[Heritage] Heritage Playing Cards Promote Stewardship

[Heritage Info]

Decks of playing cards that illustrate important Oregon cultural
heritage sites and objects and how Oregonians can become stewards of
these nonrenewable resources have been issued by the Heritage Programs
Division of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.

“Oregonians represent many diverse heritage groups,” says state
archaeologist Dennis Griffin. “We expect the cards will help them
understand the diversity and significance of their heritage resources
and be inspired to be stewards of them.”

The idea for the cards came from similar ones developed by the US
military at the beginning of the Iraq war, Griffin said. Those cards
enabled soldiers to understand the cultural heritage of that country,
respect it in their operations, and gain Iraqi friends by protecting
that heritage. 

Half of the cards show some of Oregon’s most significant heritage
sites and objects. The others tell why heritage is important and how
Oregonians can help preserve sites and objects.

 About 20,000 decks have been printed, thanks to contributions from the
Association of Oregon Archaeologists, ICF Jones and Stokes, the US Fish
and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, the US Bureau of Land
Management, the US Bureau of Reclamation, and the Oregon State Historic
Preservation Office.

The cards are available from county historical societies, the
contributing organizations, and selected state parks. The cards may also
be picked up from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, 725 Summer
St. NE, Suite C, Salem.

For more information about the cards, contact Kyle Jansson at
heritage.info at state.or.us or 503-986-0673.