Housed within DCR’s Office of Cultural Resources, the Historic Landscape Preservation Initiative (HLPI) is the culmination of over 25 years of historic landscape preservation efforts throughout the Commonwealth. From the Olmsted Historic Landscape Preservation Program of the 1980s to the Terra Firma technical bulletin series, the HLPI preserves historic landscapes through technical assistance to communities, inventory and evaluation of properties within DCR’s state parks, publications and public education. DCR often works with communities, regional partners, and other landscape advocates toward common goals.
The Initiative provides services for the preservation of community landscapes and DCR park landscapes, through programs including the Heritage Landscape Inventory program, the Historic Cemetery Preservation Initiative and the Heritage Landscape Atlas.
Historical note: Before 2003, historic landscape preservation programs were implemented by DCR’s predecessor agency the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and are referenced as such in some publications and on the website.