ACHP Archaeology Task Force

Following the August 2003 appointment of Julia King as the first member of the ACHP to be an archaeologist, Chairman John L. Nau, III established an Archaeology Task Force to identify those issues that should receive priority consideration and action by the ACHP.

The Task Force was composed of the following ACHP members:

  • ACHP expert member and Task Force Chair, Julia King
  • ACHP Native American member
  • Secretary of Agriculture
  • Secretary of Defense
  • Secretary of the Interior
  • Secretary of Transportation
  • National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (NCSHPO)

Task Force observers included:

  • ACHP’s Native American Advisory Group
  • National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (NATHPO)

In addition, the Society for American Archaeology (SAA), the Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA), the American Cultural Resources Association (ACRA), the Register of Professional Archaeologists and the American Association of Museums were invited to identify individuals who could to serve as resources to the Task Force.  Two of the three individuals selected represented the professional archaeological organizations.

To identify priority issues, the Task Force sought input from all Federally recognized Indian tribes, Native Hawai’ian Organizations (NHOs), professional archaeological organizations, Federal Preservation Officers, State Historic Preservation Officers, and Tribal Historic Preservation Officers. This outreach identified the three key areas listed below where the Task Force focused its efforts.  

  1. Revisit the ACHP’s 1988 “Policy Statement Regarding Treatment of Human Remains and Grave Goods." The new ACHP Policy Statement Regarding Treatment of Burial Sites, Human Remains, and Funerary Objects was adopted in 2007.
  2. Develop new guidance for archaeology conducted under Section 106; and
  3. Identify strategies to better capitalize on the rich potential of archeological resources for heritage tourism and public education. A policy statement on the issue was adopted in 2008.