This Place Matters combines education, outreach, communications and fundraising to build capacity within Wyoming’s historic preservation community. As part of a This Place Matters event, the Alliance for Historic Wyoming offers educational workshops and training, formal and informal gatherings and heritage celebrations to engage the public and promote an enduring preservation ethic.

Through the This Place Matters program, AHW visits and works in a designated region of the state for an extended period (3-5 days). Each visit is centered on an educational event designed to engage with and learn from the target communities. Working with local supporters, we choose our topic from a series of presentations and workshops developed by our board and volunteers, on issues ranging from structural problems in historic buildings to public lands advocacy, from grantwriting to methods of surveying cultural resources. 

We also use our “field” time to meet with existing and potential supporters, to host fundraising events, to speak with civic organizations, to introduce our work to local development officials, to celebrate area resources, to spread awareness of local and statewide issues and to promote an enduring statewide preservation ethic. Each trip is packed with events and meetings, formal and informal, to maximize our expenditures of time and resources. 

Expected outcomes:

This Place Matters brings historic preservation techniques and expertise to some of Wyoming’s smaller communities that rarely have the opportunity to host such training opportunities. When we address the Rotary or host a “meet and greet” discussion on historic preservation, a more varied audience is exposed to these issues, generating a deeper appreciation for the economic and social benefits of working together to preserve a region’s unique heritage.  These workshops and presentations, along with our outreach efforts, help to nurture an enduring preservation ethic.

Another key outcome is to create a statewide database detailing, region by region, people interested in preservation as well as those with related skills and passions. Since AHW’s capacity to intervene in local issues is quite limited, it is important to be able to provide networking advice as well as practical guidance to groups or individuals confronting local preservation issues. This database benefits not only AHW, but anyone in the state seeking support with a preservation issue.

Past This Place Matters Events

2017:

This Place Matters: Sheridan