National Park Service provides technical, planning, and limited financial assistance to national heritage areas. The National Park Service is a partner and advisor, leaving decision-making authority in the hands of local people, communities, and organizations. The NPS does not assume ownership of land inside heritage areas or impose land use controls. Currently, there are 62 designated national heritage areas in 36 states and territories that support a diversity of conservation, recreation, education, and preservation activities. To learn more about national heritage areas and the national heritage area system, visit https://www.nps.gov/subjects/heritageareas/index.htm.
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
A feasibility study analyzes whether the study area has the key resources and the local support necessary for designation as a national heritage area. The feasibility study process explores important factors that inform whether national designation is the best way to achieve a region's conservation, education, recreation, and economic development goals. The study also provides Congress with information regarding the appropriateness of designating the area as a national heritage area.
Studies are typically completed within three years. The study began in fall 2024 and is currently in its first year. Upon completion, a report will be submitted to Congress describing the study findings, recommendations from the Secretary of the Interior, and any correspondence received that demonstrates support for or opposition to establishing the national heritage area. For more information on national heritage area feasibility studies, visit https://www.nps.gov/subjects/heritageareas/feasibility-studies.htm.
Guam_NHA_study@nps.gov
The National Park Service is conducting a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating sites on Guam as a national heritage area. Congress authorized the study in Public Law 117-339, which directs the Secretary of the Interior, through the National Park Service, to evaluate the area for potential designation as a national heritage area (NHA).
Working collaboratively with local stakeholders, subject matter experts, and the public, the study team will evaluate public support for an NHA designation and whether there is a commitment to manage the national heritage area through a local partnership. At the completion of the study, the findings and any recommendations will be submitted to Congress for consideration.
National heritage areas are designated by Congress as places where natural, cultural, historic, and scenic resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally distinctive landscape arising from patterns of human activity shaped by geography. These patterns make national heritage areas representative of the national experience through the physical features that remain and the traditions that have evolved in them. Continued use of national heritage areas by people whose traditions helped to shape the landscapes enhances their significance. They are lived-in landscapes in which NHA coordinating entities collaborate with communities to determine how to make heritage relevant to local interests and needs.
The National Park Service provides technical, planning, and limited financial assistance to national heritage areas. The National Park Service is a partner and advisor, leaving decision-making authority in the hands of local people, communities, and organizations. The NPS does not assume ownership of land inside heritage areas or impose land use controls. Currently, there are 62 designated national heritage areas in 36 states and territories that support a diversity of conservation, recreation, education, and preservation activities. To learn more about national heritage areas and the national heritage area system, visit https://www.nps.gov/subjects/heritageareas/index.htm.
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
A feasibility study analyzes whether the study area has the key resources and the local support necessary for designation as a national heritage area. The feasibility study process explores important factors that inform whether national designation is the best way to achieve a region's conservation, education, recreation, and economic development goals. The study also provides Congress with information regarding the appropriateness of designating the area as a national heritage area.
Studies are typically completed within three years. The study began in fall 2024 and is currently in its first year. Upon completion, a report will be submitted to Congress describing the study findings, recommendations from the Secretary of the Interior, and any correspondence received that demonstrates support for or opposition to establishing the national heritage area. For more information on national heritage area feasibility studies, visit https://www.nps.gov/subjects/heritageareas/feasibility-studies.htm.
Contact Information
Guam National Heritage Area Study TeamGuam_NHA_study@nps.gov