Attention college students and recent grads: apply to join the ACHP and Smithsonian Institution this fall in a Cultural Heritage Fellowship! The application deadline is Sunday, June 16, 2019, at 11:59 p.m. EDT.
On April 19, 2019, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report titled “Tribal Consultation: Additional Federal Actions Needed for Infrastructure Projects (GAO-19-22).” The report examines key factors Indian tribes and select federal agencies identified that hinder effective consultation on impacts to natural and cultural resources on infrastructure projects and makes recommendations for improvements. Click here to view the report.
Due to the lapse in federal funding necessitating a partial government shutdown, the 45-day timeline for the ACHP to provide its final comments to the Secretary of the Navy regarding the Section 106 review for the proposed increase in the EA-18G Growler activity on Naval Air Station Whidbey Island was stopped on December 21, 2018. Consequently, the timeline began again on January 26, 2019 when the government was reopened. The new deadline for the ACHP to submit its comments is February 19, 2019.
As the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation commemorates 2018 Native American Heritage Month, ACHP Expert Member Dorothy Lippert of the Repatriation Office of the National Museum of Natural History, spoke with us about Native American involvement in historic preservation.
Why is Native American Heritage Month important?
The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) formally endorsed a plan to support the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples at its Winter Business Meeting on March 1, 2013.
Four cabinet-level departments joined the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) today in signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to improve the protection of Indian sacred sites.
The MOU also calls for improving tribal access to sites. It was signed by the ACHP’s chairman, and the secretaries of the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Energy and the Interior.
In the wake of the unprecedented destruction resulting from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the ACHP has been working to help address the impacts to historic properties. Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Texas, and the U.S. Virgin Islands were hard hit by the storms. (The impact on the island of St.
The ACHP today sent the fifth triennial report on the status of federal historic property to President Trump in accordance with E.O. 13287 “Preserve America.” The report offers findings and recommendations for agencies, states, tribes, and local organizations to protect and preserve historic property. Click here to read the report.
The National Park Service issued its FY 2017 annual report on the federal historic tax incentives program. Commonly known as the Historic Tax Credit, the program provides a 20 percent federal tax credit for rehabilitation of historic buildings for business or income-producing uses. According to the report, FY 2017 saw more than $5.8 billion in private investment in historic preservation and community revitalization due to the Historic Tax Credit and the creation of almost 107,000 jobs.
Members of the ACHP met March 22 in Washington, DC for their spring business meeting. They discussed the pending transition to a full-time chairman following the President’s announcement of his intent to nominate Aimee Jorjani to that position. Members will need to renegotiate the agency’s strategic plan and revisit the operating procedures and office structure. Chairman Milford Wayne Donaldson will be appointing a member task force to work on these issues in the near term.
