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Summit pushes valley
Promoting area's heritage is top priority
by Tammy Cilione, Poughkeepsie Journal
10/05/2004

HYDE PARK -- Moving forward was the goal for the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area summit held Monday at the Henry A. Wallace Visitor and Education Center at the FDR Presidential Library and Museum.

U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-Hurley, who initiated the summit, said the objective was to ''make the Hudson River Valley better and stronger.''

According to Hinchey, when he first sponsored the legislation in 1993 to create the National Heritage Program, he felt the title was especially fitting for the area.

''There is no other area in the United States that deserves more to be called that (a National Heritage Area) than the Hudson Valley,'' Hinchey said.

Today it's one of 24 National Heritage Areas in the country. It includes five national historic sites, 57 national historic landmarks, 89 historic districts and more than 1,000 sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The area attracts visitors who spend $2.5 billion annually.

But experts believe this is only the beginning for the local heritage area. Two hundred-plus community and business leaders, historians, educators, experts and officials came together at the summit coordinated by the Public Forum Institute to figure out how to reach an even wider audience, while protecting and preserving the area.

Wide representation

Speakers included representatives from organizations including the Hudson River National Heritage Area, Scenic Hudson and the Alliance of National Heritage Areas.

The organizers wanted input from participants on how to better promote the history of the Hudson Valley; how to better develop a clear, organized tourism experience that will result in a better historic, educational experience; how to better define the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area's theme; and finally, how to connect the area's rich history with suitable economic growth.

Making Hudson Valley residents aware of the area's history is essential to the plan. ''If folks in the Hudson Valley don't know what we have here then how can we sell it internationally?'' asked speaker Carmella Mantello, director of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area. ''We have a gem. Let's use it.''

One of these efforts includes ''Teaching the Hudson Valley,'' a training program for educators held at Marist College by the Na-tional Park Service, Marist's Hudson River Institute, the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area and the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Other efforts include joining with Colonel James Johnson, executive director of the Hudson River Valley Institute at Marist College, to develop the American Revolutionary War theme throughout the valley.

By going to the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Web site, visitors can plan one- or two-day itineraries featuring sites such as Stony Point Battlefield, Saratoga Battlefield, Fort Montgomery and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Kathy Spear, owner of the Dominion House in Orange County and president of the Orange County Bed and Breakfast Association and a summit participant, said the Hudson Valley has a lot to offer in terms of arts history and culture.

She cited ''The Marriage of Figaro'' performance by the English Touring Opera at the Warwick Arts Center. ''It was very professional. I felt like I could have been on Broadway,'' Spear said.

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