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	President Signs Omnibus Bill
	Service Learning Needs You

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Preserve America News |April  2009

President Signs Omnibus Bill

President Barack Obama signed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 on March 30, which included authorization for Preserve America and Save America's Treasures grants.

In addition to the grants, the law codifies the designation of Preserve America Communities as one of the entities eligible to apply for grants. It gives the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) the responsibility to establish any necessary guidelines for the designation process in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior. The ACHP is also specifically directed to establish an expedited process for Preserve America Community designation for Certified Local Governments that are established under the National Historic Preservation Act.

Read more here.

President Barack Obama is joined by members of Congress March 30, 2009, in the East Room of the White House, as he signs the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. White House Photo/Lawrence Jackson

Service Learning Needs You

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) urges Preserve America Communities, Preserve America Presidential Award winners or aspirants, Preserve America Stewards and local heritage preservation organizations to create local service learning and/or community service opportunities for students and school systems across the United States.

The concept is simple: use local heritage resources that can benefit from meaningful volunteer efforts to create community service opportunities for students in ways that are integral to their educational progress and fill real community needs.

The ACHP, its members and partners--Learn and Serve America (part of the Corporation for National and Community Service) and Heritage Education Services of the National Park Service--are leading the effort to use local heritage resources to widen public appreciation for history and preservation and involve youth in meaningful community service.

To learn how service learning can benefit preservation organizations and local communities and understand how to create such opportunities with local schools, click here.

To learn more about the overall effort and the ACHP's participation click here. 

The ACHP would like to hear from you. If you already have a service learning project underway and would consider sharing your experiences, please e-mail the ACHP with brief information on the project and contact information for learning more here.

Students at Colonel Richardson High School in Caroline County, Maryland, work on a service learning project at Linchester Mill.