Beach to Bay Heritage Area Awarded $40,000 Rural Maryland Council Grant for National Heritage Area Feasibility Study

The Beach to Bay Heritage Area (BBHA) has been awarded a $40,000 Maryland Agricultural Education and Rural Development Assistance Fund (MAERDAF) grant from the Rural Maryland Council (RMC) to support Phase II of its National Heritage Area (NHA) designation feasibility study.
The Rural Maryland Council brings together citizens, community-based organizations, government officials, and representatives of the nonprofit and private sectors to address the needs and opportunities of Maryland's rural communities. Through the MAERDAF grant program, RMC provides capacity-building support to rural-serving nonprofit organizations working to advance economic and community development, regional planning, agricultural and forestry education, energy initiatives, and youth engagement and leadership development.
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"National Heritage Area designation could be transformational for the Lower Eastern Shore," said Lisa Challenger, Executive Director of the Beach to Bay Heritage Area. "This investment from the Rural Maryland Council allows us to take the next important step toward understanding how we can use our extraordinary cultural, historic, and natural resources to strengthen rural communities, attract visitors, support local businesses, and leverage additional state and federal resources."

BBHA has begun the process of pursuing National Heritage Area designation in partnership with stakeholders throughout Maryland and Delaware's Eastern Shore. The effort includes a two-year feasibility study conducted in two phases to evaluate the region's eligibility, readiness, resources, partnerships, and capacity for NHA designation.

Consultants already completed Phase I, which included project initiation, development of the planning structure, orientation and listening tours, preliminary historic and cultural assessments and stakeholder engagement.

Phase II, supported in part by the $40,000 MAERDAF award, will build upon the findings of Phase I through additional resource assessment, development of a nationally significant theme, continued public and stakeholder engagement, boundary analysis, organizational capacity evaluation, and preparation of the comprehensive feasibility study report.

National Heritage Areas are designated by Congress and administered through the National Park Service. They bring together communities, nonprofit organizations, governments, businesses, and heritage partners to preserve nationally significant landscapes while supporting education, heritage tourism, economic development, and community revitalization.

For the Lower Eastern Shore, the feasibility study represents an opportunity to examine how communities can work together across county and state boundaries to preserve the region's distinctive heritage while creating new economic opportunities for rural communities.

The $40,000 RMC investment will help BBHA move closer to completing the feasibility process and determining whether National Heritage Area designation is an appropriate long-term strategy for the Eastern Shore.