ROSS COUNTY — It's been three years since Ohio's Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks was proposed as a nomination to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
At the time, advocates for the designation were hopeful the decision would be finalized in 2021 but a new update anticipates the verdict will not come for at least another year.
It may not seem like much has been happening to move the designation forward but behind the scenes work from the Ohio History Connection and the National Park Service ensure the application dossier will be completed this summer or possibly by the fall. But with an ever-changing deadline and delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic, they don't anticipate the application will actually be submitted to the World Heritage Committee until early 2022. Then the review won't come until the summer of 2023. As the timeline is not fixed, it could be delayed.