Partnering in Preservation

Three people, with cameras and sunhats, look at a notebook at Scotty's Castle, a dry landscape with low vegetation and a long one-story building with terra cotta roof in the background. — Members of the NPS and the Cultural Landscapes Research Group with the University of Oregon assess landscape conditions at Scotty's Ranch at Death Valley National Park in March 2016.
NPS

What We Do

Research

Research and documentation of cultural landscapes involves the use of primary and secondary sources, review of archeological records, and field investigation to determine the extent and condition of historic landscape features. Maps, drawings, photographs, and laser scanning are ways of documenting a cultural landscape. Much of the cultural landscape research and documentation by the NPS is available publicly.

A person kneels and drops something into a test tube of soil and water near three other test tubes, as a group watches. — A workshop participant conducts a soil test at Independence National Historical Park in August 2014.
NPS

Increasingly, cultural landscape documentation can be used alongside other information systems to improve maintenance, planning, mapping, and interpretation.

Research and investigation in cultural landscapes can lead to a new understanding about historical conditions, current management practices, and future care as conditions of the landscape change.

Learning and Development

The cultural landscape digital resources provided by the NPS support training and learning opportunities for young people, university students, professionals, and anyone interested in cultural landscape history and preservation.

NPS Programs and Parks

As part of the National Park Service, the Park Cultural Landscapes Program helps preserve cultural resources and their associated values and stories for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of current and future generations.

Individuals in programs and parks around the NPS are involved in cultural landscape management, through research, planning, stewardship, and communication.

Beyond the NPS

Volunteers, organizations, and professionals that work with the National Park Service are essential to the care of cultural landscapes.

The field of cultural landscape preservation extends beyond the National Park Service. Students, professionals, educators, and organizations involved in all aspects of cultural landscape management can find resources on this site to begin or continue in the field.

A group of people with tools are scattered throughout a young orchard on a sunny spring day. A creek and pathway are in the background — Volunteers at Peirce Mill in April 2019. The demonstration orchard in the landscape is maintained by the Friends of Peirce Mill.
Courtesy of Friends of Peirce Mill