Heritage partnership programs promote the conservation of local natural, historic, scenic, and cultural resources through national heritage areas, national heritage corridors, national historic…

The National Park Service (NPS) awarded The Mountains To Sound Greenway Trust a $1.0 million Cooperative Agreement under the Heritage Partnership Program (CFDA 15.939) on August 4, 2025, with a completion date of September 30, 2026. This funding supports the trust's conservation and stewardship initiatives within the Mountains to Sound Greenway, a designated National Heritage Area in the Puget Sound region of Washington. The cooperative agreement enables the nonprofit organization to advance shared environmental stewardship objectives and preserve locally significant natural, historic, scenic, and cultural resources through implementation of heritage area management activities.

Under this award, the Mountains To Sound Greenway Trust is expected to deliver products and services aligned with Heritage Partnership Program objectives, which may include habitat restoration projects, heritage tourism development, interpretation and education programming, community engagement initiatives, and administrative support for the designated heritage area. Based on the organization's track record, funded activities likely encompass ecological restoration work (such as native habitat improvements and aquatic ecosystem enhancement), youth education and workforce development programs in natural resource management, volunteer stewardship training, and public access improvements to recreational and cultural resources within the greenway corridor. These deliverables support the program's overarching goal of preserving and interpreting the region's unique contributions to national heritage for the educational and inspirational benefit of current and future generations.

Heritage partnership programs promote the conservation of local natural, historic, scenic, and cultural resources through national heritage areas, national heritage corridors, national historic districts, and other designations (nhas). These authorized programs are the management responsibility of federal commissions, nonprofit groups, universities, state agencies or municipal authorities. They are not units of the national park system, and their lands are not federally owned or managed.