The Last Green Valley announced today that Congress has extended its eligibility to receive federal funds through 2021, with legislation signed into law by President Obama on Dec. 19.

The legislation reaffirms that The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor – the new name formally changed in the new law from the “Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor – remains a region of natural, cultural and historic national importance worthy of continued federal investment, the organization said in a news release.

The Last Green Valley said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who introduced the legislation in the Senate, and Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, who introduced the legislation in the House of Representatives, were instrumental in the legislation’s passage.

Sen. Christopher Murphy was among the co-sponsors.

The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor, which is 77 percent forests and fields, is the last predominantly rural area between Boston and Washington, D.C.

The 35-town region, which extends through eastern Connecticut and south-central Massachusetts, includes the New London County towns of Norwich, Preston, Franklin, Griswold, Voluntown and Sprague.