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Federal Budget: First Look is not Promising

On March 16, 2017 the Whitehouse released its budget framework styled America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again and the news was not great  for programs that support large landscape conservation. For the FY 2018 the Department of Interior faces a proposed 12 % budget reduction and the Environmental Protection Agency is facing a 31% reduction. In general this brief document does not identify where the pain will fall except on the often pummeled National Heritage Areas. And while only the first step in the budget process, this proposal needs to be taken seriously.

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Thinking About Heritage Tourism

With a global market of 1 billion travelers, how can heritage managers draw more travelers into a deeper engagement around the understanding of place and more importantly the people who live in a place. Can another approach the found that goes beyond just consumer driven products sometimes characterized as hit and run tourism? A recent conference and a visit to two World Heritage cities, provided an opportunity for reflection.

Read More »
Credit: National Park Service

Featured Voices – Interviews with Landscape Practitioners and Scholars

Last month we added a new element to the Living Landscape Observer – Featured Voices. Going forward, each issue will highlight the work, experiences and perspective of an individual involved in the practice of landscape conservation or the study of large landscapes. Our interviewees will come from academia, the public sector, nonprofit organizations and business- all with the ultimate goal of sharing knowledge and insights into this complex and growing field.

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US National Parks on the Southern Border

The landscape of the southern boundary of the United States is complex and evolving. Read three vignettes of the current conditions facing the National Parks in carrying out their mission on the border. Recent proposals to harden the infrastructure of the border, for example to build a wall, and to increase militarization and enforcement will not make accomplishing the agency’s mission any easier.

Read More »

Federal Budget: First Look is not Promising

On March 16, 2017 the Whitehouse released its budget framework styled America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again and the news was not great  for programs that support large landscape conservation. For the FY 2018 the Department of Interior faces a proposed 12 % budget reduction and the Environmental Protection Agency is facing a 31% reduction. In general this brief document does not identify where the pain will fall except on the often pummeled National Heritage Areas. And while only the first step in the budget process, this proposal needs to be taken seriously.

Read More »

Thinking About Heritage Tourism

With a global market of 1 billion travelers, how can heritage managers draw more travelers into a deeper engagement around the understanding of place and more importantly the people who live in a place. Can another approach the found that goes beyond just consumer driven products sometimes characterized as hit and run tourism? A recent conference and a visit to two World Heritage cities, provided an opportunity for reflection.

Read More »
Credit: National Park Service

Featured Voices – Interviews with Landscape Practitioners and Scholars

Last month we added a new element to the Living Landscape Observer – Featured Voices. Going forward, each issue will highlight the work, experiences and perspective of an individual involved in the practice of landscape conservation or the study of large landscapes. Our interviewees will come from academia, the public sector, nonprofit organizations and business- all with the ultimate goal of sharing knowledge and insights into this complex and growing field.

Read More »

US National Parks on the Southern Border

The landscape of the southern boundary of the United States is complex and evolving. Read three vignettes of the current conditions facing the National Parks in carrying out their mission on the border. Recent proposals to harden the infrastructure of the border, for example to build a wall, and to increase militarization and enforcement will not make accomplishing the agency’s mission any easier.

Read More »