On March 9 and 10, a group of North Carolina preservationists descended on Washington, D.C., to participate in the annual advocacy and lobby day for historic preservation. Preservation Action, the national nonprofit preservation lobbying organization, sponsored the event to gain support for historic preservation from Congress. Autumn Rierson Michael and Jo Ramsay Leimenstoll led our delegation as part of the Preservation Planning and Law class at UNC Greensboro. The group included seven graduate students in historic preservation from UNCG and Clemson University, as well as the two instructors and two other preservation professionals.            

Lobbyists at the Capitol (photo S.Marion)

Although Lobby Day is an annual event that has been held for over 30 years, it was a new experience for many members of the delegation. As first-time lobbyists, we wanted to be sure we were armed with as much information as possible. So before leaving, we formulated a plan of action to tackle the 13 congressional districts and the state as a whole. We researched each district, identifying significant historic resources and preservation success stories there. We also investigated all the state's senators and representatives, learning which committees they served on, what social and economic issues they were particularly interested in, and how they had voted in the past on preservation issues.

With this information, plus figures from the State Historic Preservation Office, we prepared location-focused fact sheets for each district, as well as an overall view of the whole state. The fact sheets included examples of successful projects and listed the number of properties on the National Register and the number of federal historic tax credit projects in the district. The sheets also provided dollar amounts of the district's Save America's Treasures grants, Historic Preservation Fund grants and investment in federal tax credit projects from the year 2008.

Once we arrived in Washington, we joined other lobbyists from around the nation to be briefed on current preservation issues and legislation. Although everyone's eyes grew wide as the reality of the next day's events began to sink in, the excitement continued to build as preservationists who traveled from near and far united for a common cause. We reunited with old friends and met many new ones as we prepared to head for Capitol Hill.

NC Delegation with Rep. Brad Miller (photo S.Marion)

After learning the basics of lobbying and armed with requests from Preservation Action, we set out for the Capitol to make the case for preservation. Navigating the office buildings seemed a daunting task at first, especially when we discovered that some offices had shifted locations after the recent election. After finding the first office, however, our reservations vanished, and we already felt like Washington insiders.

With each member we met, we shared preservation success stories from his or her constituency and asked for support of increased preservation funding and improvements to the federal historic tax credits. We also asked members of Congress to consider joining the Historic Preservation Caucus, co-founded by North Carolina congressman Brad Miller.

The last meeting of the day was with Congressman Miller himself, a highlight that perked up a dragging group. UNCG student Ginny Daley spoke for the entire delegation when she said, "I feel such immense gratitude and appreciation for all that Rep. Brad Miller has done in supporting historic preservation, not only in North Carolina, but nationally through the Historic Preservation Caucus. He was so kind to meet with the entire group and was very in tune with what was going on legislatively. I am grateful that we can continue to rely on him as a valuable friend and resource in Congress." Earlier meetings with staff members of Congressmen Heath Shuler and David Price, as well as Senator Richard Burr, also impressed Daley. "All three of these legislative offices show great promise and support for future historic preservation initiatives."

NC Delegation with Sen. Kay Hagan

After a long day of meetings, the group headed home with a sense of accomplishment and a new perspective on the legislative process. Daley described the experience as a "baptism-by-fire into the federal legislative process that funds and governs historic preservation . . . I came away with a greater understanding of how complicated the job of an elected official can be and, consequently, a profound respect for those that are good at their job. I also got a crash course in the diverse funding streams for historic preservation at the federal level, and hopefully, this is something I can use while working in the profession."

The hard work of the North Carolina delegation, and those of the many passionate preservationists from around the country, has led to the largest Preservation Caucus since its inception. It now boasts 162 members, including 9 of the 13 representatives from North Carolina. Congress also listened to the request for increased funding by giving State and Tribal Historic Preservation Officers an 8.6% increase in funding for the 2010 fiscal year. Both these accomplishments prove that lobbying is a crucial part of furthering the historic preservation agenda on both the federal and state levels. As members of the North Carolina delegation, we took great pride in being a part of this effort.