Historical Conservation|

| How far is too far

Reflection.

Preserving our landscape should not be our goal as landscape architects.

Is it the obligation for landscape architects to achieve maximum preservation marks upon completion of a landscape? The
Merriam-Webster dictionary states as its second definition for preserving: “to keep alive, intact, or free from decay.”
Landscape architects are taught to naturalize and use the land’s value to full potential. We focus on minimal disturbances to
the land and push concepts of organic products. If we act to preserve land, is it safe to say we abandon these values?
Naturalizing is king in the landscape architecture field; but to preserve means human intervention. The everyday public is more
or less familiar to the dimensions of life. I have produced the concept of the fifth dimension. The first three are easy to
acknowledge; line, area, volume. The fourth, time, is a bit more difficult to understand. The fifth is one that I have believed to
someday become probable, and that dimension being human intervention. Once people involve themselves in an area of
interest, the fifth dimension enters into play. The fifth dimension is the reason for landscape preservations. We need to ask
ourselves, how far is too far when we continue to preserve landscapes, in our eyes, to the right way.

Historical Conservation How far is too far Alex Johnson

There’s a difference.

Historical preservation is a concept in which I have a difficult time grasping. To tell

people that I am studying to become and landscape architect, and then to tell them
that I prefer not to preserve a landscape, people stop and say to me, “Come again?”
Preservation means to protect, keep safe from danger. Conservation on the
other hand, is one where people allow for time to do its job and control the outcome.
An example of conservation would be Devil’s Hopyard, a state park established in
1919 (see Figure 2). This land was not preserved, but rather set apart for humans to
enjoy and not interfere with. When preservation is the case, people need to always
mediate the situation, and in turn, conserve what they believe are the strongest
elements. It is easy to think that these two words mean the same thing, but I deem
they do not. Let’s conserve the land, but not control the land. It is our responsibility
as humans to respect what we have been given to us. Let us not take what is not ours,
and allow for Mother Nature to control her own fate. Kwareeblog, (Photographer). (2008). Devil. [Web]. Retrieved from
http://www.kwaree.com/blog/wpcontent/uploads/2008/07/dsc00069.jpg

Conserving our landscape should be our goal as landscape architects.

Historical Conservation How far is too far Alex Johnson

 Looks good so far.

The concept of landscape conservation is to allow for growth of species and natural
vegetation. “Landscape conservation is an approach with the potential to measurable
increases for fish and wildlife resources on the ground.” (U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, 2010) As landscape architects, being able to design successfully will allow
for great response from the public; but at what cost? Sometimes we need to start
fresh in designs, and eliminate any vegetation existing, “…based on conservation
priorities.” (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2010) What we need to do is prioritize
what we want to have and what we need to remain in our landscapes. We should not
be allowed to control which natural elements are to be grown. The whole premise
behind being a landscape architect is purity of the land, and if we interfere, how
could that land learn to manage itself (see Figure 3)? Conservation is what we
need to practice. Selecting land and allowing for natural growth and wildlife can
improve our earth, and start to lead to better environmental involvement.

markarlilly, Initials. (Photographer). (2009). Modoc national forest - south warner To preserve a landscape, is to control a landscape.
wilderness - clear lake. [Web]. Retrieved from
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2507/3943582458_2f5b4891ed.jpg

Historical Conservation How far is too far Alex Johnson

To protect and serve.

“Established in 1997 by the City Council, the City's Preservation Division in cooperation with the
Historic Preservation Commission work to increase public awareness of Scottsdale's heritage;
identify historic and cultural resources; designate and recognize significant local resources; and
assist in protecting, preserving and enhancing the buildings and structures that best
represent Scottsdale's past” (Meserve, 2010) (see Figure 4). I understand the concept of saving
historical elements for future generations to experience, but how does preserving something add to
the history of something? History is interesting for me, so being bias towards historical items is
one reason why I am against preservation. In order to appreciate the value of something historical,
that something needs to not just show time in paper form, but actually show physical wear and
tear. What are the advantages towards preserving something in which we already know what
the value is behind it? Conservation allows for value and history to compete for complete purpose.

History should not be kept in the present.

City of Scottsdale, (Photographer). (2010). Entry tower,

taliesin west . [Web]. Retrieved from
http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/historiczoning.asp

Historical Conservation How far is too far Alex Johnson

To preserve or not to preserve…that is my question.

Sometimes death is a good thing.

Preservation is a result because of historical significance. Many

communities want to preserve pieces of their past and important areas
which once served a great purpose. Why? “Historic Schools are lightening
rods for preservation debates because their value as historic resources often
conflicts with perceived community needs” (Johnson, 2010) (see
Figure 5). It is often the community overreacting to a situation, which
causes debate against historical preservation. What are the benefits to
keeping the landscape the same over the years? Preservationists may argue
that land value trumps purpose, therefore buy, buy, buy.
Preservation is a concept in which people think they are doing the right
thing, but in the long run, is it? History is history for a reason; why keep
something alive when it is dead. Fitzgerald, Kimberli. (Photographer). (2010). J.b. thomas middle school. [Web]. Retrieved from
http://www.northwesthub.org/historic-preservation-portland-136

Historical Conservation How far is too far Alex Johnson

Put one foot in front of the other.

To compare preservation and conservation is like comparing tangerines to nectarines. The

similarities are so close, that it is hard to find the differences. There is a difference, though. They
serve the same purpose though, and that is to protect the land. “When Europeans first set foot in
North America, forests covered vast swaths of the continent, and seemed to early settlers to be
inexhaustible. As the agricultural frontier expanded during the 1800s and 1900s, however, much of
that original forest was lost, especially in the East” (NatureServe, 2010). The death of the land is
coming, and we are the ones that need to stop it. Conservation of the land is the first step in
preserving the landscape. It is important, however, that we conserve, not preserve (see Figure 6). We
cannot preserve the past history of the land if we are focusing on the future. With the value of
land at its all time highest, we need to be concerned with how we are handling it uses. For European
settlers, the concept of conserving did not come about because of their motivation to search for new
riches. Since we know now what these riches are, we as a society must conserve our fruits of gold.

If a tree falls in the forest, does anyone hear it? Preservation yes, conservation no.
Karen, . (Photographer). (2008). Summertime. [Web].
Retrieved from http://www.saynotocrack.com/wp-
content/uploads/2008/05/forest.jpg

Historical Conservation How far is too far Alex Johnson

 The ideal landscape.

At the rate that our population in growing, it is only a matter of time before our land
become as valuable as our water. We need to start now to conserve what we have.
The key word was to conserve, not preserve. Conserving the land in which we live will
allow for the landscape to compete right there against the human populations. We as
humans have more important battles to fight. We do not need to be focusing our
attention towards preserving landscapes, when we know that for billions of years
land has survived. Let us conserve our landscape and allow for the landscape to
control itself (see Figure 7). I want to see land erode on its own, and allow for
weather to destroy what nature built in the first place. Land should show its powers
that it has and show the world why it is so strong. As humans, we need to
understand that we cannot control the land.

Frantisek Staud , . (Photographer). (2010). Stone walls winding through the hills of
Land means, “The surface of the earth and all its natural resources.”
yorkshire dales, england. [Web]. Retrieved from
http://www.phototravels.net/england/N0022/yorkshire-landscape-11.2.jpg

Historical Conservation How far is too far Alex Johnson

Historical preservation has its benefits.

Preservation does not just consist on a large scale. There are many opportunities for small
scale, individual preservation. “The Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation strengthens
the capacity of parks and historic properties to manage cultural landscapes as part of
our national heritage. Working in partnership with national parks, universities,
government agencies and non-profit organizations, the Olmsted Center provides a full
range of technical assistance in cultural landscape research, planning, stewardship and
education” (Illuzzi, 2010) (see Figure 8). The key is to connect with the youth and teach
them to respect the concepts of preservation and conservation. By teaching these young
people the advantages and disadvantages of having and not having green landscapes, the
greater the chance of success for our landscapes to be conserved and allow for future
generations to experience the outdoors that we experience now. National Park Service, (Photographer). Level i participants learn about tree
identification from instructor goodell on thompson island.. [Web]. Retrieved
from http://www.parkspractices.org/ht/display/ArticleDetails/i/680

Knowledge is the key to success, whether human or environmental.

Historical Conservation How far is too far Alex Johnson

 Foundation for reflection.

According to the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, "Landscape architects

research, plan, design and advise on the stewardship, conservation and sustainability
of development of the environment and spaces, both within and beyond the built
environment" (Barwick, 2010). We as landscape architects need to be concerned more
about the future for our designs, and less about the past and lost history of the
landscape. I do not support landscape preservation, but I do support conservation. The
earth in which we live has been able to conserve itself and sustain itself long before
humans were around. Why should we start now? Is it even going to matter what we do
now? Can we just let the land do its own thing? Why should we have to determine what
should stay and what should go? Would it be so bad just to take what we are given and
use it to the best of our abilities? Land is not like a car, it will not run down; so why do
Alex Johnson, (Designer). (2010). Landscape. [Web]. Retrieved from
we treat it like it can never grow back?
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/1841669/Landscape

|Historical conservation towards landscapes can be rejuvenating for the land and also for future developments|

Historical Conservation How far is too far Alex Johnson

 References

| Barwick, Patricia. (2010, March 28). What does a Landscape architect do? Barwick Landscape Architects. Retrieved from http://www.barwicklandscape.com/what%20does.html
(Barwick, 2010)

| Illuzzi, Celena. (2010, March 28). Olmsted center for landscape preservation. Parks Practices. Retrieved from http://www.parkspractices.org/ht/display/ArticleDetails/i/680
(Illuzzi, 2010)

| Johnson, Ian. (2010, March 28). Saving the public landscape: how do we preserve community icons? Northwest Hub. Retrieved from http://www.northwesthub.org/historic-
preservation-portland-136 (Johnson, 2010)

| Meserve, Don. (2010, March 28). Historic preservation program. City of Scottsdale, Arizona. Retrieved from http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/historiczoning.asp (Meserve, 2010)

| NatureServe, . (2010, March 28). Sustainable forestry. NatureServe. Retrieved from http://www.natureserve.org/consIssues/sustainableForestry.jsp (NatureServe, 2010)

| U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, . (2010, March 28). Strategic landscape conservation, the right conservation in the right place for americans fish and wildlife. U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service . Retrieved from http://www.fws.gov/southeast/SHC/pdf/LandscapeConservationQA-10232008.pdf (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2010)

Historical Conservation How far is too far Alex Johnson

 List of Figures

| Kwareeblog, Initials. (Photographer). (2008). Devil. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.kwaree.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/dsc00069.jpg (Figure 1)

| markarlilly, Initials. (Photographer). (2009). Modoc national forest - south warner wilderness - clear lake. [Web]. Retrieved from
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2507/3943582458_2f5b4891ed.jpg (Figure 2)

| City of Scottsdale, . (Photographer). (2010). Entry tower, taliesin west . [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/historiczoning.asp (Figure 3)

| Fitzgerald, Kimberli. (Photographer). (2010). J.b. thomas middle school. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.northwesthub.org/historic-preservation-portland-136 (Figure 4)

| Karen, . (Photographer). (2008). Summertime. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.saynotocrack.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/forest.jpg (Figure 5)

| Frantisek Staud , . (Photographer). (2010). Stone walls winding through the hills of yorkshire dales, england. [Web]. Retrieved from
http://www.phototravels.net/england/N0022/yorkshire-landscape-11.2.jpg (Figure 6)

| National Park Service, . (Photographer). Level i participants learn about tree identification from instructor goodell on thompson island.. [Web]. Retrieved from
http://www.parkspractices.org/ht/display/ArticleDetails/i/680 (Figure 7)

| Alex Johnson, (Designer). (2010). Landscape. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/1841669/Landscape (Figure 8)

Historical Conservation How far is too far Alex Johnson