August 2, 2023 |
Photo – Proposed National Heritage Area map – Bigfoot99 file photo
Progress is being made on the proposed Pathways National Heritage Area.
Vern Lovejoy and Dr. Glenn Haas, of Lovejoy Consulting in Denver, Colorado, have been working on an idea to bring more tourism money into the area. Lovejoy and Haas have proposed the creation of the Pathways National Heritage Area in Carbon and Natrona Counties. A National Heritage Area is a congressionally recognized place where historic, cultural, and natural resources form a distinct and nationally important landscape.
Lovejoy said he lived in Rawlins for 12 years. During that time, Lovejoy said he worked for the Bureau of Land Management and was on the Rawlins Parks and Recreation Board of Trustees. Lovejoy said he saw how the highs and lows of the energy and mining sectors hurt Carbon County residents. Lovejoy said for nearly ten years, he has been investigating the creation of a National Heritage Area to strengthen the local economy with tourism.
Lovejoy said heritage areas tend to attract out-of-state tourists.
In March, when Lovejoy and Haas first proposed the creation of a National Heritage Area to the Board of Carbon County Commissioners, the southern border of the zone ended north of Saratoga. Dr. Haas said the county commissioners suggested extending the heritage area as far south as the Colorado border. Haas said he enjoyed learning about the history of southern Carbon County during a visit to the Grand Encampment Museum.
Lovejoy said a National Heritage Area must have a theme that ties the entire region together. He said Natrona and Carbon Counties were chosen because many trails important to the settling of the West run through the area. Lovejoy said places like the GEM will see a large increase in tourism, but the trails will be the focus of the Pathways National Heritage Area.
Dr. Haas said having a National Heritage Area in Carbon County will attract more than just tourists. He said recognition from the federal government has the potential to bring in funding from a wider variety of sources.
Bigfoot99 asked Lovejoy and Hass if the Pathways National Heritage Area is formed, who would promote it to the world? Haas said the South Park National Heritage Area in Park County, Colorado is managed by the local parks and recreation office. He said it would be up to Carbon and Natrona County officials to decide who would be responsible for marketing.
Lovejoy and Haas have created a Pathways National Heritage Area website to inform and solicit feedback from the public. Maps of the proposed site and information about National Heritage Areas in general are available. Haas said the spread-out populations of Carbon and Natrona Counties make in-person meetings difficult. He said people can offer comments for or against the project on the website.
Haas said on September 20th, he and Lovejoy will present the suggestions gathered form the website to the Carbon County Council of Governments in Elk Mountain. He said on either September 19th or 21st he and Lovejoy will hold an open house meeting at the Sinclair Parco Theater.
Haas said Carbon County Commissioner Travis Moore is advocating for the Pathways National Heritage Area. Haas said Commissioner Moore brought the idea to the Wyoming congressional delegation, where it was met with positive feedback.
Dr. Haas said the establishment of a National Heritage Area would not infringe on private property rights in any way. He said the website states that property owners would not be required to conform to any additional federal guidelines.
Lovejoy said the four major federal agencies in the area, the US Forest Service, BLM, Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Reclamation have no power over the National Heritage Area outside of the federal lands they already control.
Lovejoy and Haas are asking residents to visit the Pathways National Heritage Area website at pathwaysnha.com to review the project. When all the votes are tallied, and assuming county officials agree to proceed, the next step would be a feasibility study. The examination will assess the viability of establishing the Pathways National Heritage Area.
