Launch of New Public Lands Reading Group
October 13, 2025
To provide observations and information on the emerging fields of landscape scale conservation, heritage preservation, and sustainable community development.
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In January 2021, the Biden administration announced a plan to protect 30 percent of the country’s land and water by 2030. The effort, which is global in scale, has been dubbed 30×30. History, especially the recent past, can offer some promising lessons to help guide the new campaign.
The first National Heritage Area was designated in 1984 and today there 55 areas showcasing the nation’s rich cultural and natural resources. But while evaluations and lived experience show the success of the idea, official acknowledgement of NHAs as part of the park service family has not been achieved despite years of advocacy. Read here why now is the time to recognize NHAs as a legislatively authorized component part of the National Park Service.
In 2020, it often seemed as if each day held a year’s worth of headlines. As a result, stories that might have merited front page coverage in the recent past managed to escape significant media and public scrutiny. Our most popular post of 2020, “While We Were Not Watching,” tried to capture some of these missing narratives, especially as they related to the protection (or lack thereof) of large landscapes. More hopeful writings on the potential for large landscape conservation to aid in economic revitalization or contribute to the practice of interpretation and storytelling, also garnered attention over the past year.
Interested in learning more about the intersection of climate change and cultural resource management? Read our interview with Dr. Marcy Rockman, an archaeologist with experience in national and international climate change policy. Dr. Rockman is currently working with the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) as Scientific Coordinator for a project to improve incorporation of heritage in reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). From 2011 – 2018, she served as the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) Climate Change Adaptation Coordinator for Cultural Resources.
By Malcolm Fouhy, Policy Intern National Parks Conservation Association Never heard of national heritage areas? You’re not alone. These 49 diverse natural and cultural sites
In January 2021, the Biden administration announced a plan to protect 30 percent of the country’s land and water by 2030. The effort, which is global in scale, has been dubbed 30×30. History, especially the recent past, can offer some promising lessons to help guide the new campaign.
The first National Heritage Area was designated in 1984 and today there 55 areas showcasing the nation’s rich cultural and natural resources. But while evaluations and lived experience show the success of the idea, official acknowledgement of NHAs as part of the park service family has not been achieved despite years of advocacy. Read here why now is the time to recognize NHAs as a legislatively authorized component part of the National Park Service.
In 2020, it often seemed as if each day held a year’s worth of headlines. As a result, stories that might have merited front page coverage in the recent past managed to escape significant media and public scrutiny. Our most popular post of 2020, “While We Were Not Watching,” tried to capture some of these missing narratives, especially as they related to the protection (or lack thereof) of large landscapes. More hopeful writings on the potential for large landscape conservation to aid in economic revitalization or contribute to the practice of interpretation and storytelling, also garnered attention over the past year.
Interested in learning more about the intersection of climate change and cultural resource management? Read our interview with Dr. Marcy Rockman, an archaeologist with experience in national and international climate change policy. Dr. Rockman is currently working with the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) as Scientific Coordinator for a project to improve incorporation of heritage in reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). From 2011 – 2018, she served as the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) Climate Change Adaptation Coordinator for Cultural Resources.
By Malcolm Fouhy, Policy Intern National Parks Conservation Association Never heard of national heritage areas? You’re not alone. These 49 diverse natural and cultural sites