Get Involved!
At its core, historic preservation is people coming together to preserve their shared history and traditions. On this page we offer suggestions and links to ways that you can be an active part of the preservation community. Get Involved!
Preservation is Now
Highlighting some of the current opportunities in historic preservation
Honor excellent achievements in historic preservation by nominating a project, individual, group, or agency for a 2017 Governor's Historic Preservation Award. Visit our Awards webpage to download nomination forms and learn more about this state-sponsored program. The nomination deadline is May 15, 2017. Good work deserves to be recognized!
Serve in the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps and help to protect, restore, and enhance public and tribal lands and waters, as well as cultural and historic resources.
Experience history for free! Created by President Obama, Every Kid in a Park provides a pass to every fourth grade student in the U.S., to visit national historic sites, lands, and waterways for free. The program also provides materials to teachers to help coordinate the program with classroom curriculum.
Volunteer with the HistoriCorps program and help restore and maintain historic resources in California and throughout the country. Learn from preservation professionals and gain valuable skills you can apply to projects in your community.
Preserve California's heritage by becoming a California State Parks volunteer! Much of California's heritage is preserved and protected within the 280 park units of the California State Park System. Through the California State Parks Volunteers In Parks program, and the Park Champions program of the California State Parks Foundation, dedicated volunteers have a variety of opportunities to help maintain resources treasured by all of us. Get Involved!
Preservation is Organized
Click on the links below to learn about preservation efforts at the state and national levels, and how you can be a part of it all....
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP)
California Preservation Foundation (CPF)
California Council for the Promotion of History (CCPH)
National Park Service (NPS)
National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP)
Society for California Archaeology (SCA)
Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (THPO)
Preservation is Local
Check the list of local and regional preservation organizations, included on this page, to find preservation opportunities near you. Here are suggestions for some other ways that you can be an active preservationist:
Join a historical society or preservation organization in your community.
Visit a historic place or building in your local area. Take some photos and post them on your social media sites. Tell what you learned and liked about the place you visited.
Seek out and visit California Historical Landmarks in your county. Nominate a historically/culturally significant site or building in your town for a California Historical Landmark, or the National Register of Historic Places. Visit our Registration webpage to learn how.
Learn the historical and cultural heritage of your community. When was it founded and by who? Were there any California Indian communities on that site before settlers arrived? Attend a cultural festival or other event in your area.
Involve local youth in creating a Then and Now photography project: locate historic photos of streets in your community, and then take photos of the streets as they are today. Research and write histories of the streets, and then post your Then and Now project on your community's website..
Create a guide to historic resources in your community.