Local National Heritage Area proposal makes community debut

The Red Cedar River watershed has a story to tell, says a Rice Lake man who is spearheading efforts to have it designated a National Heritage Area, which could engage the community in preserving and promoting the “gem” of a natural resource.

Don Erickson, coordinator of a study group that has been pursuing the proposed designation under the name Glacial Legacy Heritage Area for four years, invited the community to a presentation by National Park Service Chief Christopher Stein, who is the program manager of heritage areas in the Midwest, at UW-Eau Claire — Barron County on Thursday afternoon.

“We feel that we do have a story here,” Erickson said, “and with the help of the National Heritage Area program we can capitalize on that and also enhance the living quality for all the occupants of the Red Cedar valley.”

The River DocRod Olson, known to many as the River Doc because of his efforts with land and water conservation, inspired the push to seek National Heritage designation, Erickson said.

“It’s Rod’s vision,” he said of the former physician who died in November 2022.

While paddling the Red Cedar River, Olson was “beguiled by the beauty,” Erickson said, but the river’s high levels of phosphorus alarmed him. The River Doc believed the area had the technology and management practices to correct the problem, but the public needed to recognize that the waterway was a resource worth saving.

Erickson hopes that by pursuing the designation of the Red Cedar watershed as a National Heritage Area, local communities will understand why the river needs its story told — and how the designation can work for them through both conservation and economic development.

Stein presentationThe National Park Service chief came to Rice Lake to present a beginner’s level class on what National Heritage Areas are — and are not.

National Heritage Areas are controlled on the community level by local coordinating entities, with the National Park Service merely providing administrative oversight. While Stein may administrate the program in the Midwest, he does not manage or supervise areas.

“Seeking National Heritage Area designation is a community-led effort,” Stein said. “It is not a National Park Service-led effort.”

Congress, not the National Park Service, establishes National Heritage Areas, and compiling the information for the feasibility study and proposed legislation takes years. But the efforts typically receive warm welcomes in Washington, D.C., he said.

“So far we’ve had great bipartisan support from Congress for National Heritage Areas,” Stein said.

Currently, 62 areas in 36 states exist, but none as yet has been established in either Minnesota or Wisconsin, although the proposed North Woods and Waters of the St. Croix Heritage Area has completed its feasibility study and is waiting for legislation to be introduced.

Stein emphasized that there is no federal ownership of land under the National Heritage Area program, there are no new rules and regulations that come with the designation, and private property rights are fully protected.

“There’s a misconception out there that, ‘Here comes Uncle Sam, and Uncle Sam wants to take over our land’ — absolutely not,” Stein said.

The six broad goals of a National Heritage Area are recreation, education, conservation, interpretation, preservation and appropriately scaled economic development. Congress designates areas for a specific reason, Stein said.

“To get designated by Congress, you must prove that you have a nationally important story in your area,” Stein said.

To explain how these areas tell a story, Stein explained the nine currently designated in the Midwest, one of which is the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area. It includes 43 counties in central Illinois and “tells the story of President Abraham Lincoln’s 30 years living, working, and traveling in central Illinois while he unknowingly prepared himself to lead the nation during a time of unprecedented challenges.”

National Heritage Areas receive at least $500,000 in annual grants, which must be matched one-to-one, from Congress through the National Park Service. The areas sunset in 2037 unless legislation passes to extend them.

Ten criteria must be met to achieve National Heritage Area designation, and they include having historic and cultural resources that represent a distinctive part of American history.

“What is your national important story here,” Stein asked the people at the presentation.

The big question at this point of the process is does the community back the designation and the effort that goes into creating and then administrating a National Heritage Area. Do people in the local communities have the “stamina” for 25 years of meetings and public engagement to keep the area running, Stein asked.

The proposed Glacial Legacy Heritage Area has yet to be mapped, but its boundary could include all of the Red Cedar River watershed, as well as the Chippewa River between the confluence near Menomonie and the marsh area of the Mississippi River confluence.

Seeking the designation takes “research, research, research,” Stein said, plus people who have thick skins to take on the criticism and debates. The process can take years.

“But it will develop a tremendous sense of community pride,” he concluded.

While the North Woods and Waters of the St. Croix Heritage Area has not yet achieved official designation from Congress, it already has a managing nonprofit acting as if were established, and anticipates that 6,000 total jobs will be generated, its economic impact will be $7 million and $5.4 million in tax revenue will come into state and local economies.

Community supportAgain, the designation — and the possible benefits that would accompany it — comes down to community support and finishing the feasibility study.

“You should do a feasibility study as soon as you feel you have the resources,” Stein said, with help from the National Park Service.

Community support also is crucial because proposed National Heritage Areas have been shot down due to public opposition, Stein noted.

But Erickson remained positive about the success of creating the Glacial Legacy Heritage Area.

“We do have the national significance,” Erickson said after the presentation. “The question is do we have what it takes.”