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Preserve America News |January 2012The Big Read Program Offers Grants for Literate Historic Non-Profits 
Preserve
America Communities and Preserve America Presidential Award (PAPA)
winners are encouraged to check out their connections with the 31
celebrated authors connected with the National Endowment for the Arts’
The Big Read project. 
Cemeteries are iconic features in urban and rural landscapes, open spaces with unique cultural ties to the past for both individuals and communities. Maintaining
them can be a challenge, particularly for historic cemeteries that face
neglect and heightened deterioration. Across the country, volunteers
are working to preserve historic cemeteries for future generations. Two
Preserve America Stewards–the Texas Historical Commission and the
Historic Preservation Commission of South Bend and St. Joseph
County--have been designated for their work with historic cemeteries. The Texas Historical Commission’s RIP Guardian Program
provides technical assistance and education to a statewide network of
cemetery preservation volunteers. These volunteer groups provide site
maintenance, conduct research and survey efforts and work to increase
community awareness and support for historic cemeteries. Similar efforts
are underway at
Historic City Cemetery in South Bend, Ind., where
the Historic Preservation Commission of South Bend and St. Joseph
County has partnered with the Schuyler Colfax chapter of the Daughters
of the American Revolution to promote the cemetery’s preservation. The ACHP encourages volunteer groups that are working to preserve historic cemeteries to apply for designation as Preserve America Stewards. Designated Stewards receive a certificate signed by First Lady Michelle Obama. RIP Guardian Program National History Teacher of the Year 
This fall, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, along with Preserve America and HISTORY, honored elementary school teacher Stacy Hoeflich of Alexandria, Va. with the National History Teacher of the Year Award. Hoeflich wins an array of books for her school's library and a prize of $10,000. ACHP Vice Chairman Clement Price was on hand at the ceremony as was New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg; both praised Hoeflich for her innovations in the classroom and commitment to history. Read more. From left, Clement Price, Stacy Hoeflich, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, with students from Hoeflich's class 
Communities in California and New York are the latest recipients of First Lady Michelle Obama's letter of designation as Preserve America Communities. They are the following: Historic Filipinotown, Los Angeles, Calif.; Auburn, Brookhaven, Kinderhook, and Ogdensburg, N.Y. Read more about these historic treasures. Brookhaven Teachers Day at Longwood Estate America’s Great Outdoors 50-State Report and Preserve America Communities 
As part of the America’s Great Outdoors (AGO) Initiative, the Department
of the Interior (DOI) released a report listing proposed projects in
each state as well as the District of Columbia that would be undertaken
by DOI and other federal agencies in association with state and local
governments and other stakeholders. The projects highlight and support
priority activities identified in consultation with the nation’s
governors, senior state leadership and stakeholders, which also advance
one or more of the goals of the national AGO Initiative. Read the full report with project listing and a brief summary of what is included. A preliminary analysis by the ACHP has identified more than 75 designated Preserve America Communities that would be directly or indirectly involved and potentially benefitted by the projects, which include land and water trails, river restoration work, landscape conservation and urban park development . The communities include the following: Phoenix, AZ; Dumas, Helena, and Little Rock, AR; Denver, CO; Old Lyme and Wethersfield, CT; Dover and Lewes, DE; Washington, DC; Kauai Co., HI; Boise, ID; Lafayette, Logansport, and Wabash, IN; Lexington-Bell Court and Lexington-Gratz Park, KY; New Orleans, LA; Annapolis, Calvert Co., Dorchester Co., St. Mary’s Co., and Worcester Co., MD; Springfield and the Blackstone Valley communities from Blackstone to Worcester, MA; Minneapolis, MN; Biloxi, Pascagoula, and Ocean Springs, MS; St. Louis-Soulard, MO; Missoula, MT; Las Vegas; NV; Canandaigua and Ithaca, NY; Columbus-German Village, OH; Muskogee, OK; West Linn, OR; Borough of Columbia, Lancaster Co., Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh, PA; Blackstone Valley communities from Providence to Woonsocket, RI; Columbia, SC; Sioux Falls, SD; Brownsville, El Paso, Galveston, Hidalgo, and Laredo, TX; Brigham City and Salt Lake City, UT; Brattleboro, Montpelier, White River Junction, and Winooski, VT; Hinton, WV; and Jackson and Teton Co., WY. Kauai, Hawaii 
President Barack Obama and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar hosted a
forum of high-ranking Administration officials and Latino community
leaders and scholars to identify avenues through which the story of the
American Latino can be told in a more complete and inclusive way. The
daylong event on Oct. 12, 2011, featured presentations and
discussions about how the federal government could raise the awareness
of American Latino Heritage through its many programs. Coalition Endorses Congressional Support for Historic Preservation and Conservation Former ACHP Chairman John L. Nau, III joined 600 organizations in support of historic preservation and conservation funding and programs in a letter to Congress. The coalition offered to work with Congress to support conservation and historic preservation funding and fiscal responsibility. Read more. Preserve America Session at the National Trust Conference 
Representatives
of Preserve America Communities and Neighborhoods, Certified Local
Governments (CLGs), Main Street Communities, and historic properties
participated in a Preserve America Forum about preservation and outdoor
recreation. The forum was in conjunction with the National Trust
for Historic Preservation's annual preservation conference in Buffalo,
N.Y. in October. This
year’s theme was “Historic Communities and America’s Great
Outdoors.” Participants were invited to explore the community
implications of the federal America’s Great Outdoors Initiative and how
it should be integrated with local preservation. Organizers wanted
to discuss ways local preservation organizations and governments might
successfully combine preservation with outdoor recreation and natural
resource conservation, and how communities are currently working to make
their hometowns more livable and sustainable in today’s challenging
economy. After introductory remarks by John Fowler and Ron Anzalone of the ACHP, speakers/presenters included Brenda Barrett of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, talking about Localities and the Land and Water Conservation Fund; Bill Callahan, Western Pennsylvania Community Preservation Coordinator, Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office, on CLGs and the Pennsylvania Wilds Preserve America Grant project on community design; Isaac Kremer of the Oyster Bay, N.Y. Main Street Association, talking about Oyster Bay as well as Theodore Roosevelt’s nearby home at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site; JoAnn Beck of the City of Rochester, N.Y. on Rochester’s Olmsted Park system; and Suzanne Clary of the Jay Heritage Center at the John Jay historic estate in Rye, N.Y. Megan Brown, CLG Coordinator for NPS, was also on hand. For further information about the conference or to receive the session’s PowerPoint presentations, contact Judy Rodenstein or Ron Anzalone at the ACHP. Rochester, N.Y.'s Olmsted-designed Highland Park includes the Lamberton Conservatory. 
Would you like to be able to discover new resources, access model
programs, share your successes and seek advice from your peers?
Would you like to do this anytime, anywhere? If so, we would like your
input on developing a lively and useful Preserve America Communities
Facebook page. If you’d like to be part of a small group helping to
create this new resource and collaboration tool for our 872 Preserve
America Communities, please e-mail Judy Rodenstein. Economic Potential of Civil War Anniversary 
The Civil War Sesquicentennial promises to have an economic impact on many communities, while building an important educational and tourism base for the future. NPS’ Manassas (or Bull Run) National Battlefield in Prince William County, Va. (a Preserve America Community) was the site of two major battles in 1861 and 1862. A local analysis of economic impacts from a series of public events and activities held over a three-day weekend in July 2011 to commemorate the First Battle of Manassas found that the City of Manassas increased its restaurant revenue by more than $800,000 compared to the previous July, which resulted in a 14 percent increase in the collected meals tax. About 55 percent more sales tax revenue for the month was generated in the city’s Old Town historic area, as well as nearly 11 percent more lodging tax receipts. This was in spite of a heat wave that forced curtailment of some events and reduced overall visitor numbers. Read the full economic report. Grants from the National Trust Now Available
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is now accepting
applications for grants from the National Trust Preservation Fund, the
Hart Family Fund for Small Towns, the Johanna Favrot Fund for Historic
Preservation and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund for Historic Interiors.
The application deadline for all four programs is Feb. 1. Guidelines
and links to applications can be found here.
(Please note: the Hart Family Fund for Small Towns uses the general
National Trust Preservation Fund grant application. Grants from the Hart
Fund are awarded to projects in communities with populations of 5,000
or less.) Any questions can be sent to grants@nthp.org. |
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