Our Heritage Story
Downeast Maine’s National Importance
The nationally important story of the Downeast Maine National Heritage Area focuses on our Natural Heritage, and how the forces of nature have and continue to shape us as people.
Downeast Maine embodies a nationally important story about America’s northern Atlantic coastal frontier and international relations with eastern Canada and the Wabanaki Tribes. Downeast Maine tells this story through an enduring natural-resources economy and nature-based way of life; naturally inspired and world-renowned tourism and arts; patterns of early American settlement; and deep relationships between the United States and Canada, and between Maine and the Wabanaki Tribes.
The landscape, people, and events of Downeast Maine have been and remain today examples of political, cultural, economic, and physical “borders” that create the unique experience of life on the easternmost edge of the United States. The cultural and natural borders and edges at interplay within this area of Maine, Wabanaki territory, and eastern Canada have helped to and continue to shape, supply, and inspire our nation – and the people and communities of Downeast Maine – in numerous ways.
Interpretive Themes
Interpretive themes are the most important stories to tell about the National Heritage Area and are derived from the area’s supporting resources and cultural values. Interpretive themes reveal and clarify meaning, concepts, contexts, and values represented by resources in a National Heritage Area. They encourage exploration of the context in which events or natural processes occurred and the effects of those events and processes.
Six themes were identified to frame the Downeast Maine NHA story:
- Geology, Landscape, and Climate
- Natural Resources Economy
- Arts, Tourism and Recreation
- Land for Wildlife and People
- Shipping and Shipbuilding, Mapping and Navigation
- National Boundaries and International Relations
These 6 themes relate to 4 of the 8 themes described in the National Park Service’s Revised Thematic Framework: Developing the American Economy, Transforming the Environment, Peopling Places, and Shaping the Political Landscape.
Theme 1 - Geology, Landscape, and Climate – the foundation for our abundant natural resources
Primary Sub-themes:
- Unique geologic features
- Landscape composition, climate, and tidal influence
- Nationally Significant plants, animals, and habitats
Theme 2 – Natural Resources Economy
Primary Sub-themes:
- Fisheries
- Forest Products
- Wild Blueberries
- Granite
Theme 3 – Arts, Tourism and Recreation
Primary Sub-themes:
- Rusticators
- Outdoor Recreationists and Sportsmen
- Tourism and Recreation today
- Naturally Inspired Arts & Artisans
Theme 4 – Lands for Wildlife and People
Primary Sub-themes:
- Acadia National Park
- Conservation Today – A collaborative approach
- Fisheries Economy & Restoration
- Forestry and Agriculture
- State Lands and National Wildlife Refuges
Theme 5 – Travel and Commerce
Primary Sub-themes:
- Lighthouses
- Mapping
- Watercraft
- Calais Branch Railroad
Theme 6 – National Boundaries and International Relations – Three Nations
Primary Sub-themes:
- Wabanaki Homeland
- French Settlement
- American Revolution
- War of 1812
- Land use and development patterns today
Contact Sunrise County Economic Council:
chitchings@sunrisecounty.org or 207-707-2057.