The Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area Evaluation Findings Authors Prepared for Prepared by Tina Marshall, Ph.D. United States National Park Service Westat Mary Anne Myers, Ph.D. Washington, D.C. 1600 Research Boulevard Monique Thornton Rockville, Maryland 20850-3129 August 2016 (301) 251-1500 Table of Contents Cover photo credit: D. Creighton Executive Summary .........................................................................................................................................4 Purpose of the Report ......................................................................................................................................................................................4 Key Evaluation Questions ................................................................................................................................................................................4 Key Findings ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................5 Structure of the Report ....................................................................................................................................................................................9 Section 1 – Introduction ...............................................................................................................................10 1.1 National Heritage Areas .....................................................................................................................................................................10 1.2 Report Purpose .......................................................................................................................................................................................10 1.3 The Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area ........................................................................................................12 1.4 Evaluation Methodology ....................................................................................................................................................................13 1.4.1 Methodology .............................................................................................................................................................................13 1.4.2 Site Introduction and Background Research ...............................................................................................................14 1.4.3 Data Collection .........................................................................................................................................................................14 1.4.4 Data Analysis ..............................................................................................................................................................................15 1.4.5 Evaluation Limitations ...........................................................................................................................................................15 1.5 Roles ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................16 1.5.1 Westat (External Evaluator) ................................................................................................................................................16 1.5.2 National Park Service (NPS) ...............................................................................................................................................16 1.5.3 The Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area ..........................................................................................16 Section 2 – Overview of the Schuylkill River Heritage Area ...................................................................17 2.1 Introduction to the SRHA & SRGA ..............................................................................................................................................17 2.2 Introduction to Schuylkill River Greenway Association .......................................................................................................18 2.2.1 Authorizing Legislation and Vision and Mission .......................................................................................................19 2.2.2 SRGA Organizational Structure ........................................................................................................................................21 2.3 Schuylkill River Greenway Association’s Relationships with Partners/Stakeholders and NPS ......................... 22 2.3.1 Partners and Stakeholder Organizations Relationships ........................................................................................ 22 2.3.2 SRGA Partnership with NPS .............................................................................................................................................. 24 The Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area Evaluation Findings 2 Section 3 – NHA Fulfillment of the Authorizing Legislation and Management Plan ......................... 26 3.1 Goals and Objectives of the SRHA ............................................................................................................................................... 26 3.2 SRHA Activities and Impacts ........................................................................................................................................................... 28 3.2.1 Area #1: Heritage Tourism/Community Revitalization ....................................................................................... 28 3.2.2 Area #2: Building the Schuylkill River Trail (SRT) .................................................................................................... 39 3.2.3 Area #3: Resource Conservation and Stewardship ................................................................................................. 45 3.3 Summary ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 52 Section 4 – Public/Private Investments in Schuylkill River Heritage Area and Their Impact ........... 54 4.1 Investments in the SRHA Activities .............................................................................................................................................. 54 4.2 Use of Financial Resources ................................................................................................................................................................57 4.3 Impact of Investments ........................................................................................................................................................................ 60 Section 5 – Schuylkill River Heritage Area Sustainability .......................................................................61 5.1 Defining Sustainability .........................................................................................................................................................................61 5.2 Honoring the Legislative Mandate of the NHA ......................................................................................................................61 5.3 SRGA’s Management Capacity ........................................................................................................................................................61 5.3.1 Governance, Leadership, and Oversight ......................................................................................................................61 5.3.2. Staffing and Operations ...................................................................................................................................................... 62 5.3.3 Strategic Planning and Adaptive Management ........................................................................................................ 62 5.3.4 Monitoring and Recordkeeping ...................................................................................................................................... 63 5.4 Partnerships ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 63 5.5 Financial Sustainability, the Importance of NPS Funds, and the Importance of NHA Designation ............... 64 5.5.1 SRGA’s Need for Financial Resources ........................................................................................................................... 64 5.5.2 SRHA’s Need for Financial Resources ........................................................................................................................... 64 5.6 Sustainability Summary ...................................................................................................................................................................... 65 Appendix 1 – Authorizing Legislation ....................................................................................................... 66 Appendix 2 – Evaluation Legislation ..........................................................................................................72