Join Us at the 12th Maritime Heritage Conference

24–27 September 2025 • Bu alo, New York

Seafarers throughout the ages have always known the value of a concerted e ort: When everyone pulls together, a small crew can take on big tasks, such as heaving up an anchor or hoisting a massive yard aloft. is concept holds up ashore as well. We know that working together and combining our e orts can produce outcomes that are stronger and more e ective. Since 1988, the Maritime Heritage Conference has brought together all elements of the maritime heritage community to tackle topics of common interest and challenges that we all face.

The conference is the product of the National Maritime Alliance, an umbrella organization formed in 1988 to advocate for federal funding for maritime heritage preservation and programming. Attendees bene t from the opportunity to network with hundreds of like-minded people with whom they can collaborate to achieve their goals and build community, groups like the Council of American Maritime Museums, the Historic Naval Ships Association, Tall Ships America, the American Lighthouse Council, the US Lighthouse Society, the National Lighthouse Foundation, the Steamship Historical Society of America, the National Association of Black Scuba Divers, NOAA, the US Coast Guard, the Naval History and Heritage Command, the North American Society for Oceanic History, the Nautical Research Guild, Diving with a Purpose, the Association for Great Lakes Maritime History, scholars and students of maritime and naval history, and, of course, the National Maritime Historical Society, along with many others. e Maritime Heritage Conference has long served as an incubator, creating many collaborations, programs, and initiatives that continue to serve us today.

the shared goals of those who make up the National Maritime Alliance. Tim recognized the power of unity and worked to bring people and organizations together. His tireless work to secure funding and advocate for maritime heritage groups is unparalleled, and while Tim is no longer with us, his legacy endures. e mission of the National Maritime Alliance remains vital, and NMHS has taken up the mantle to organize the Maritime Heritage Conference this fall, and in the years ahead.

Considering the hurricanelike forces building around us all—environmental threats, unprecedented economic uncertainty, shifting sands of governmental support—this is clearly the time for some bridge management to explore how we can best support one another. e course ahead is no longer straight nor clear, and it is in times like these that we need to lean on the experience and examples of others who have faced similar challenging circumstances, and also time to put our heads together to come up with new strategies that will help navigate our organizations through turbulent waters. e importance of having numerous and diverse voices contributing to this dialogue cannot be overstated.

is year, as we were embarking on the plan to revive the conference after a long gap surrounding the COVID pandemic, we lost Dr. Tim Runyan, who has served as the driving force in organizing this conference and furthering

National dialogues are the start of national e orts, and they carry a weight that could not be matched by any of us acting individually. e Maritime Heritage Conference enhances our opportunity to be heard by the collective and gain from others’ experiences. To ensure the issues that a ect your individual communities are addressed, it is important to have a seat at this table and be a part of the conversation. Please join us in these important discussions at the Maritime Heritage Conference this September. Your expertise and experience will help strengthen the maritime eld and move it forward.

We look forward to seeing you in Bu alo this fall. See the opposite page for details or visit www.seahistory.org/ maritime-heritage-conference

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Gather with maritime heritage leaders from across the nation. Sectors include: maritime museums, historic vessels, tall ships for sail training and youth, lighthouses, small cra , marine art, sailing, naval and maritime scholarship, marine archaeology, maritime heritage resource management, advocacy, and more. Register NOW for the