Food? Religion? Language? Which aspects of Northern New Mexico heritage would you like to see celebrated and preserved?

An entity created to manage up to $1 million per year of federal money over the next 10 years is seeking public input on how that money should be spent.

The Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area Santa Fe was designated in 2006 to preserve the unique heritage of Santa Fe, Taos and Rio Arriba counties. It's one of 49 heritage areas across the country.

The first one — the Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Area — was created in 1984 after citizens in Illinois lobbied Congress for money to preserve area canals. Over the years other areas, such as the MotorCities National Heritage Area in Detroit, received the designation and federal funding as well.

"What's really special about this program is that it's about living landscapes," said Eleanor Mahoney, assistant national coordinator for the Heritage Areas. "It's about areas that are important because of the people who live there and their history and culture."

Local efforts to establish a Heritage Area in Northern New Mexico began around 1996 and were spearheaded by Ernesto Ortega, then director of the National Park Service office in Santa Fe. Mayors from Taos and Española also promoted the idea.

"At that time there were 23 (designated Heritage Areas) east of the Mississippi but only three west of the Mississippi," said Sam Delgado, who has been on the Northern New Mexico Heritage Area board since its inception.

The National Park Service oversees the distribution of the funds designated for the heritage areas. But the local Northern Rio Grande Heritage Area board is charged with gathering public input about how to spend the money.

Public participation is a mandatory part of the project as all funds that are spent must be matched with local dollars, in-kind donations or sweat equity.

The NRGHA has conducted six meetings in the three counties this spring. The group will hold a meeting Tuesday to discuss the feedback it has received so far, and refine ideas that can be included in a plan that will be submitted for Department of the Interior approval in June. If the plan is approved, money likely would begin to flow to projects in 2010.

The two meetings held so far in Santa Fe County — one in Glorieta and one in the village of Agua Fría — had relatively sparse attendance, but several area nonprofits expressed interest in partnering with the heritage areas.

Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area director Glenna Dean said the group has received proposals from Earthworks, the Youth Conservation Corps and San Ildefonso Pueblo, among others.

The organization will hold a public meeting from 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, 1615 Paseo de Peralta in the Santa Fe Railyard.

Contact Phaedra Haywood at 986-3068 or phaywood@sfnewmexican.com.