Maritime

Officially designated by Congress in 2019 as a nationally significant cultural landscape, the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area (MW-NHA) encompasses 3,000 miles of Washington State’s saltwater shoreline, from Grays Harbor County to the Canadian border—including 18 federally recognized tribes, 13 counties, 32 incorporated cities, and 30 port districts, as well as innumerable harbors, inlets, peninsulas, island coasts, and parks.

Managed by the nonprofit Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, the MW-NHA works to build partnerships and increase collaboration in order to support heritage tourism, strengthen maritime organizations, and provide a platform for the diverse water-based stories and culture along our coast.

Honoring Our Indigenous Peoples

We acknowledge that the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area spans the usual and accustomed lands of many tribes who play a major role in the history of our state. We honor and pay our respect to our indigenous neighbors who protect and preserve these lands and waterways, as they have since time immemorial.

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National Heritage Areas (NHAs) are designated by Congress as places where natural, cultural, and historic resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally important landscape. The MW-NHA celebrates the water-based stories and cultures of our state’s saltwater shores—boosting tourism, strengthening maritime organizations, and finding new ways to collaborate and share resources.

Over the next year, we’ll be working with coastal communities to chart a course for the MW-NHA. Throughout the first half of 2021, there will be lots of opportunities for you to share your views and ideas through virtual workshops, surveys, social media, focus groups, and more. These collaborative efforts will culminate in a MW-NHA management plan, which will serve as a framework for how we’ll work together. Check out the links below for more information on the establishment of the MW-NHA and how you can get involved.

FAQs

Resources

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