Monday, January 26, 2026 |
Photo – National Heritage map – Courtesy Lovejoy Consulting
A project to establish a nationally recognized heritage area in Carbon and Natrona Counties is a long way from reaching its destination.
In March of 2023, Vernon Lovejoy and Dr. Glenn Haas of Lovejoy Consulting in Denver, Colorado, submitted a plan to create a federally recognized national heritage area in Carbon and Natrona counties.
The project is dubbed the Pathways National Heritage Area.
It spans both counties, and highlights trails and historic sites, including the transcontinental railroad, Lincoln Highway, Mormon Trail, and Oregon Trail. All were central to America’s westward expansion.
Dr. Hass describes the area as an “epicenter” of historic trails.
A feasibility study was completed in 2024 and sent to the National Park Service for consideration. If the Park Service approves the application, Congress will decide if the Pathways National Heritage Area will be added to the Federal Register of Historic Places. The Park Service has up to one year to determine if an application merits congressional review.
Although most projects are considered in less than a year, the recent 43-day government shutdown, which ended on November 12, 2025, delayed a decision on the Pathways proposal.
Democrats in Congress are threatening yet another shutdown, which would begin at the end of this month on January 30th.
During Tuesday’s Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, Commission Chairman Travis Moore said the National Park Service reviewed the Pathways application and recommended strengthening the area’s narrative presentation. Chairman Moore said that after meeting with Park Service employees, the Pathways National Heritage Area Committee, which is made up of stakeholders from both Carbon and Natrona counties, agreed to follow the federal agency’s recommendation and revise the application.
The Pathways National Heritage Area Committee is a nonprofit organization created to manage the program.
While the project has support in both counties, questions about private property rights remain. What happens if a landowner does not want their property included in the heritage area? Chairman Moore explained that the national heritage area will not override private property rights, allowing landowners to determine if their property is included.
As a joint project between Carbon and Natrona counties, Chairman Moore said he initially assumed the Pathways National Heritage Area would be too large to manage. However, after learning that other heritage areas span multiple counties, including the Kentucky Wildlands proposal, the commission chairman said two counties no longer seemed excessive.
Chairman Moore said he and the other members of the Pathways National Heritage Area Committee will continue working with the National Park Service to revise the proposal.
In a document titled The Background and Value of Establishing a National Heritage Area for Central and Southern Wyoming, Lovejoy Consulting LLC wrote that creating the Pathways National Heritage Area would, for the first time, promote Wyoming’s heritage assets on a national scale and help secure a lasting share of tourism for this part of the state. The primary benefit is the preservation and enhancement of sites that might otherwise be lost over time. That need translates into increased demand for local goods, services, lodging, and other amenities. The concentration of heritage sites, combined with extensive outdoor recreation opportunities, creates a substantial and sustainable economic benefit for central and southern Wyoming.
For more information about the Pathways National Heritage Area, visit PathwaysNHA.com.
