Rogers Works for National Designation of Kentucky Artisan Heritage Trail

Rogers Works for National Designation of Kentucky Artisan Heritage Trail

U.S. Rep. Harold "Hal" Rogers (KY-05) introduced legislation designating the Kentucky Artisan Heritage Trails, a network of country highways in Appalachia, as a National Heritage Area. This official designation would make the artisan heritage trails eligible to receive U.S. Department of Interior's National Park Service funding and national recognition.

About a dozen highways - among them the Berea, Mountain Music and Red Bird Trails - take otherwise wayward travelers to the heart of Southern and Eastern Kentucky's produce, wood worker, glass maker and basket weaver artisan culture. The area is bound by Interstates 75 to the west and 64 to the north and stretches to Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia to the south and east.

"This designation enables the world to know what we already know," said Rep. Rogers. "It will highlight an American treasure - one founded on proud workmanship and skills passed on through the generations. Some may think the notion of genuine, hand-crafted products made in quaint buildings is vanishing in our country, but it's not. It's a short drive away among the mountains, trees and rivers."

A "National Heritage Area" is a place designated by the United States Congress where natural, cultural, historic and recreational resources form a distinctive landscape arising from patterns of human activity shaped by geography. National Heritage Areas encourage residents, government agencies, non-profit groups and private partners to implement projects that celebrate America's defining landscapes.

"We are very fortunate to have a region rich in artisans and craftsmen. These artisans have passed their craft down from generation to generation. We want to share this treasure with the nation," said Vicki Kidd, President and CEO of TOUR Southern and Eastern Kentucky.
The legislation, H.R. 646, has been referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. If passed in the full House, it would then move onto the Senate for further consideration, and would enable the Kentucky Artisan Heritage Trails area eligible to receive U.S. Department of Interior funding. The entire Kentucky House delegation co-sponsored the measure.

http://halrogers.house.gov/Read.aspx?ID=100