NHA Minutes 2025-10-29

    National Heritage Area Advisory Committee

    Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 1 p.m.
    Big Break Visitor Center
    69 Big Break Road Oakley, CA

    1. Call to Order – Amanda Bohl, NHA Advisory Committee Chair

    Chair Bohl called the meeting to order at 1:05 p.m. Bohl, who became executive director of the Delta Protection Commission on Oct. 20, introduced herself to the Committee, noting she had been working in the Delta since 2012.

    2. Welcome Roll Call

    Commission Clerk Heather McClure called the roll. Present were Chair Bohl; Vice Chair Elizabeth Patterson; members Diane Burgis, Colin Coffey, Dwayne Eubanks, Morris Lum, Carol Jensen, Jack Johnson (for Oscar Villegas), David Stuart, and Stuart Walthall; alternates LeighAnn Davis and Douglas Hsia; and ex officio members Karen Buhr, Megan Thomson (for Jeff Henderson), and Mike Moran.

    3. Public Comment

    Chair Bohl asked for public comment and there was none.

    4. Approval of August 20, 2025, Meeting Minutes

    Chair Bohl reported that the minutes were not ready and would be presented at the next meeting.

    5. Update on NHA Activities – Blake Roberts and Kira O’Donnell

    NHA Information Officer Kira O’Donnell reported that she had attended the September meeting of the Alliance of National Heritage Areas in Bismarck, North Dakota, hosted by the Northern Plains National Heritage Area. She said she had found it educational and inspirational to learn about another NHA’s dynamic partnerships and work to preserve and promote the area’s rich history.

    She also noted that Communications Intern Jada Portillo had been doing excellent work updating the VisitCADelta website, and had begun building an events calendar on the site.

    She also pointed out that staff had shared deadlines for the year’s Delta Heritage Courier newsletters in agenda materials.

    NHA Program Manager Blake Roberts reported that staff had created a Delta Reading List at the direction of former Interim Executive Director Dan Ray, with the goal of partner libraries using it to direct NHA visitors to Delta literature in their respective collections.

    He also noted the NHA was honored earlier in the month with a Planning Excellence Award from the Sacramento Valley Section of the American Planning Association.

    Vice Chair Patterson noted that state publications are required to be sent to all libraries and suggested librarians provide links to Delta-related documents.

    Eubanks noted he’s trying to plan a Committee tour of Antioch’s new desalination plant, and asked Roberts to help coordinate.

    6. Tourism Branding and Marketing Plan – Maggie Giordanengo, Meghan Leno, and Ash Rodseth of Honey Agency, Inc.

    A team from the Honey Agency discussed its work to date and plans for developing a Tourism Branding and Marketing Plan for the Delta NHA.

    Their vision includes:

    • Uniting and amplifying the Delta’s living heritage.
    • Agricultural traditions, natural treasures, and vibrant communities converge to tell a California story.

    Their project goals are to:

    • Synthesize and enhance previous planning efforts led by the Commission by leveraging existing resources and new market insights.
    • Develop the Delta NHA brand positioning as the leading tourism-driven identity for the region, utilizing this work to create cohesiveness in the Delta’s brand tapestry.
    • Build a marketing plan with sustainable, long-term growth with strategic tactics that are built with holistic, data-backed success measurements in mind.

    Their tasks are:

    • Project coordination and record keeping (they are currently in the early stages of this task).
    • Continue building lasting relationships while advancing our mission in the Delta region.
    • Develop insights on the evolving perspectives and state of affairs surrounding the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta’s brand image.
    • Review current landscape of materials to inform brand development of messaging and design.
    • Define the strategic and visual brand positioning.
    • Build a marketing plan with sustainable, long-term growth with strategic tactics that are built with holistic, data-backed success measurement in mind.

    Challenges and opportunities include:

    • Low awareness outside the region, which is an opportunity to position the Delta as a hidden gem worth discovering.
    • Inconsistent branding and signage, which is an opportunity to build cohesion across towns, experiences and partners.
    • Balancing preservation with tourism, which is an opportunity to lead with stewardship and a “travel with care” ethos.
    • Limited infrastructure, which is an opportunity to drive economic impact through local business engagement.
    • Undefined sense of place for NHA, which is an opportunity to create a unified voice and identity for the region.

    They noted that the Committee could help the process by:

    • Acting as guides and voices of the community.
    • Sharing insights on what makes the Delta unique.
    • Helping validate themes, tone and storytelling directions.
    • Ensuring authenticity and inclusivity.

    They said next steps included:

    • Digital surveys, hearing from stakeholders, residents and potential visitors.
    • Discovery workshops to review early emerging survey findings and facilitate design-thinking exercises to unpack opportunities for the brand plan in more detail.
    • Research and brand analysis to synthesize key findings to inform the overall brand development and marketing plan.

    Committee members asked questions about the survey process and target audience. Audiences will include DPC staff and Committee members, as well as businesses and Delta stakeholders, as well as an external audience.

    Vice Chair Patterson noted that local officials don’t value tourism a great deal, even though it’s one of the state’s four major revenue sources. She urged including local officials in the survey.

    Burgis noted that having lots of things to do nearby is a huge driver for getting major businesses such as a Facebook campus – people want to live there if there are things to do. This represents huge potential for growing jobs where we live.

    Stuart noted that research done for Visit Lodi had some real surprises, including the fact that Reno and Los Angeles were big sources of tourists to the area.

    Hsia noted that branding Delta agricultural products could be a huge plus.

    Bohl asked for public comment, and there was one. University of California, Merced, researcher Isaac Sanchez asked how he can keep up with what the research is finding.

    7. Membership of Tourism and Marketing Plan-Related Advisory Task Groups – Amanda Bohl

    Chair Bohl said with the development of the tourism and marketing plan, it was a good time to stand up two task groups identified in the Committee charter but not yet activated: communications and marketing, and heritage development and tourism. Each task group can have no more than five Committee members.

    At the urging of Vice Chair Patterson, Bohl agreed to solicit interest via an email poll to Committee members.

    Bohl asked for public comment and there was none.

    8. Recognition of Past Committee Members – Blake Roberts

    Roberts solicited Committee input on how we might honor departing Committee members, such as former Interim Executive Dan Ray, who served as chair for much of the year.

    Vice Chair Patterson suggested a celebration, inviting U.S. Rep. John Garamendi and others instrumental in the creation of the NHA. She said a celebratory working group might be in order.

    Stuart noted that for gifts, plaques are a default choice, but there are more creative possibilities, including very Delta-specific products.

    Chair Bohl offered to coordinate an ad hoc task group to discuss further. Stuart, Burgis, and Vice Chair Patterson volunteered to be part of the ad hoc task group.

    Bohl asked for public comment and there was none.

    9. Report on Delta 250 Ad Hoc Task Group – Task Group

    Roberts reported that the task group would be setting up a meeting over the next few weeks.

    Bohl asked for public comment and there was none.

    10. Report on Water Tour Ad Hoc Task Group – Task Group

    Vice Chair Patterson noted that the task group had been waiting for the new Executive Director to come on board before developing an overarching concept.

    She noted that water is the “soft path” into the Delta, and said Eubanks has been writing to marinas to get them to be partners. She noted the group had been thinking about duplicating a flotilla that the State Lands Commission did in the 1990s. And she noted that Jensen had made contact with a boat touring outfit interested in touring the Delta.

    She said American Cruise Lines is interested in operating Delta tours but hasn’t had the capacity to pursue a docking situation.

    Jensen recalled President Franklin Roosevelt’s presidential yacht, noted that one of the captains is a “Delta rat” (Chris Lauritzen), and that the yacht can shoot the Carquinez Strait and come to Sacramento.

    Eubanks mentioned another potential partner: Steve’s Delta Adventures in Lodi.

    Bohl asked for public comment and there was none.

    11. Partnership and Passport Program Update – Blake Roberts

    Program Manager Roberts reported that the NHA had acquired four new partners: California Delta Chambers, City of West Sacramento, Crockett Chamber of Commerce, and Solano County Library.

    He also reported that the Passport Program is ready to go, waiting now only on stamps, which has been a challenging process.

    Bohl asked for public comment and there was none.

    12. Member Announcements and Adjourn

    Hsia announced that Feb. 14 would be the date of the Locke Chinese New Year celebration. He hopes to add something regarding America 250.

    Eubanks said the Antioch Historical Museum would have its First Congregational Church Bell dedication on Nov. 1, and it’s also the 50th anniversary of the Antioch Historical Society.

    He also discussed development of a symposium commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Anza expedition, tentatively scheduled for April 11.

    Davis noted that she had secured 10 Contra Costa authors to be at the History Center in Martinez for “Cocoa with CoCo County Authors” for Small Business Saturday, Nov. 29.

    Chair Bohl asked for public comment and there was none. She adjourned the meeting at 2:49 p.m.