Title: History Looks to the Future: Planning for Utah's History

Utah Preservation Plan

Number of Pages: 29
Approval Date: October 10, 2001
Planning Cycle: 5 years

Contact Information:
     Wilson Martin, SHPO
     Division of State History
     Utah State Historical Society
     300 Rio Grande
     Salt Lake City, Utah 84101
     (801) 533-3552; fax (801) 533-3503
     E-mail: wmartin@utah.gov
     Web site: http://history.utah.gov/contactabout/History_Looks_to_the_Future.pdf

Mission/Vision Statement:
Not specified identified within the Plan.

Table of Contents:

Introduction
Section 1: Strategic Elements
Section 2: The Plan for Utah's Heritage
Section 3: How to Implement the Plan
Appendix I:

State Board of History
Members of the Strategic Planning Task Force
Members of the Drafting Committee
Bibliography

Appendix II: Historic and Archaeological Resources

• Strategic Planning Task Force;
• Three planning sessions held to solicit input from interested partners;
• Comments incorporated into draft Plan;
• Draft Plan circulated to Utah's Certified Local Governments, Native American Tribes, key community and local partnerships, and the interested public;
• Four public meetings;
• Board of State History provided input.

HISTORIC AND CULTURAL RESOURCES
Historical resources, including historic and prehistoric structures and sites, visual, oral, and written documents, artifacts, traditions, and lifeways, communities, and landscapes; buildings, including mansions and high-rises in urban settings, modest adobe houses and agricultural buildings in rural areas, and factories and warehouses in industrial areas; houses, commercial buildings, public and institutional buildings, industrial buildings; structures, including bridges, roads, railroad grades, canals and irrigation systems, telegraph lines, walls and fences, mines, grain elevators, kilns, and bandstands; sites, including ruins of historic buildings or structures, cemeteries, trails, historic designed and vernacular landscapes, and natural features with cultural significance; prehistoric archaeological sites, including habitation and ceremonial sites, petroglyphs and pictographs; historical archaeological sites, including abandoned town sites, trash dumps, and military camp sites; objects, including 1870s clock on Main Street in Salt Lake City; historic districts, including residential neighborhoods, commercial buildings in downtown business districts, college campuses, ranch complexes, warehouse and railroad districts, military bases, and archaeological districts; heritage areas and corridors featuring military, mining, Mormon, Native American, ranching, open space themes.

ISSUES, THREATS, & OPPORTUNITIES

• The statewide grassroots movement providing history programs is decentralized, democratic, and dependent upon volunteer efforts;
• Strong and diverse heritage partnership network;
• Much is known about Utah's historic built environment after 30 years of survey, documentation, and registration;
• 80 CLGs provide a broad and effective network;
• Addressing seismic issues with unreinforced masonry buildings continues to be important;
• Older buildings need to be brought up to code;
• Utah's 20% tax credit is a strong incentive for historic building rehabilitation;
• Utah Main Street/Pioneer Communities program stimulates the physical rehab and economic vitality of older commercial buildings and districts;
• Complying with ADA is a challenge with historic buildings;
• Configurations of historic buildings can be incompatible with new uses;
• Population shifts leave inner-city buildings abandoned;
• Industrial buildings are an often-neglected historic resource, although interest in their redevelopment has been increasing;
• Interdisciplinary approach to studying agricultural buildings as part of broader cultural landscapes is challenging;
• Sites are fragile, easily damaged by visitation and unauthorized collection of artifacts;
• Settings of sites are vulnerable to intrusive development;
• Local communities are examining the full range of planning and land-use tools available for protecting historic district character;
• Only between 5-15% of the state has been examined for archaeological sites;
• New state laws strengthen protection for archaeological sites by increasing penalties for vandalism;
• Archaeological sites are threatened by natural forces such as erosion and deterioration, development, careless recreationists, purposeful vandalism, and uninformed tourists and visitors.

1. Heritage Resource Stewardship. Utah's heritage organizations interpret, preserve, research, develop when appropriate, and encourage stewardship of heritage resources. Heritage organizations will work toward the use and appreciation of these resources by present and future generations.
2. Heritage Education. Heritage organizations stimulate mind, imagination, and emotions; encourage research; create educational programs; fashion interpretive materials in a variety of media; and promote widespread understanding of Utah's diverse past and its significance.
3. Partnerships and Networking. Utah's heritage organizations will establish productive collaborations with each other, diverse groups, and civic, government, and business organizations.
4. Public Communication and Outreach. Utah's heritage organizations vigorously promote an awareness and understanding of their activities and of the significance of Utah's heritage. These public communication and outreach efforts are directed to those citizens who are not traditionally part of the heritage community, in an effort to expand appreciation of the past and support for heritage programs. Keeping state and local leaders informed is critical in this process.
5. Public Policy Development. Utah's heritage organizations make visible the relevance of history to current issues. They work with elected and government entities at all levels - federal, state, and local - to influence public policy.

1. Heritage Resource Stewardship.
   • Identify sites for enhancement;
   • Opportunities for public interaction with resources;
   • Make museums authentic, exciting, and fun;
   • Create new programs and activities at heritage destinations;
   • Enhance interpretation of historic districts;
   • Promote public access to tangible resources;
   • Improve quality of heritage park interpretation;
   • Reduce impact of development;
   • Promote state commercial investment tax credit;
   • Expand loans for preservation projects;
   • Develop collections management plans and augment collections;
   • Establish regional historical records repositories;
   • Encourage oral history programs;
   • Establish site stewardship programs;
   • Promote and expand Utah Heritage Areas and Corridors program;
   • Develop federal lands as heritage destinations;
   • Market or de-market sensitive heritage sites;
   • Develop heritage area assessment tool;
   • Compile list of the most important Utah documents.
2. Heritage Education.
   • Increase involvement of students, teachers, and others;
   • Improve hands-on teaching materials;
   • Help teachers educate children about heritage;
   • Improve the history curriculum;
   • Integrate Utah history into other subjects;
   • Develop student and mentor recognition programs;
   • Hold a history education conference;
   • Expand undergraduate academic opportunities;
   • Offer graduate courses in heritage-related disciplines;
   • Support scholarship;
   • Establish and operate college-level technical training programs;
   • Offer archaeological field experiences for the public;
   • Promote public uses of documentary materials;
   • Promote public understanding of the value of historical collections;
   • Use the Internet as an educational tool;
   • Publish information through traditional methods, and develop new publication outlets and methods.
3. Partnerships and networing.
   • Form a Utah History Consortium;
   • Hold a Utah History and Heritage Conference;
   • Organize an Oral History Consortium;
   • Strengthen the Utah Historical Society's Affiliates Program;
   • Cooperate within regions;
   • Expand grants programs;
   • Help heritage organizations learn about and apply for grants;
   • Expand museum assistance program;
   • Develop performance measurements for the Utah Tomorrow plan;
   • Form partnerships;
   • Coordinate heritage sites databases;
   • Establish the Utah Cultural Center;
   • Make Utah's ethnic, cultural, and tribal histories available;
   • Republish The Peoples of Utah;
   • Promote the history of Utah's minority groups;
   • Encourage groups to maintain their histories;
   • Promote history-related business;
   • Incorporate history into business activities;
   • Promote heritage tourism;
   • Help local governments identify and promote local heritage;
   • Create exhibits in public places
   • Review heritage products for authenticity;
   • Entertain with history;
   • Help building owners take advantage of opportunities and incentives;
   • Expand Main Street program;
   • Cooperate on heritage trails;
   • Expand statewide nonprofit business associations;
   • Cooperate with national organizations.
4. Public Communication and Outreach.
   • Make effective use of the media;
   • Use promotional literature
   • Use government literature to promote Utah history;
   • Develop a history and heritage marketing plan;
   • Publish heritage tourism information;
   • Inform heritage program sponsors about activities and historic resources;
   • Use the Internet to promote Utah heritage;
   • Write articles for the national media;
   • Communicate Utah's heritage to travelers;
   • Identify high-profile spokesperson to promote Utah heritage;
   • Involve community leaders;
   • Help the public understand the role of historic preservation.
5. Public Policy Development.
   • Fund the Endowment for History;
   • Develop funding strategies for heritage projects;
   • Address heritage resources in long-term community planning;
   • Help planners understand the relationship of historic properties to urban sprawl;
   • Expand the CLG grant program;
   • Include heritage issues in city and county policy planning;
   • Encourage government agencies to understand preservation laws;
   • Establish a revolving loan fund program.