 Why would someone want to get their property listed in the National Register? I founded my experience from working with the federal government at the state government level and for a statewide non-profit organization that people embrace their history if they know their history and people are proud of places that mean something to their community. So why list properties in the National Register to bring attention to them? Sometimes shining a light on our history is what brings it into the forefront of our own local government's planning activities for our own local community's sense of place and pride. I've worked with small communities in Oklahoma and Indiana and when they get a property listed in the National Register whether it's a fine example of architecture, if it's the local bank or the park they get a much greater sense of ownership of not only the historic property but their own history. So I like to encourage people to list properties in the National Register knowing full well and telling them and letting them know full well that it's not going to be a guarantee of the future preservation of the property but it is an acknowledgement that this place is important and it can serve as a keystone for future planning, for fundraising. The National Register of Historic Places can be used as a teaching tool using place-based history, brings history alive for a lot of people especially children who can look at a place and learn about that place and have that tangible asset to experience and hopefully understand why history is important to them but to their community as well.