The Past in the Present: 2000-Present

A man stands in knee-deep water near a sandy beach, using a laser scanning device on a tripod.
Seen here at Loggerhead Key, NPS Heritage Documentation Program now uses laser scanning for Virtual Tour data and HABS/HALS documentation.

NPS Photo

2000

HALS created.


The Historic American Landscape Survey (HALS) is formally established as a permanent federal program.

2002

The NPS Cultural Landscape Inventory is converted into a web application.


The web version allows for nationwide sharing of CLI data and enhanced analysis of the nation's cultural landscapes.

A square concrete bunker with a door on one side is surrounded by a sandy beach and bright ocean water.
World War II era Pillbox on Midway Atoll at Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, a World Heritage Site.

Photo from NOAA/Andy Collins

2010

The first World Heritage Site cultural landscape created in the U.S.


UNESCO designates Papahānaumokuākea as a World Heritage Site.

2013

NPS cultural landscapes mapped using NPS Cultural Resources GIS.


The CR-GIS (Geographic Information Systems) database provides geographic locations of cultural landscape boundaries and features, and enhances cultural landscape planning stewardship within NPS.

2014

Climate Change Response policy developed for NPS Cultural Resource Management.


Increased attention to climate change impacts on both natural and cultural resources drives the production of official policies regarding cultural resource management. The National Park Service's Climate Change website provides information on adaptation and managing cultural resources.

Screen capture of the homepage of IRMA

Today

Large (and growing) body of knowledge on NPS cultural landscapes.


To date (2016), 750 Cultural Landscape Inventories and 376 Cultural Landscape Reports have been completed. Many are available for download from the Integrated Resource Management Applications (IRMA) Portal. The IRMA Datastore is a public online catalog of NPS natural and cultural resource management documents, including cultural landscape publications.

Last updated: July 26, 2017