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Mission Statement
An interdisciplinary forum for exploring and exchanging ideas about historic landscapes and their stewardship.
President's Message
Greetings!
I do hope all is going well for everyone. It has been a busy and productive summer and fall for the Alliance. Exploring the Boundaries of Historic Landscape Preservation, the proceedings of the 29th Annual Meeting, has been published and is now available on the Alliance website.
One of the most critical tasks accomplished this year was the strategic planning session in Washington, D.C. on November 7th and 8th. The facilitated session renewed the commitment and energy of the Board of Directors towards historic landscape preservation, towards this organization, and towards engaging the general membership in all levels of activities.
I want to thank all of the Alliance general members who responded to the Board’s plea for input to the strategic planning process. We had a good response and found the comments very helpful in providing direction to the Board during the work session. Further, I want to thank the Board of Directors for freely giving their time and energy to two days of intense volunteer work on behalf of this organization. Finally, I want to thank the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation who provided space in which to conduct the meeting.
The intent of the strategic planning session was to re-evaluate the mission and direction of the Alliance prioritizing immediate and long-term needs. The following purposes were identified and will be further refined over the coming year:
- Act as a central networking/marketplace for the field of historic landscape preservation;
- Focus advocacy efforts by emphasizing best practices.
To assist in accomplishing these purposes in the immediate future, priorities were identified, tasks defined, and action plans implemented to: re-define the role and responsibilities of board members, including updating business practices; re-energize members by reconfirming the breadth of benefits of being actively involved with the organization; engage all members by fully embracing the breadth of communication needed in today’s world; and take immediate actions to renew existing members and pursue new members.
I am very excited about the passion and energy I saw at this strategic planning session. I personally commit to enhancing the breadth of communication over the coming years. I encourage any and all members to become ACTIVE in the Alliance – this is your organization after all! VOLUNTEER – collectively we can make the Alliance a vital forum for communication on all facets of historic landscape preservation.
In the spirit of communication and advocacy emphasizing best practices, plan to attend the 2009 Annual Meeting, May 27-31 in St. Louis, Missouri. With the theme of Managing regional change in urban and suburban cultural landscapes, the program committee invites presentation proposals that address landscape issues related to rivers and other waterways; this focus, however, should not discourage those wishing to address other types of landscapes.
Finally, please welcome our new Membership Coordinator, Debbie Smith, Chief of Historic Landscapes at the National Center for Technology and Training in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Debbie will be leading our renewal and new members campaign during the winter. And, a personal thanks to Sherda Williams, outgoing Membership Coordinator, for all her efforts with the various membership tasks over the past several years!
May each of you have a healthy, happy and joy-filled New Year!
Cari Goetcheus
864-656-6787
cgoetch@clemson.edu
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Page Index
What is the Alliance for Historic Landscape Preservation?
The Alliance for Historic Landscape Preservation is an interdisciplinary professional organization which provides a forum for communication and exchange of information among its members. It is dedicated to the preservation and conservation of historic landscapes in all their variety, from formal gardens and public parks to rural and natural expanses.
The
Alliance was founded in 1978, when a small group of people
from diverse backgrounds met at New Harmony, Indiana, to share
their mutual interests and concerns about the growing field
of landscape preservation. From this initial symposium came
recognition of the need for increased commitment to the interdisciplinary
nature of the field.
Today
the Alliance is an international organization with members
from more than 30 U.S. states, several Canadian provinces
and Europe. Members include educators, private practitioners
and representatives from non-profit organizations and government
agencies. Geography, history, horticulture, landscape architecture,
planning, public administration and architecture are just
some of the professional specialties represented. This multi-faceted
character is one of the great strengths of the Alliance.
The
Alliance is incorporated in Wisconsin as a non-profit organization.
The Pitch(pdf)
What
does the Alliance do?
The Alliance is a landscape preservation advocacy group. Alliance
members are engaged in a multitude of activities related to
the protection and presentation of historic landscapes. Its
mission is to educate the public about historic landscapes,
their values, threats and ways to preserve their important
characteristics. The main thrust of the Alliance is to offer
a forum for communication for its diverse membership.
Alliance
members are involved in a wide range of projects in restoration,
rehabilitation and conservation including:
- preparation
of heritage landscape inventories and assessments
- master
planning for historic sites
- historic
cemetery and battlefield conservation
- study
of industrial, agricultural, heritage conservation districts
- development
of rural protection strategies
- development
of vegetation management strategies and study of native
plant communities
- accessing
sources of material for historic structures
- writing
of histories of landscapes and creators/designers of these
landscapes
- oral
history collections
Members
also teach, write, develop policies, and advocate for the
preservation of historic landscapes. Many are involved in
management,
from standards to on-site activities including implementation.
What
are historic landscapes?
Landscape
implies far more than high-style aesthetics; it is a document
of the shared aspirations, ingenuity, memories, and culture
of its builders. J.B. Jackson, Cultural Geographer
To
define what is meant by historic landscapes is to risk burdening
the reader with an overwhelming array of thoughts and perspectives.
Needless to say, there are many definitions which have been
developed over the years. The more recent acceptance of the
term 'cultural landscapes' provides the basis for the following
definitions.
Cultural
Landscapes represent the combined works of nature
and of man and are illustrative of the evolution of human
society and settlement over time, under the influence of the
physical constraints and/or opportunities presented by their
natural environment and of successive social, economic and
cultural forces, both external and internal. (UNESCO/ICOMOS
Expert Group, World Heritage Convention Operation Guidelines,
February 1995)
The
following cultural landscape types have been defined by UNESCO.
(The US National Park Service, Parks Canada and other groups
all have definitions on this topic. Please refer to their
websites for further information. See links.)
Clearly
defined landscape designed and created intentionally by man
This embraces garden and parkland landscapes constructed for
aesthetic reasons which are often (but not always) associated
with religious or other monumental buildings and ensembles.
Organically
evolved landscape
This results from an initial social, economic, administrative,
and/or religious imperative and has developed its present
form by association with and in response to its natural environment.
Such landscapes reflect that process of evolution in their
form and component features. They fall into two sub-categories:
The relict (or fossil) landscape: one in which an evolutionary process came to an end at some
time in the past, either abruptly or over a period. Its
significant distinguishing features are, however, still
visible in material form.
-
The
continuing landscape:
one which retains an active social role in contemporary
society closely associated with the traditional way of life,
and in which the evolutionary process is still in progress.
At the same time it exhibits significant material evidence
of its evolution over time.
Associative
cultural landscape
The inclusion of such landscapes on the World Heritage List
is justifiable by virtue of the powerful religious, artistic
or cultural associations of the natural element rather than
material cultural evidence, which may be insignificant or
even absent.
(UNESCO World Heritage Convention, Operational Guidelines,
February 1995)
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