Case studies and lessons learned from parks and preservation

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article was presented at the 2017 Annual Conference of the National Association of Environmental Professionals, in Durham, North Carolina. The presentation described case studies for public properties being managed at the federal and state level, where significant historical resources and unique archeological resources are known to be present or have a high probability to be present. This article focuses on the exemplary and proactive investigation undertaken by the County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation to complete evaluations and prepare an inventory of structures, buildings, objects, and sites to assess their eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, the California Register of Historical Resources, and/or the County of Los Angeles Register of Landmarks and Historic Districts. The County of Los Angeles park system is in one of the nation’s largest municipal park systems, serving 10.02 million residents. The inventory was undertaken to identify those structures, buildings, objects, and sites that are eligible individually or as a historic district and provide guidelines for management consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and the National Park Service’s Preservation Briefs. In addition to the inventory and evaluation, the project led to development of a Worker Education and Awareness Program (WEAP) and a Cultural Resource Management Plan (CRMP). The case study and management approach will be outlined in a manner that would be suitable for application to federal, state, or local park systems or individual properties.