2019 May Preservation ePost
Included in This Issue:
May is Preservation Month!
SHRC Meeting Set for May 8
ACHP Workshops Coming to the West
CPF Webinars
And more....

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News & Updates
May is Preservation Month!

Historic preservation is something worth celebrating year round, but the month of May offers an opportunity to give it some extra focus. This is a time to share, learn about, and celebrate the unique heritage of your local region, and our collective California heritage.

Visit our Preservation Month California! webpage to see a list of some of the preservation events going on in communities throughout the state. Don't see your event listed? It is not too late to be added to the page. Send us links to your events and we'll add them to the list.

For more Preservation Month events and information visit the websites of the National Register of Historic Places and the National Trust for Historic Preservation .

National Register Nominations to be Heard at SHRC Meeting

Eight nominations to the National Register of Historic Places and one nomination to the California Register of Historical Resources are set to be heard at the next quarterly meeting of the State Historical Resources Commission (SHRC) . The meeting begins at 9:00 am, May 8, 2019 in the Hilton Palm Springs, and is in conjunction with the California Preservation Foundation Annual Conference .

Visit the SHRC Meeting Schedule and Notices page to download a copy of the agenda. Information about the nominated properties is available on our Pending Nominations page. SHRC meetings are live-streamed via the Cal-Span network.



Image: Belmont Square, Los Angeles, is one of the nominated properties to be considered at the May 8 SHRC meeting. Photo courtesy of Don Lee.
 Climate Action on the OHP Website!

There is a new page on the OHP website! The Cultural Resources Climate Change Task Force page is where you will soon find some of the latest information addressing climate change impacts on cultural resources, and recommended measures to respond to such impacts.

The Climate Change Task Force, led by our office in partnership with other state agencies, is one of the initiatives that came out of the Safeguarding California Plan: 2018 Update , a statewide plan outlining recommendations to protect California from climate change. Our new Climate page will be a place to learn about climate actions related to Safeguarding California, and taking place globally.

We invite you to preview the page now, and revisit it often as we add new information and updates. You can access the page via the "Climate Action" tab on our home page or at www.ohp.parks.ca.gov/climateaction .
Research from the NCHRP on Highways and Historic Properties

The National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) recently released the results from three research projects addressing historic properties and Section 106 practices in relation to highways and transportation projects:




The NCHRP is administered by the Transportation Research Board (TRB), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, and supported by state departments of transportation and other transportation stakeholders.

NPS Grants Awarded to California Tribes

The National Park Service (NPS) recently announced the distribution of $49.6 million in Historic Preservation Fund grants for U.S. states, territories, and partnering nations, and $11.7 million in historic preservation grants to 183 Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPOs).

Forty-three California tribes with Tribal Historic Preservation Offices/Officers received grants. The grants help to fund tribal preservation programs, assist in preserving cultural heritage, and promote the protection of historically significant sites.

See the full list of grantees here.
Learn more about the THPO program .

Education & Events
Still Time to Register for the CPF Annual Conference, May 8-11
There is still time to register for the 2019 Annual Conference of the California Preservation Foundation (CPF) . This year's conference is set for May 8-11, 2019 , in Palm Springs, and will explore the innovative methods and strategies used in the ongoing efforts to preserve cultural and architectural resources.
ACHP Section 106 Workshops are Coming to the West!
The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) is bringing two new Section 106 classroom workshops to the west, this time to Portland, Oregon. Both workshops provide an interactive training experience taught by ACHP staff.

NTHP Scholarship Deadline is Approaching
There is still time to apply for scholarships to attend the 2019 PastForward Annual Conference of the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP). The Diversity Scholarship Program (DSP) helps support the opportunity for leaders from underrepresented communities new to preservation, and emerging preservation professionals, to attend the conference. Deadline to apply is May 15, 2019.
Archaeology Stewardship Training Opportunities
Volunteer training opportunities are available with the California Archaeological Site Stewardship Program (CASSP) . CASSP is a statewide stewardship program directed by the Society for California Archaeology . Trainees work with professional archaeologists to protect archaeological and historical resources by monitoring sites and recording changes. Training workshops are being offered May 30-31, 2019 in Arcata, and in October in Ukiah (dates to be announced soon).
California Preservation Foundation Webinars
Wakamatsu 150th Anniversary Celebration, June 6-9
Wakamatsu Tea & Silk Farm Colony, Placerville, California, is marking its sesquicentennial with WakamatsuFest150 , a celebration of Japanese American heritage, arts, and cuisine, June 6-9, 2019. Japanese colonists arrived at Wakamatsu on June 8, 1869, establishing the first permanent Japanese colony in the U.S. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is California Historical Landmark No. 815.

Designating California!
In honor of Preservation Month, we spotlight here the California Historical Landmarks Program (CHL) . Precursors to today’s Landmarks program included the Landmarks Club founded in Los Angeles in 1895, and the California Historical Landmarks League started in San Francisco in 1902. Legislation in 1931 established an official landmark program overseen by the director of the Department of Natural Resources and administered by the California State Chamber of Commerce. In 1949, Governor Earl Warren created the California Historical Landmarks Advisory Committee, which was responsible for creating registration criteria that gave consistent structure and credibility to the program. Through legislative action in 1974, the Landmarks Advisory Committee became the State Historical Resources Commission (SHRC), with members appointed by the governor.

Today, the SHRC, and the California Historical Landmarks Program, administered by the Office of Historic Preservation, continue to ensure that buildings and sites significant to our collective California heritage are recognized and honored. They have been aided in those efforts by a high degree of citizen participation and support, a hallmark of the Landmarks program throughout its existence.

The photo above is of the Monterey Custom House , now a part of Monterey State Historic Park . The Custom House, constructed in the 1820s during Mexico's control of California, is considered the oldest government building in the state. It was designated California Historical Landmark No. 1 on June 1, 1932. To date, there are 1,056 CHLs. You can learn about many of them via our California Historical Landmarks by County webpage.



Text adapted from California Historical Landmarks ; Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks, Sacramento, 1996. Photo courtesy of Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau .
2019 State Historical Resources Commission (SHRC) Meetings:

February 1 - Sacramento
May 8 - Palm Springs
August 1 - Location TBD
October 24 - Location TBD

Commission meetings are open to the public and live-streamed via the Cal-Span network. Meeting locations, times, and agendas are posted to the SHRC Meeting Schedule and Notices webpage.

For upcoming nominations visit the Pending Nominations page. Nominations already heard by the Commission are listed on the Actions Taken page.

Learn more about the role and responsibilities of the SHRC.
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May is Asian Pacific American & Jewish American Heritage Month!
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