The Honorable Sally Jewell

The Honorable Sally Jewell

Secretary of the Interior

1849 C St. NW

Washington, DC 20240

Dear Secretary Jewell:

I am writing with regard to the World Heritage program. I was very encouraged to see that Poverty Point in Louisiana recently became the 22nd World Heritage site in the United States. Here in Ohio, where I live, we are excited about the nomination on UNESCO’s Tentative List for the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks. I am writing to urge the Department of the Interior to begin the process through the Federal Register to identify sites on the Tentative List to submit to the World Heritage Committee for consideration for World Heritage inscription.

The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks are a serial nomination located at three Ohio sites: the Newark Earthworks, Fort Ancient Earthworks and the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. Anyone who has visited and/or studied any of these sites would agree that the people of the ancient Hopewell Culture created works some 2,000 years ago that demonstrate outstanding universal value worthy of inscription on the World Heritage List.

These earthworks serve to highlight the significant accomplishments of American Indians in eastern North America before European contact. This nomination proposes to raise the public's awareness of what American Indians accomplished and complements the existing Poverty Point and Cahokia World Heritage inscriptions to present a fuller, more varied picture for the public.

Ohioans are excited about sharing the stories of these sites with the rest of the world. Inscription on the World Heritage List is the best way to achieve this and we are ready to do what it takes to earn this designation. You can learn more about the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks World Heritage nomination online at www.worldheritageohio.org. I appreciate your consideration of this request. With your help, we hope to see an announcement soon in the Federal Register. Thank you.

Sincerely,