Masters Thesis

Loved to Death: Updates for a Cultural Resource Management Plan at Annadel State Park, Santa Rosa, California

Purpose of the Study: Originally purchased by the State in 1971, the Annadel region has experienced continuous human involvement for thousands of years. The present ASP landscape's complexity is due to this continual human manipulation, frequently in the form of resource extraction. This long history of human use and modification has created a multi-faceted and highly diverse cultural landscape (Parkman 1984, 2006, Whatford 1993, Waghom 2002). This, in combination with on-going human involvement in the area will undoubtedly create a more intricate landscape in the future. The complexity of the Annadel landscape makes the public interpretation and protection of its resources incredibly difficult. The intensified park use is increasing pressures on the Annadel landscape and its cultural resources. Currently, ASP is experiencing an increasing number of user-defined trails and paths. Because the ASP staff does not construct these trails, their locations commonly threaten the ASP cultural and natural resources. These user defined trails, which are unauthorized and illegal, are constructed and maintained solely through park-goer use. With the increasing number of visitors comprising diverse stakeholder groups, the threat to ASP cultural resources is compounded. The purpose of this thesis is to strengthen stakeholder interpretation and relationsĀ·in an attempt to increase the protection of cultural resources at Annadel State Park. This thesis will propose modifications to the Annadel State Park cultural resource management plan that decrease the impact of visitors on cultural resources, through public engagement and community involvement.

Procedure: Through public engagement and interpretation, this thesis seeks to access the effectiveness of public outreach methods at Annadel State Park. This thesis will create suggested updates to the present Annadel CRM to include public outreach and the impact of visitors on these trails and paths. Through public outreach, this thesis will establish the stakeholder relationships needed to increase the capacity (cross-community knowledge, engagement) and involvement of park-goers. Past research has demonstrated that an increased level of stakeholder connection to the landscape will decrease the impacts on Park cultural resources (As 2005, Bott 2011, Moctezuma 2001). By updating, the Annadel CRM to include the creation and maintenance of stakeholder relationships this thesis will ensure the future protection of cultural resources at Annadel State Park.

Findings: User-defined trails and their increasing use are threatening the integrity of the cultural landscape at Annadel State Park. The landscape level of management and analysis is appropriate for Annadel State Park. An increase of public interpretation and outreach at Annadel will help protect the park landscape and its resources. The interpretation and protection of cultural resources necessitates sustained interaction between stakeholder groups.

Conclusions: By analyzing and managing Annadel State Park at the landscape level, the California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) can decrease visitor impacts to park resources. This decrease of visitor impacts can be assisted by implementing a public outreach and interpretation program at Annadel State Park. In doing so the DPR can lower the impacts of visitor use and decrease the resources needed to manage and maintain the park. The benefits of outreach and landscape management are applicable to multiple DPR holdings. By using Annadel State Park as a case study for future outreach programs, the DPR can save future revenue and protect an increased number of resources.

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