Hubbell Trading Post Farm Plan: Cultural Landscape Management Plan, Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site, National Park Service

Regenesis Collaborative Development Group, Inc.

The Hubbell Trading Post Farm is part of the Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site landscape, located in northeastern Arizona. This Landscape Management Plan for the farm was developed in response to expanding interests to reintroduce agriculture to the land. The collaborative process involved the National Park Service, local and regional organizations, the community of Ganado, and the surrounding Navajo chapters. Through the planning process, the interweaving narratives of the land and the people have enhanced both the cultural and natural relationships existing within the landscape. The management plan seeks to establish a balance between the elements of the landscape by creating adaptable relationships that utilize the components of the land, consider the impacts of present and future activities, and perpetuate this positive vision to sustain this balance. The landscape management plan for the Hubbell Trading Post Farm is organized around the idea that an operational farm modeled after indigenous farming systems is the optimal use for the site, enabling the facility to: -- Teach how to establish and operate an ecologically sustainable and culturally appropriate farm, -- Initiate and support community endeavors that bring back farming and community cohesion, and -- Serve as a source of increasing vitality and relevance among all the connected entities (the land, local farmers, community, the park and its visitors, recipients of the farm’s products, etc.). The sustainable agricultural model seeks to preserve and develop the productive capacity of the land, developing systems that optimize growth while reducing resource dependency and consumption. This is achieved by integrating the Hubbell Farm into larger systems (watershed, park service, community), and seeking ways to reflect and support these systemic relationships by contributing to a variety of constituencies (visitors, local farmers, health agencies, educational groups, etc.). The proposed agricultural plan is specific to the Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site, incorporating diversified crop selection and traditional agricultural practices. The approach considers that indigenous farming systems coevolved with and are well-suited for this environment, and should be emulated in future planning. Along with these premises, the plan explores the relationships between environmental character, park functions, and community. From a conceptual foundation based in categories of agricultural practice, marketing and commerce, and management, a strategy is developed that establishes steps for implementation and identifies first actions. The report also contains appendices, offering further detailed information for operational logistics and resources. Overall, the plan is presented as a framework that allows for ongoing improvement and adaptation at the Hubbell Trading Post Farm. The Landscape Management Plan will assist in expressing the authentic living culture and character of the place through an image of its operations and economy, generating interest from a greater range of people and extending the past of the Hubbell Trading Post into the future.

Hubbell Trading Post Farm Plan: Cultural Landscape Management Plan, Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site, National Park Service

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