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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.

The 2019 fellowship theme is Music Heritage of the District of Columbia. Those with an interest in learning more about the preservation of historic sites, intangible heritage, and artifacts within and around the nation’s capital as they relate to the preservation of music are encouraged to apply. The Smithsonian Institution could very well be the world’s largest museum of music, with more than 16,000 musical instruments, 100,000 pages of sheet music, 80,000 recorded music tracks, and approximately 400 musical activities per year.

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 ACHP hosted a meeting on April 18 with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy Tribal Working Group to introduce the members to the National Historic Preservation Act and Section 106. Office of Native American Affairs Director Valerie Hauser gave an overview of the ACHP and how the office works to assist tribes. Office of Federal Agency Programs Director Reid Nelson talked about the Section 106 process. Working group members were encouraged to take the free webinar, What is Section 106?