This recipe calls for equal parts perseverance, passion, and positivity to balance out the moments when things look like they might be overbaked. While a perfect outcome may not be guaranteed, going through the process of preservation will provide essential lessons learned for your next gathering or fight.

Ingredients

Instructions

All recipes start with a solid base: the sense of significance of a person, building, landscape, or cultural heritage, which is the energy source, or rather the power of place that will be used to activate connections between the past and present.

1. In a separate bowl fold together the spark of intention with the trust and voices of community members along with the preservationists and coalition of partners. When blended, these elements create a goal for success. Let it rise.
2. Combine this second bowl with the sense of significance before adding in elements from the pantry to create a preservation plan.
3. Starting with a glug of research make sure you understand the site’s history, community context, and challenges that preservation might face, then to raise the awareness of the final product, pull together a shake of marketing and elements of advocacy to draw in a fuller flavor.
4. While we would all like notes of funding to be prominent from the start, sometimes it is only with awareness that funding is drawn forward. Use documentation as needed to ensure the story of site is archived no matter the outcome.
5. Season with generous amounts of empathy, patience, and persistence, along with whimsy and fun to taste. After stirring, raise the temperature through cooking and baking, and perhaps, when necessary, cool and chill (sometimes over months and even years). With time and a little finesse your recipe will be ready to serve, filling bellies, hearts, and minds for the years to come.