Sooner Rather than Later: Let's Preserve Oklahoma's Past - Oklahoma's Statewide Preservation Plan (January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2024)

Executive Summary: "This historic and cultural landscape of Oklahoma should never be taken for granted. The physical reminders of the past are not only important, they are irreplaceable. These buildings, sites, and monuments were left by earlier generations and carry with them the story of an individual or community's life and activities. When taken in totality, these places in Oklahoma tell the story of how the state came to be what it is today. 'Sooner Rather than Later: Let's Preserve Oklahoma's Past' (formerly 'Tomorrow's Legacy: Oklahoma's Statewide Preservation Plan') identifies the goals and priorities for the agencies, organizations, and individuals concerned about and responsible for protecting the state's heritage. Through a statewide survey, public meetings, consultation with the preservation community, work sessions, and evaluation of data, the State Historic Preservation Office identified threats to archaeological and historic resources and developed goals, objectives, and action items to aid in their preservation: 1) Provide information about Oklahoma's archaeological and historic resources to increase public awareness and foster an effective statewide preservation network; 2) Continue to strengthen efforts to identify, evaluate, and nominate archaeological and historic resources; 3) Develop and disseminate strategies and incentives for historic preservation; and 4) Incorporate the consideration of archaeological and historic resources in public and private sector planning and decision-making process. By partnering together to help implement the statewide preservation plan, we can ensure that future generations will have the same opportunity we have today to experience the past and learn from it as well as gain the cultural, educational, and economic benefits for the citizens of Oklahoma. There were a total of 71 objectives laid out to meet the [goals of the 2015 State Plan]. Many of the outlined objectives were met through routine office procedures: processing National Register of Historic Places nominations sponsored by local communities or Certified Local Governments; working with federal agencies by processing federally funded, licensed, or permitted projects that could impact archaeological or historic resources; working with the National Park Service to review applications by tribal entities applying for Tribal Historic Preservation Officer status' coordinating with local non-profit preservation organizations to host educational outreach specific to building and/or cemetery restoration; providing assistance and advice to those applicants applying for Federal and State Tax Credit; funding projects aimed at collecting additional data on historic and archaeological resources; providing workshops on preservation-related issues; and contracting with the state universities to provide additional expertise in areas such as prehistoric archaeology and database management. Generations of Oklahomans have worked to preserve the state's heritage. Buildings on past accomplishments, current federal agencies, tribal partners, local governments, preservation professionals, the business community, developers, and nonprofits will help to achieve the new goals and objectives identified in the 2020 statewide preservation plan." Project funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant to the Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office, Oklahoma Historical Society, administered by the State, Tribal, Local Plans and Grants division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Sooner Rather than Later: Let's Preserve Oklahoma's Past - Oklahoma's Statewide Preservation Plan (January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2024)

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