Utah Heritage Foundation

Full funding for the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) was at the top of the agenda at National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week, with a slant toward job creation and energy efficiency.  Utah Heritage Foundation (UHF) is among the 171 members of the nationwide Coalition for Full Permanent Funding of the Historic Preservation Fund.

My service area as UHF’s Central and Southern Utah Field Representative covers parts of all three Utah Congressional districts, and I represent the entire state as Utah’s only current Preservation Action board member.  Appointments with our three congressmen (below with, l. to r., Fred Ferguson and Jason Chaffetz) and both senators gave me the chance to tell them about preservation success stories back home and ask them to help change the policy that allows Congress to appropriate only one-third to one-half of the $150 million authorized annually for the HPF.

The next quarterly deadline for submitting applications to the Preserve America Stewards program is December 1, 2009. Preserve America Stewards is a federal program which recognizes organizations and agencies that successfully use volunteers to help care for our historic heritage. Preserve America Stewards receive a designation letter and certificate of recognition signed by First Lady Michelle Obama.

 To date, programs have been recognized for a wide range of volunteer efforts, including preservation and interpretation of historic buildings and districts, archaeological site monitoring, historic lighthouse preservation, and historic cemetery preservation. Designated Preserve America Stewards include the Oberlin Heritage Center in Oberlin, Ohio; the InfoAge Science-History Center in Wall Township, New Jersey; the Glasco Community Foundation in Glasco, Kansas; and the U.S. Lighthouse Society, which was recognized for its preservation of the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse in Maryland.

 To be designated, applicants must demonstrate that their programs: