Heritage Areas Promote International Exchange

In October, the Augusta Canal National Heritage Area hosted a delegation from the Parc Regional Naturel de la Montagne de Reims, a regional nature park in the Champagne country of northeast France. Over the course of a week, the five French delegates toured Augusta, learning how history and culture can be utilized to promote sustainable economic development and improve quality of life for local residents. Highlights included a canoe trip down the Augusta Canal, a National Historic Landmark, as well as a tour of the Heritage Area's interpretive center, which occupies a former textile mill.   

Regional Nature Parks or PNR are similiar to National Heritage Areas (NHA) in that they  support the conservation of living landscapes through partnerships and grassroots community involvement. The exchange between Augusta Canal NHA and La Montagne de Reims PNR builds on a 2007 Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Alliance of National Heritage Areas and the French Federation of Regional Nature Parks. In the future, additional Heritage Areas hope to enter into partnerships with  individual regional nature parks to support the exhange of best practices across international boundaries.