The legislature finds and declares that the heritage area approach to the identification, preservation, development and use of the important natural and historic resources in urban or regional settings is a valuable means to increase public educational and recreational opportunities and generally enrich the quality of life within a community or region. Therefore, the commissioner and officials of other state agencies may encourage local efforts to establish heritage areas around heritage area resources of local or regional significance. The commissioner may relate or integrate local and regional heritage areas into a statewide system of state designated heritage areas.
New York Legal Code