September 2014
Living Landscape Observer - Nature, Culture, Community
In This Issue
Featured Landscape: Santa Monica Mountains NRA
Retreating from Landscape Scale Work
Advocacy Scholars
Really Long Landscapes
New Research and Writing
About Us
Join Our Mailing List
October 23-24, 2014
 
November 9-14, 2014
18th ICOMOS  General Assembly and Scientific Symposium, "Heritage and Landscape as Human  Values"
Florence, Italy
 
November 11-14, 2014 
Savannah, Georgia
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
View of Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Credit: National Park Service
Established in 1978, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area was an early test of how to create a National Park in a complex urban landscape, the Los Angeles Basin. 

It encompasses one of the largest and most significant examples of Mediterranean-type ecosystems in the world and features a rich mix of cultural histories and natural resources.    
 
Learn more about this featured landscape here 

  
Living Landscape Observer
Retreating from Landscape Scale Work?
Not so long ago the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor was the pride of the National Park Service - an oft-cited example of the agency's new approach to collaborative landscape management. But somewhere along the way, the NPS changed direction. Now, following a special resource study that recommended the creation of a far more traditional national park unit, legislation is pending in Congress that would strip out every reference of a partnership with the heritage corridor. This could jeopardize a successful model three decades in the making. So what might happen next? Learn more.
Advocacy Scholars - Deadline Approaching
Do you know an undergraduate or graduate student interested in historic preservation, planning, history, public policy, law, architecture or a related field? If so, encourage them to apply to the Preservation Action Advocacy Scholars program (by October 31, 2014) which offers a limited number of competitive scholarships to students interested in attending National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week (March 2-4, 2015) in Washington, D.C. This year, Preservation Action has joined the NHA@30 celebration by proposing the National Heritage Areas program as a topic for the required advocacy scholar's essay. Learn more.  
Long Landscapes: How Big is Big Enough?
The conservation movement has embraced the idea of preserving large landscapes as the only way to provide the resilience and protection necessary to support ecosystems challenged by climate change and the effects of global development. But how do we know when a large landscape is actually big enough?  
New Additions to Research / Writing 
The Research and Writing section of the Living Landscape Observer has been expanding in recent months. You can now review many of the documents we have assembled as part of our National Heritage Areas at 30 coverage, including conference proceedings, congressional testimony and opinion pieces. 

In addition, we've also begun to add information on the history of outdoor recreation in the 20th century United States, with a particular emphasis on federal policy. 
In the News

 

Collaborative conservation to save Minnesota's Grasslands

 

Secretary Jewell visits landscape-scale effort to protect Sage Grouse in Oregon. See a Department of Interior press release for more information on the project.  

 

Will New York City enter the "green bond" market?

 

Images help to capture magnitude of California's record drought (60% of state in "exceptional" conditions) as well as the landscape of the Alberta Tar Sands. 

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.