Few rivers in the United States have a better story to tell, or support a greater diversity of wildlife, than the dry ditch we call the Santa Cruz River. The communities along this river, including the rapidly growing suburbs on the Northwest Side, should help energize a campaign now under way to have the lands that flank the river declared a National Heritage Area. The designation can generate federal funds to make the area's history and outdoor activities more attractive for locals and tourists alike. The Santa Cruz River now carries water only when a gully-washer hits town or rainfall from the higher elevations south of Tucson sends it coursing downhill through the metropolitan area. Eventually the rainwater will reach the Gila River on the outskirts of Phoenix and trickle westward until it meets the Colorado River - though it usually dries up before it gets that far. Dry as it is, the Santa Cruz is still a potential gold mine, especially for communities that can capitalize on its natural and social history. In the 18th century, the route the water followed became the route that priests from Mission San Xavier del Bac followed when they went to explore the lands of the Pima, Quechan, Yuma and Cocopah Indians near the Colorado River. It was also the route that Spanish soldier and explorer Juan Bautista de Anza took when he led settlers from Tumacacori to the part of California that today is San Francisco. The riverbeds today remain the highway that many migrating birds still follow. Meetings in Northwest communities will be held in the next few weeks to describe the Heritage Area project in greater detail and to allow residents an opportunity to comment and ask questions. A meeting will be held in Oro Valley on Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Town Hall Council Chambers, 11000 N. La Cañada Drive. On Sept. 1, a meeting will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. in Marana at the Ora Mae Harn Park recreation center, 13250 N. Lon Adams Road. Jonathan Mabry, who is coordinating the drive for the Heritage Area as a consultant to the Center for Desert Archaeology, said a feasibility study, along with a draft of a bill, will be delivered to members of Arizona's congressional delegation this fall. Designation as a National Heritage Area requires congressional approval. Because of the upcoming elections and the crush of business facing Congress in the next couple of months, the bill for the 3,300-square-mile Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area probably won't be introduced until after the new year. If the bill becomes law, it will make communities within the Heritage Area eligible for up to $10 million in matching funds. The only national heritage area in Arizona is in Yuma at the historic Yuma Crossing on the Colorado River. The heritage area designation, Mabry noted, "doesn't bring any restrictions on property use, which is why you can get everybody from tree huggers to cement heads to agree that it's a good thing. It's basically a way to provide resources for everything from trying to get more tourists to restoring historic buildings to restoring riparian areas." The campaign to create a National Heritage Area can benefit Marana and Oro Valley and deserves support.