Please download this file (National Heritage Area Resolution Template) and complete highlighted fields or copy and paste the following letter to paste on official company letterhead, print, and submit.
A Resolution of the Board of <<Name of County/Entity>>
Supporting the Finger Lakes National Heritage Area
<<Date>>
WHEREAS, the Finger Lakes form a unique and diverse region in Upstate New York and encompasses a patchwork of cultures and history, as well as spectacular natural, scenic and recreational resources that reflect a unique contribution to the collective American identity: and
WHEREAS, the Finger Lakes is distinguished by eleven pristine lakes formed over 19,000 years ago at the end of the “Ice Age” that have over the years been Native American hunting grounds and villages, rich agricultural lands that inspired settlement, villages and small towns, a world-renowned wine industry, which have together formed a unique and distinctive landscape; and
WHEREAS, the Congress of the United States has the authority to designate National Heritage Areas that encompasses a region where natural, cultural, historic and recreational resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally distinctive landscape shaped by geography and cultural traditions; and
WHEREAS, the Finger Lakes National Heritage Area Feasibility Study was authorized by the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act of 2019, which directed the Secretary of the Interior to evaluate the natural, historic, cultural, educational, and recreational resources of the Finger Lakes; and
WHEREAS, the legislation identified the following counties to be considered as part of the study: Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Livingston, Monroe, Onondaga, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, Wayne, and Yates; and
WHEREAS, <<Name of County/Entity>> is within the Finger Lakes Tourism region, as designated by New York State law and the National Heritage Area study area and has a plethora of natural, cultural, historic, agricultural and recreational resources pertinent to the study; and
WHEREAS, the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance, founded in 1919, has worked since 2014 with regional and area civic organizations, local jurisdictions and local governments, business community and numerous other stakeholders and non-profit groups in submitting the original request to the National Park Service which resulted in the Feasibility Study funding in 2019, and continues to work with the National Park Service to gather input from the public regarding the creation of a national heritage area in the Finger Lakes; and
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the <<Name of County/Entity>> supports the Finger Lakes National Heritage Area designation and the inclusion of all fourteen counties including Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Livingston, Monroe, Onondaga, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, Wayne, and Yates counties in the National Heritage Area, and supports Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance in their current and future leadership role in administering the National Heritage Area.
