January 2014
Living Landscape Observer - Nature, Culture, Community
In This Issue
Featured Landscape: Pinelands National Reserve
NHAs at 30
LWCF Update
Thinning of the Blood
See America
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
Pinelands National Reserve  
Cranberry Bog, Pinelands National Reserve. Credit: John Bunnel, Pinelands Commission
Located in southern New Jersey, one of the most urbanized states in the nation, the Pinelands are the largest tract of open space on the mid-Atlantic coast. Designated a National Reserve by Congress in 1978, the Pinelands offers an innovative model in protected area management. A hybrid of state and federal administration and mixed use and ownership, present challenges and opportunities well worth studying and understanding. Learn more here.
Living Landscape Observer
National Heritage Areas at 30 

Thirty years ago, the Illinois & Michigan Canal became the nation's first National Heritage Corridor. A creative response to shifting economic conditions and changing conservation practices, heritage areas cross the nature-culture divide, leaping political boundaries to tell rich and complex stories. Yet, heritage areas continue to be hammered by both shrinking federal budgets and by critics who question the program's purpose and effectiveness. Read more about how the LLO plans to mark this important anniversary and join the conversation on twitter at #NHA@30.

Land & Water Conservation Fund Update
Within the National Park Service budget is a critical program that aids in the permanent protection of land and water for all Americans, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Unfortunately, since its establishment in 1964, the LWCF has only been fully funded a handful of times - despite its record of having protected over 5 million acres of public lands. Find out more about how it did in this year's budget.
Thinning of the Blood or a needed Transfusion
In the 1980s, former NPS Director James Ridenour argued that the designation of new park units was threatening to "thin the blood" of the agency. Taking a different approach, LLO editor Brenda Barrett argued in 1991 that what the NPS actually needed was a transfusion - of new and innovative ideas. Here she reflects on that perspective, assessing the past 20 years of large landscape history as part of our NHA@30 series. 
See America Re-Visits WPA Art Project
A new crowd-sourced art project invites contributors from around the world to submit posters celebrating national parks and other sites and landscapes in the United States. Reflections on the origins of the first "See America" campaigns as well as a few wishes for what the current incarnation might include.
In the News
 
Interior Secretary Highlights Everglades Restoration
As part of the Obama Administration's sustained commitment to restoring and protecting the Everglades, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell recently met with ranchers and private landowners in the Kissimmee River Valley to discuss next steps for the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area. During the visit, Jewell highlighted the importance of the Land and Water Conservation Fund to the landscape-level conservation effort, which will protect key Florida habitat and the region's rural way of life.
 
Schuylkill named Pennsylvania River of the Year
The Schuylkill was nominated for the title of River of the Year because it demonstrated both conservation success and a continued need for protection. The river runs for 128 miles from Schuylkill County to the Delaware River in Philadelphia. Blighted by pollution from coal mining, the Schuylkill has been target of major government-funded cleanup. "We're really pleased to win this," said Kurt D. Zwikl, executive director Schuylkill State and National Heritage Area "Any attention you can draw to the river that is positive will help make people aware that over a million people use the river as a source of drinking water."
 
New website on NPS History
NPShistory.com has been created for those who are passionate about our National Parks and for the employees of the National Park Service. It offer the NPS Electronic Library a portal to thousands of electronic publications, covering the cultural and natural history of the National Park Service and the national parks, monuments, and historic sites of the National Park System
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.