Public input will help determine future activities of the national heritage area
Development of a management plan for the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area will take a significant step forward with two public meetings on Tuesday, February 26 in Southaven and Greenwood. Meeting participants will be asked to provide their recommendations on the heritage area’s major focus areas for the next 10-15 years.
“In the past year, we have talked with people throughout in the 18-county region and have gathered lots of information and ideas on how the heritage area can contribute to sustainable economic development based on our history and culture,” said Luther Brown, director of the Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University and manager of the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area.
“All of the input we have received has led to the development of five options for what the heritage area can do and what resources are needed to accomplish our goals,” Brown said. “Public participation is critical at this point to help us decide which options will best serve the Delta to support historic preservation, natural resource conservation, recreation, heritage tourism, education and other activities.”
Participants will review five options and discuss each for its connection to the heritage area’s goals, the impact it would have on resources and the potential for success. (For a description of the options, visit www.msdeltaheritage.com.) Results from the public meetings will be shared with the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area’s board of directors to help in their determination of the best option for the heritage area.
The management plan, scheduled for completion in December 2013, will be developed based on the selected option. The plan is being developed by a team led by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Team members will facilitate the public meetings and report outcomes to the heritage area board of directors.
The public meetings are open to anyone interested in the region’s heritage. Reservations are not required. Meetings will be held at the following times and locations:
Tuesday, February 26
10 a.m. to Noon
Museum of the Mississippi Delta (formerly Cottonlandia Museum)
1608 Highway 82
Greenwood
4 – 6 p.m.
Landers Center (DeSoto Civic Center)
4560 Venture Drive
(Intersection of I-55 and Church Road)
Southhaven
For more information, contact Luther Brown at 662-846-4311.
As authorized by Congress in 2009, the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area includes 18 counties – Bolivar, Carroll, Coahoma, DeSoto, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Leflore, Panola, Quitman, Sharkey, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tunica, Warren, Washington and Yazoo. The Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University in Cleveland is the program manager for the management planning phase. The Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area is governed by a board of directors representing agencies and organizations defined in the Congressional legislation. For more information, visit www.msdeltaheritage.com.
