The Living Landscape Observer is a website and monthly newsletter offering commentary and information on the emerging field of large landscape conservation.

The Observer is put together by Brenda Barrett and her team.  She has been involved in developing the field of landscape scale collaborations, including heritage areas and conservation landscape initiatives, for the last 20 years.

You may recall her when she served as the Director of Recreation and Conservation in the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (2007-2011), the National Coordinator for Heritage Areas for the U.S. National Park Service (2001-2007), or the Director of Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Historic Preservation at PHMC (1979-2000).

She is also a Board member of US/International Council on Monuments and Sites, a member of the ICOMOS Scientific Committee on Cultural Landscapes.

The landscape conservation approach emphasizes the preservation of a “sense of place” and blends ingredients of land conservation, heritage preservation, and sustainable community development.

The term “Living Landscape” does not reflect any existing designation; rather, it reflects a broader set of interests, ideas, and partners, including land conservancies, heritage areas, watershed organizations, long distance trails advocates, regional tourism initiatives and the many other groups that are coming together around regional and place based initiatives.

Living landscapes are large landscapes that are inhabited, claimed, complex, changing, and in short alive. They almost all cross jurisdictional boundaries, have multiple partners, and multiple objectives.

The goals of these efforts can include the conservation of important habitat and scenic values, the preservation of historic landmarks and main streets, or the revitalization of local and regional economies, but they share a common commitment to doing so by engaging other partners including the people who live in the place.

They seek to sustain and build on the assets of a region whether natural resources, historic places, locally produced goods, recreational opportunities or cultural traditions.

The term living landscape is also used to differentiate this approach from traditional protected areas which manage a defined geographical space that is set aside for protection and/or visitor enjoyment of its cultural and natural values.

The term also differentiates these landscapes from designed landscapes which are defined as consciously designed or laid out by a landscape architect, master gardener, architect or horticulturist according to design principles or established styles and traditions.

There are examples of conservation landscape initiatives here in Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Heritage Areas Program is a multi-region asset-based economic development program rooted in the Commonwealth’s rich natural, cultural, and industrial history and administered by DCNR’s Bureau of Recreation and Conservation..

Heritage Areas create cross-sector partnerships that enhance a region’s “sense of place” and strengthen regional economies. These partnerships create vibrant livable communities that attract private investment and house the products and places that drive Pennsylvania’s tourism industry.

There are 12 state-designated Heritage Areas now operating in 57 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties

DCNR’s Conservation Landscapes Initiative works with 7 large regions working together to drive strategic investment and actions around sustainability, conservation, community revitalization, and recreational projects.

These collaborations are found in regions where there are strong natural assets, local readiness and buy-in, and state-level investment and support.

Founded on the regions’ sense of place and resource values, conservation landscapes motivate citizens and elected officials to take on the challenge of effective land use planning, investment, civic engagement, and revitalization.

The Living Landscape Observer website and newsletter share research and writing, news and events, observations, models and other resources in the fields of conservation landscape, heritage preservation and sustainable community development.

Living Landscape Observer editor Brenda Barrett was recently awarded the George Wight Society's Communications Award which, every two years, recognizes outstanding accomplishments in fields associated with research in, administration and management of, and communications about parks and other kinds of protected areas, cultural sites.

The Communications Award recognizes excellence in communication, interpretation, or related areas. It is given specifically to acknowledge outstanding efforts in communicating highly technical or controversial park-related subjects to the public in a clear and understandable manner.

For more information, to comment, send news and events, visit the Living Landscape Observer website.  Click Here to subscribe to the Living Landscape Observer newsletter.  Click Here for the most recent issue.

You might also consider becoming an Occasional Observer or getting involved in other ways.  Contact Brenda Barrett by sending email to: bbarrett@livinglandscapeobserver.net.

NewsClip:

Officials Celebrate Susquehanna National Heritage Area Designation

[Posted: June 7, 2019]

6/10/2019