Downeast Maine is officially a National Heritage Area, the first in the state. The designation means that the region is now considered a nationally significant landscape.
President Biden made it official when he signed legislation into law late last year.
The idea started with Downeast farmers who wanted to raise the profile of the wild blueberry industry, said Crystal Hitchings of the Sunrise County Economic Council. The proposal expanded to include all of Hancock and Washington Counties, which will eventually receive federal funds to kick-start outdoor recreation and cultural preservation projects.
They could take the form of downtown revitalization initiatives, school projects or historic infrastructure upgrades. Hitchings said the projects could help create jobs, or give young people an incentive to stay in their Downeast communities.
"It needs to be a project that connects the public somehow, gives them a tool to use to connect with our heritage," she said.
Schools, non-profits and municipalities will be able to apply for grants to start those projects. For every dollar that the organizations raise themselves, they'll receive a dollar-for-dollar match in federal funds, up to $1 million total each year for the next decade.
"So many efforts are just barely funded enough to get going," Hitchings said. "We hope that this will really help a lot of programs to get off the ground."
As soon as the start-up funds are available, Hitchings said the council will host meetings with the public to discuss priorities for the heritage designation and potential projects.
