May 2019

Living Landscape Observer - Nature, Culture, Community
In This Issue
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Charleston, SC
October 2 - 6, 2019

Rural Heritage: Landscapes and Beyond:
Marrakesh, Morocco 
October 17, 2019

Pennsylvania Hallowed Ground Annual Meeting
Fawn AME Church
York, PA
October 26, 2019
Culture/Nature Journey


Tim Badman, the new Director of
Nature Culture Initiatives at IUCN
is building  a mailing list to share information in both fields. To join in contact:
Tim.BADMAN@iucn.org

In other news:

The call for sessions for the 2020 IUCN World Conservation Congress to be held in Marseille, France, has been published. If you are interested in hosting a Culture/Nature session at this forum, apply by July 17, 2019. 

The next triennial  ICOMOS General Assembly will take place from 1-10 October 2020, in Sydney, Australia, and will include a major focus on the Culture Nature Journey, organised collaboratively with IUCN and partners.  
 so please:
 
a)    Mark the date 
b)    Think towards proposals to bring to that meeting.
c)     Think of the options to connect events and activities between IUCN WCC and the ICOMOS GA.  



   
Living Landscape Observer
Historic Carrie Furnaces at the Homestead Works site, Rankin, PA. Credit: NPS

A National Network for the Labor Movement
The story of organized labor in the United States is complex, powerful, inspiring, and infuriating. It is told by roadside markers, urban waysides, house museums, National Park units, National Heritage Areas, and cemetery memorials. Would the creation of a national network help to elevate - and complicate - the existing narratives? Read more.

Easement protected farm land in Maryland. Image: John Sprinkle, Jr.

Perpetual Easements as Historic Events
When does the act of conservation itself become historic? Should the establishment of a permanent easement automatically render farmland as potentially eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places?  Read more about how these ideas could affect the the landscape of historic properties within agricultural communities.
Latest News and Notes
 
Editor of Living Landscape Observer Recognized for Contribution to Conservation Communications

Living Landscape Observer editor Brenda Barrett has been awarded the  George Wight Society's Communications Award.  Every two years, the society recognizes outstanding accomplishments in fields associated with research in, administration and management of, and communications about parks and other kinds of protected areas, cultural sites. The  Communications Award  recognizes excellence in communication, interpretation, or related areas. It is given specifically to acknowledge outstanding efforts in communicating highly technical or controversial park-related subjects to the public in a clear and understandable manner.  Read about all the award winners here.

Legislative Update on National Heritage Areas Program 

For years, National Heritage Area supporters have sought to establish a statutory framework for the National Park Service's role in administering the program. At an April 30, 2019 House hearing on the latest bill -  H.R. 1049 - Deputy NPS Director P. Daniel Smith testified that the Department of Interior supported the bill, but asked that the committee defer action to allow the Department to work with the sponsor and the committee on revisions to address the issues with the program. 

On the one hand his testimony praised the program for its public private partnerships and its success in telling nationally  significant stories. On the other hand, however, he noted that the administration's  FY 2020 budget has zeroed the program out in order to focus resources on reducing the National Park Service's $11.9 billion deferred maintenance backlog and other critical national park needs

Even more ominously he warned, "There are 30 national heritage areas out of the total 55 whose funding authority will sunset in 2021. A time is quickly approaching when it may not be as easy for Congress to extend the authority of heritage areas on a case-by-case basis, as it has been when only two or three extensions were needed in any given year." 


National Park Foundation and National Park Service Launch New Postdoctoral Fellowships

The Conway Science Fellowship is now accepting applications for its inaugural year. Three fellows will be selected to work on the following topics: 1) Addressing increasing visitor use by integrating social science and resource stewardship, 2) Enhancing ocean and coastal resource stewardship, and 3) Embracing collaborative conservation at the landscape scale. For more information, visit 
  
About Us

The Living Landscape Observer is a website, blog and monthly e-newsletter that offers commentary and information on the emerging field of large landscape conservation. This approach emphasizes the preservation of a "sense of place" and blends ingredients of land conservation, heritage preservation, and sustainable community development. Learn more about how you can get involved or sign up for the newsletter here.  


Our Mission: To provide observations and information on the emerging fields of landscape scale conservation, heritage preservation and sustainable community development.