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Delta National Heritage Area Enters Planning Stage

By November 21, 2011General

Ken Murphree, Chair and Governor’s Appointment to the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area announcing the beginning of the planning process.

The Board of the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area (MDNHA) announced that it has contracted with the National Trust for Historic Preservation to develop its management plan.  MDNHA Chairman Ken Murphree, of Tunica, made the announcement to a crowd of about 100 people attending a public meeting  in Stoneville on November 16.  Appointed by Governor Haley Barbour, Murphree chairs the governing board comprised of 15 agencies named in the authorizing legislation supported by Senator Thad Cochran and Congressman Bennie Thompson.  

The planning process will last almost three years.  There will be public meetings held throughout the Delta to collect information, review proposed alternatives, and present the draft management plan.  The board encourages everyone with an interest in promoting the Delta’s heritage to become involved by attending the public meetings, which will be advertised well in advance.

The Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University currently serves as the interim manager of the MDNHA, a federally mandated link between the 18 counties of the Delta and the National Park Service.  The MDNHA will provide many benefits to the entire region, especially as it encourages tourists to visit the Delta and explore its rich cultural and natural heritage.  It will “brand” the Delta in the eyes of the world and further enhance and complement existing efforts like the Mississippi Blues Trail, the B. B. King Museum, the Vicksburg Battlefield Park, and the Mississippi River gaming resorts.  

All National Heritage Areas are required to complete a rigorous and detailed management plan.  This plan defines the heritage themes for the area and describes how the area will be funded and operated.  It outlines the area’s plan of action based on input from the public and the numerous stake-holders/partners who have an interest in promoting the heritage resources of the Delta.

“The new Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area gives the people of the Delta new opportunities to tell their heritage stories and to reap the benefits that will flow from increased tourism,” said Dr. Luther Brown, director of the Delta Center for Culture and Learning. “I invite everyone to become involved with the planning process and help us make our new heritage area into a program that not only promotes the entire region, but is also something that everyone in the Delta can take great pride in.”

More information can be obtained by contacting the interim manager of the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area, the Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University (662-846-4311, or Lbrown@deltastate.edu).