Management Planning

In partnership with focus area committees of regional experts, the Calumet National Heritage Area (CNHA) Coordinating Committee developed and prioritized a compelling set of actionable projects where the CNHA could best be leveraged to make a difference in the region. Thirteen focus groups of 85 people came together to develop these projects. The projects, based on priorities identified in the Calumet National Heritage Area Feasibility Study, aim at strengthening partnerships, forging new ways of working across the region, enriching capacity for community efforts, regional identity and connectivity, and shining a national spotlight on local stories. The resulting draft Management Plan chapters are set to be available for review in late 2020.

What is a National Heritage Area (NHA) Management Plan?
Management plans turn a National Heritage Area feasibility study into the “who, what, when, where, and how” that will guide the operations of a NHA for 5-10, sometimes 15 years. National Heritage Area management plans generally include long-range policies, goals, strategies, and actions; an implementation plan with short, mid- and long-range actions and performance goals; a business plan for the heritage area coordinating entity; and an interpretive plan. The Calumet National Heritage Area (CNHA) management plan will have particular focus on regional impact, heritage development, economic impact, and better connectivity within and outside of the region

Working Assumptions

  1. Build from and flesh out Goals and Priorities identified in the Calumet NHA Feasibility Study. 
  2. Try not to re-invent the wheel. Coordinate what was set forth in the Feasibility Study and find the sweet spot with existing plans, but with less text and more spreadsheets/diagrams.
  3. Use existing NPS management plan structure and guidelines, while also letting the work take it where is appropriate for this region and its plans.
  4. Work with partners across the region to inform planning processes and to inform advocacy. 
  5. The management plan should be mutually beneficial and integrate well into existing plans. Work with regional partners to review current plans and how the Calumet NHA could plug in and help reach goals.
  6. ​The management plan will have an eye toward regional impact, heritage development, economic impact, and better connectivity within and outside of the region.

Library of Resources
White Papers

Calumet Heritage Area Identity & Branding Report (for Wayfinding FAPC)

Meeting Presentations

Calumet National Heritage Area Feasibility Study

Management Planning Process: Partnership Structure
These partners have come together to create a management plan that will turn the potential captured in the Calumet NHA Feasibility Study into a set of defined, prioritized projects that the CNHA can focus on in the next five years.

– Calumet NHA Coordinating Committee
Charged with forwarding the creation of the Calumet National Heritage Area, the Coordinating Committee works on management planning, as well as communications, programming, fundraising, and advocacy. 

– Management Plan Working Group
Under the oversight of the Calumet NHA Coordinating Committee, the Management Plan Working Group, led by the Field Museum in partnership with the Calumet Heritage Partnership and the Calumet Collaborative, guides and manages the management planning process, including producing the planning document.

– Focus Area Planning Committees
Local and regional experts in one of the seven goal/priority areas identified in the Calumet NHA Feasibility Study, each committee will work to collaboratively identify the existing and potential scope of activities the CNHA should support and pursue, workshop a draft plan, and help to finalize this plan as a chapter in the management plan.

– Liaisons and Consultants
The Management Plan Working Group consults with Heritage Area experts and National Park Service staff as needed throughout the process.