December 2013
Living Landscape Observer - Nature, Culture, Community
In This Issue
Featured Landscape: Ancient Ohio Trail
Caring for Country
U.S. and UNESCO
Parked! Report
Gettysburg Living Legacy
In the News
About Us
Join Our Mailing List
February 2-4, 2014 
Alliance of National Heritage Areas Annual Meeting and Congressional Reception in
Washington, DC
 
March 3-6, 2014
National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week in Washington, DC
Ancient Ohio Trail   
View of the  Octagon Earthwork in Newark, Ohio. Credit: J. Hancock, The Ancient Ohio Trail
Southern Ohio is home to a rich concentration of monumental earthworks built by diverse communities  of Indigenous peoples over many centuries. The scale and sophistication of the earthworks, spread out over hundreds of miles, makes the resource very challenging to interpret to residents and visitors. To tell this story on a landscape scale, the owners and interpreters of these sites have developed the Ancient Ohio Trail. Learn more.
Living Landscape Observer
Conservation History from PA Supreme Court

As Pennsylvania confronts the next massive wave of resource extraction - natural gas drilling - its citizens now have a primer on the lessons from their past. The state Supreme Court recently issued a ruling on the constitutionality of Act 13, controversial legislation from 2012 that sought to accommodate the gas industry. Learn what the court had to say about the past, present and future. 

A Holistic Approach to Open Space
The Rensselaer Plateau in New York State offers an exciting case study in collaboration, with public and private stakeholders joining together to foster conservation across property lines and political jurisdictions. Learn more about the origins and outcomes of this evolving approach to managing a large landscape. 
2013 Predictions - How Did We Do? 
Last December, the Living Landscape Observer ventured a few predictions for the coming year of 2013. So looking backward, how did we do? What do you think 2014 will bring?
In the News
Landscape Conservation Cooperatives create Natl Council 
A National Council of interagency, tribal and non-governmental representatives has been named to provide national-level coordination and support for Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCC). Serving as the national voice for the LCC network, the Council will seek to support actions that can be taken at the national level to facilitate the work of the cooperatives.

Articles Sought on Climate Change and Cultural Landscapes Change Over Time  is a semiannual journal publishing original articles on the history, theory, and praxis of conservation and the built environment. Each issue is dedicated to a particular theme as a method to promote critical discourse on contemporary conservation issues from multiple perspectives both within the field and across disciplines. Currently, the journal is seeking articles on the impact of climate change on significant cultural landscapes for an upcoming issue. The deadline for the articles is September 1, 2014. Questions and submissions should be sent to Meredith Keller cot@design.upenn.edu.

Abandoned Building and Industrial Landscapes
A recent piece from the Huffington Post on the debate over abandoned buildings and their potential for exploitation by sight seers and others.
About Us

The Living Landscape Observer is a new 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.