Suggested Activities in Support of the State Plan


Increase the number of contexts (statewide and community-specific) to assist in conducting surveys and preparing individual nominations (e.g., contexts associated with groups of people such as women’s history or specific cultural groups; contexts focused on California industries such as agriculture or mining; or contexts associated with a type of development such as post-World War II housing or military installations).

Conduct surveys that focus on resource types that haven’t been adequately identified and evaluated in the past.

Update older nominations to include more information about groups traditionally under-represented in nominations.

Provide more interpretation of historical and cultural resources, using a wide variety of delivery methods.

Provide up-to-date information about built environment resources online at no cost.

Celebrate and provide examples of successful “outside the norm” nominations and adaptive re-use projects that can serve as models for others.

Disseminate information to permit, license, and funding applicants about the California Historical Resources Information System and the use of and access to its inventory.

Have a preservation presence at statewide and regional conferences of advocacy and professional organizations of potential partners including environmental advocacy organizations, local and regional planning agencies, and economic development and travel/tourism conferences and meetings.

Invite representatives of these organizations and agencies to attend and speak at preservation functions and forums.

Create communications/outreach plans in order to strategically use various communications methods, avoid duplication of efforts, and maximize the reach and impact of messages.

Create forums where traditional and non-traditional preservation partners can share information and discuss questions, problems, issues and best practices.

Hold workshops or roundtables devoted to landscapes issues and invite land managing agencies and organizations to participate.

Create training programs aimed specifically at non-traditional partners and/or the general public—ensure the programs are understandable and speak to the issues important to their intended audience.

Issue press releases that highlight successful preservation projects and focus on the larger community the resource serves and benefits.

Invite public officials to ribbon-cutting ceremonies and other events where historical resources are being honored.

Focus preservation awards programs on projects that have made significant contributions to their communities, and discuss these contributions during awards ceremonies and in promotional and press materials.

Use various communication methods and media to put forward examples of approaches and projects that can serve as models for future preservation efforts and focus on these specific successful examples in newsletter articles, training, and conferences.

Develop educational and outreach materials in languages other than English.

Actively participate in statewide and regional tourism councils.

Create positive, proactive working relationships between advocates and agencies that endure outside the confines of any specific project.

Educate applicants for permits, licenses or funding, about historic preservation incentives available to them at the federal, state, and local levels.

Support the use of language in land-conveyance documents to ensure preservation of cultural resources if the land is purchased by a public agency for open space or mitigation purposes.

Implement changes that will make project review processes and procedures more efficient without sacrificing effectiveness.