A presentation by National Park Service preservationists on the history of the Historic American Landscape Survey and its role in the documentation of cultural landscapes through measured and interpretive drawings, written histories and large-format black and white and color photographs.

The Cultural Resources Geographic Information Systems facility enhances this documentation with modern geographic information system and globla positioning system technology that facilitates the location and analysis of landscape features. This exciting technology is being applied to documentation of historic mission trails in Arizona, where types of landscape features include the trails and roads themselves, water control systems, the mission and mission-related structures, and witness plants. Documentation of cultural landscapes with both traditional and modern methods will promote 21st-century preservation of these significant resources by promoting maintenance, interpretation and public awareness.