AbstractsAnthropology

PURPOSE OF THESIS: Interpretation is a form of education that encourages the public to appreciate cultural resources and commit to preserving them for future generations. Although there are laws, regulations, guidelines and policies that mandate or recommend public interpretation on cultural resources management work, outreach projects rarely transpire as technical reports, funding and construction take precedence. Still, by marketing innovative ideas and consulting with agencies and communities, cultural resources management (CRM) practitioners working for a state agency, private firm or university are improving the quantity and quality of outreach programs to build public support and retain cultural heritage. Sonoma County Regional Parks is an example of an agency influenced by these issues. Using the spirit of the legal mandates and taking inspiration from their mission statement, Regional Parks has developed a variety of public interpretation products since the agencis founding in 1968. Their recent acquisition of 335 acres of uplands that adjoin Hood Mountain Regional Park, Sonoma County, impelled plans for park development, which includes generating public interpretation materials on the historic-period site Hendrickson Homestead. This domestic site is recognized for having both important cultural, historical and archaeological features and values. Now a part of Hood Mountain Regional Park, an immensely popular recreational destination for the local community, Hendrickson Homestead will be accessible to the public through hiking trails, including the Bay Area Ridge Trail. Through the process of creating a public interpretation product for Sonoma County Regional Parks of Hendrickson Homestead located in Hood Mountain Regional Park, the purpose of this thesis is to illustrate theimportant role that public interpretation plays in the cultural resources management industry, how public interpretation is incorporated into the cultural resource management process and how historical and CRM-driven research, archaeological features and landscape observation can be used to create public interpretation materials. METHODS: Interviews with CRM educators and practitioners were conducted and literature was reviewed to understand the concepts, definitions and theories of public interpretation within the framework of the National Park Service and the cultural resources management field. Primary and secondary documents relating to Hendrickson Homestead and the surrounding area during the historic period and existing cultural resource studies for Hood Mountain Regional Park were reviewed in order to develop a comprehensive historical overview. Analysis of historical documents and archaeological site records and the author's observations of Hendrickson Homestead configuration were used to create a description of the site's features and landscape development during the historic period. FINDINGS: Hendrickson Homestead's history of extensive land use and landscape modification during the historic period suggests that the site is…