Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area

Passed on March 12, 2019, S. 47 (John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act) established the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area (Delta NHA). For more information about the Delta NHA, see the Delta NHA factsheet (PDF), and for National Heritage Areas in general, please visit the National Park Service website and read the stories of National Heritage Areas across the country in Heart and Soul magazine.

As part of the Commission’s work on Delta Heritage and the National Heritage Area, we engage in public education, historic preservation, tourism and recreation development, visitor amenities, and economic development activities, including:

The Delta Heritage Courier electronic newsletter. Read the May/June 2023 issue and signup to receive the bi-monthly newsletter in your inbox.
The Delta Narratives project, which prepared essays that connected the history of the Delta to important regional and national trends and provided recommended actions to preserve and share these narratives. Review the report, essays, and appendices for more information:
- Delta Narratives: Saving the Historical and Cultural Heritage of The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (PDF)
A fourth-grade Delta Narrative Curriculum.
Delta Anthology, a collection of writings intended for high school and college readers as well as for those interested in the region’s rich culture and heritage.

Delta NHA Management Plan

As the local coordinating entity, the Commission’s first task is to prepare a management plan. NHA management plans include long-range policies, goals, strategies, and actions; an implementation plan with short, mid, and long-range actions and performance goals; a business plan for the heritage area coordinating entity; and an interpretive plan. The management plan is a continuation of the planning that the Commission conducted for the Feasibility Study for a Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area completed in 2012. The Commission will be conducting an extensive public outreach process, including the creation of the NHA Management Plan Advisory Committee.

Feasibility Study for a Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area (2012) (PDF)

NHA Management Plan Advisory Committee Meetings

The Commission created a 15-member volunteer body called the National Heritage Area Management Plan Advisory Committee (NHA Advisory Committee) to provide the Commission and a Commission subcommittee with recommendations on the development of the Management Plan and to seek input from diverse stakeholders. The NHA Advisory Committee generally meets every two months. The expected term of the committee will be through successful approval of the Management Plan by the Secretary of the Interior (expected by March 2023).

For more information on the NHA Advisory Committee, please see the NHA Advisory Committee Charter (PDF).

Upcoming Meetings

Thursday, July 13, 2023
3 PM to 5 PM

Agenda will be posted here at least 10 days before the meeting.

Past Meeting Agendas:

Delta Heritage Forum

The Forum is a free, full-day event each year focused on preserving and telling Delta stories, and providing opportunities for partnerships, collaboration, and networking. Anyone with an interest in Delta Heritage is invited to attend, including organizations, federal, state, and local officials, business and civic organizations, and Delta community members and researchers.

The 2022 Delta Heritage Forum was held on Thursday, November 3, 2022, in Walnut Grove. See the 2022 Delta Heritage Forum webpage for videos and presentations from the sessions and lightning talks.

The 2021 Forum was held virtually on Wednesday, November 3, 2021. Visit the 2021 Delta Heritage Forum webpage for videos of the panel sessions and shorter lightning talks.

The 2020 Forum was held virtually on Friday, November 6, 2020. Visit the 2020 Delta Heritage Forum webpage for videos of the sessions and lightning talks.

If you are interested in participating in the planning of next year’s forum, please email Blake Roberts at blake.roberts@delta.ca.gov.

For more information contact Blake Roberts.

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