National Park Service: A More Systematic Process for Establishing National Heritage Areas and Actions to Improve Their Accountability Are Needed

Heritage Area cooperative agreements include a statement of work that describes key tasks to be accomplished during a particular fiscal year. The activities described in the work plan are linked to both the general goals set forth in the Heritage Area's authorizing legislation as well as to the more specific projects included in the Heritage Area's management plan. Under the terms of the agreement, in order to receive reimbursement, a Heritage Area should demonstrate how it has achieved the targeted actions included in the work plan. NPS is developing an enhanced allocation methodology for Heritage Areas. This approach will provide incentives to Heritage Areas that practice sound management of all federal funds. In addition, using a set of criteria drawn from Heritage Area authorizing legislation, the methodology will distribute funds based on measurable performance in key programmatic areas such as preservation, conservation and community development. Finally, NPS is undertaking a systematic evaluation of nine National Heritage Areas designated in 1996. The work builds on a multi-year process spearheaded by the Conservation Study Institute (CSI). Since 2005, CSI has conducted sustainability studies of three National Heritage Areas and developed a model of key indicators of National Heritage Area success. This current evaluation, to be completed by the end of FY 2009, will include an analysis of: --Accomplishments relative to authorizing legislation and management plan; --Federal, State, Tribal, and local government and private investments in the National Heritage Area to determine leverage and impacts of investments; --the management structure and partnership relationships of the local National Heritage Area coordinating entity; --the critical components to long term sustainability of both the National Heritage Area and the management entity; i.e. how can the unique cultural, natural, recreational and scenic resources in this area continue to be protected and preserved; and --the array of funding opportunities available to National Heritage Areas.

In June 2004, the Park Service's National Coordinator for heritage areas told GAO that the agency had recently finalized guidelines for regional managers to use in reviewing and evaluating heritage areas' management plans. These guidelines have been made available to regional staff, heritage area management entities, and will soon be placed on the Park Service's national heritage area web site.

Since 2004, NPS staff have begun to take steps to ensure that the agency has a full accounting of heritage areas' use of funds from all federal sources. These include: -Reviewing all applicable Office of Management and Budget circulars related to the usage of federal funds, including A-110, A-122 and A-21. -Overseeing National Heritage Area cooperative agreements (both the Washington office and regional offices) with an emphasis on increased accountability, specifically linking the use of Heritage Partnership Program funding to activities included in the Departmentally-approved Management plan. -Annually completing a statement of work, which reflects goals and priorities outlined in the Departmentally-approved Management plan.