Maritime Washington National Heritage Area receives $350,000 grant

The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation recently received a $350,000 grant for the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area. The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust provided the grant to enable the heritage area to build a strong base after being established a few years ago.

The U.S. Congress established the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area in 2019 to pay tribute to the state’s maritime history while supporting the maritime communities through resources and partnerships. 

The heritage area is one of 62 in the U.S. and is the only heritage area focused on maritime, according to a February 7 press release from the Murdock Trust. The area spans over 3,000 miles of shoreline from Grays Harbor to Blaine and includes 33 port districts.

“Something that makes Washington so special is that we still have a very active maritime heritage. It’s a world that is very alive and well here among people from many diverse background and cultures,” said Alexandra Gradwohl, the heritage area’s new program director, in a statement. “It’s very exciting that we’re now able to move this program forward and help unify that maritime identity for the entire region.”

Last November, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior approved a management plan for the heritage area. The plan can be viewed on the Washington Trust’s website at bit.ly/3Yw1vIt. The Washington Trust has started work on projects such as funding the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend to create interpretive materials for a new visitor center and helping BIPOC youth enter the maritime field in Seattle, according to the release. 

The Murdock Trust gave the $350,000 grant to the Washington Trust because Washington is rich heritage of fishing, international shipping, recreation, exploration and conservation, said Lorin Schmit Dunlop, program director at the Murdock Trust, in the release. The Murdock Trust has given over $1.3 billion in grants to Pacific Northwest organizations focused on improving the region’s educational, spiritual and cultural base.