TUCSON CITIZEN: Tues., April 10, 2007

Promoting local heritage: Grijalva, Giffords unveil bill

By BLAKE MORLOCK

With the support of an array of businesses and historians, southern Arizona's congressional representatives are expected to unveil today a bill that would establish 3,300 square miles of national heritage area, albeit with no federal protection.

U.S. Reps. Gabrielle Giffords and Raúl Grijalva, both Democrats, were to introduce legislation to create the Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area. The Santa Cruz Valley Heritage Alliance, the group pushing for the federal designation since 2003, has raised $132,000 for an area that straddles the Santa Cruz River from Marana south to Nogales.

It would include seven protected landscapes, a half-dozen cultural sites and five municipalities - Nogales, Sahuarita, Tucson, Oro Valley and Marana - spread through two counties.

Heritage areas are eligible for up to $10 million in federal money over 15 years to pay for projects that promote historical identity. They do not impose any restrictions on property rights or create new protections for the environment.

FULL STORY: http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/47713.php