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Zoo Club meets Wupatki

By RACHEL PETERSON
Friday, July 15, 2005

What do the Museum Club and Wupatki have in common?

They are two of the reasons behind the proposed designation of most of northeastern Arizona as a National Heritage Area, linking the car culture of historic Route 66 with the ancient cultures of the Colorado Plateau. "We chose this region partly because of the stories we know about," said Anne Goldberg, a consultant with the Center for Desert Archaeology, which is proposing the designation for about 27,000 square miles.

In addition to the "obvious" history of Route 66 from Gallup to Flagstaff, the proposed area has been the threshold of developing two American sciences: geology and anthropology, she said.

The designation won't prevent development, but it will open the door to $10 million worth of federal matching funds for building preservation and restoration of streams, wetlands and other natural features over the next 15 years.

A National Heritage Area is a fairly new option designed by Congress to tell the stories and promote the characteristics and culture the United States, and it "keeps places from turning into anywhere, U.S.A."

Of the 27 heritage areas nationwide, only two are west of the Mississippi River: One is in northeastern Colorado; the other is Yuma Crossing of the Colorado River in southwestern Arizona.

The boundary for the proposed area encompassing Flagstaff is the Little Colorado River Valley watershed, extended slightly to the west to encompass all of the San Francisco Peaks (see map, Page A6). This area was highlighted because it has a definable theme, said Goldberg.

"If we were to break that (area) up, could we as effectively tell the story?" she asked.

Although designating smaller regions would mean the federal money wouldn't have to stretch as far, the point is more to enrich partnerships and use those funds as a means to spur and match other interests, Goldberg added.

That will enable the projects undertaken in the heritage area to continue to grow after the timeline ends and funds are exhausted.

The partners in southern Arizona, for example, have used almost none of the federal funds.

"But they've done a tremendous amount because they've used that federal funding for matching," Goldberg said. "The federal money was a catalyst for about 10 times more development."

Often, private groups are more willing to initiate a project when there is public financial backing.

In the Little Colorado watershed, many of the potential partners --three tribes, four counties and six national parks -- already work together on water development and other critical issues, Goldberg said. "The boundary isn't fixed, but we'd like to move forward with the discussion of this idea."

Because the designation has no effects on private property rights, land use zoning or property taxes, it encourages many public/private partnerships -- the goal of this designation.

"It's the kind of project that people can get behind because it's not changing what people are doing," she said. "They celebrate a working landscape and traditional land uses" while sustaining local control of land use.

Already, several communities and partners in the watershed boundary have voiced support for the idea. In addition to the Flagstaff City Council, officials from Navajo and Apache counties, Holbrook, Winslow, Show Low and other communities, some non-profit organizations and private businesses, as well as Petrified Forest National Park are supportive of the designation.

A national park is needed as a partner for the designation, though the money is allocated by the Department of the Interior.

Goldberg said she hopes to rally further support in addition to "finding out what it is that people feel is important for the area" as they embark on a feasibility study needed to obtain the designation.

Reporter Rachel Peterson can be reached at 556-2253 or rpeterson@azdailysun.com.

WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?



The proposal: Designating the Little Colorado River watershed area in northeastern Arizona as a National Heritage Area will open the door for $10 million in matching federal funds over the next 15 years.

The intent: The federal funds are intended to be used for matching and open the door for many private/public partnerships that will enable economic development and preservation of natural and historic areas beyond the timeline and funding limit.

What's next: A feasibility study needs to be completed defining the boundary and what is desired from the designation, while more support is being collected from governing agencies and private interest holders.

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