Every five years the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) prepares an update to its comprehensive, statewide historic preservation plan to guide preservation activities in the state for the coming years. While the plan is a requirement of the National Park Service, which provides a substantial portion of the SHPO’s funding, it is also a valuable tool for the SHPO and for preservation constituents throughout Oregon. The release of this plan coincides with National Historic Preservation Month.
The 2018-2023 Plan spotlights overarching issues, sets goals for the state and its preservation partners, and details a series of objectives we can collectively work to meet over the next five years. Inside the Plan you will find an emphasis on:
A more thematically diverse National Register of Historic Places and state survey expanded and improved digital services proactive preservation planning heritage partnerships, advocacy, and networking identification, designation, and preservation of significant historic properties Writing the Plan began in Fall 2016 when staff met with key state commissions and work groups with interest or expertise in cultural or heritage resources to gather input on the direction for Oregon’s preservation community. Through the fall and spring of 2017, more than 170 Oregonians participated in a series of six public workshops held in Portland, Eugene, Medford, Astoria, Redmond, and La Grande. Another 348 completed an online survey. The Plan includes the many diverse ideas of these participants.
Grab Oregon’s updated historic preservation plan and learn more about how preservation efforts across the state are faring, how we can better leverage each other’s work, what preservation products get the best results, and how best to promote excellent stewardship of this state’s irreplaceable cultural resources. The plan can be accessed online at http://www.oregon.gov/oprd/HCD/docs/2018_2023_shpo_plan.pdf. For those that would like a physical copy of the plan, you can pick one up at the 10th Annual Historic Preservation Month Fair at the Oregon State Capitol Grounds on May 31, 11am-1pm, or contact the SHPO office at (503) 986-0690 to receive a copy by mail.
Oregon Heritage, a Division of Oregon State Parks, includes the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). The Oregon SHPO locally administers National Park Service (NPS) programs created by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, including the identification and designation of historic properties and archaeological sites; tax and grant programs; and the Certified Local Government Program (CLG), a partnership program between local jurisdictions and the state and federal government. The SHPO also coordinates closely with Oregon Heritage programs, including the Heritage Commission and Main Street, Cemetery Commission, Oregon Historic Trails Advisory Commission, and various grant and technical assistance programs. The SHPO office is funded in part through a grant from NPS. To learn more about the Oregon SHPO and Oregon Heritage programs, visit www.oregonheritage.org.
Please contact Ian Johnson, Associate Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, at (503) 986-0678 or ian.johnson@oregon.gov with any additional questions or comments.
