Sen. Whitehouse Offshore Wind Bill Comment: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is seeking comment on his draft Create Offshore Leadership and Livelihood Alignment By Operating Responsibly And Together for the Environment (COLLABORATE) Act, an offshore wind bill which creates a new competitive $25 million grant program shared by fishermen, states, Tribal Nations, Tribal organizations, and fishing organizations. NATHPO is preparing a comment letter for Sen. Whitehouse's office, which we will post online when it is finalized. Comments are due by Feb. 9.
NPS Section 106 NPA Comment: The National Park Service (NPS) is seeking comment on their proposed National Programmatic Agreement (NPA) for Section 106 reviews. NATHPO is preparing a letter responding to this proposed NPA, which we will send out for your information next week. Comments must be submitted to NPS by February 23.
NPS TCP Bulletin Comment: NPS is also seeking comments on their draft TCP bulletin on Identifying, Evaluating, and Documenting Traditional Cultural Places. NATHPO will prepare a letter providing comment on this draft, and when it is finalized, we will be sure to share it with you. Comments are due to NPS by March 25.
NPS Tribal Heritage Grant Application: NPS's Tribal Heritage Grants Program (THG) is now accepting applications for competitive grants. National Park Service’s Tribal Heritage Grants Program focuses on protecting oral histories, plant and animal species important in tradition, sacred and historic places, and enabling the establishment of Tribal Historic Preservation Offices. Congress has appropriated $720,000 for the THG Program. Applications are due February 20, 2024.
DHS Section 106 NPA Comment and Virtual Consultations:The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has revised their Section 106 Nationwide Programmatic Agreement for Climate Resilience and Sustainability Undertakings on DHS-Owned Assets, a copy of which is attached to this newsletter. DHS will be conducting virtual consultations with Tribal leaders on February 15 and 16 and is accepting comments on the revised NPA through February 27. NATHPO has already met with DHS to discuss the NPA and has provided written comment, which is available here.
NATHPO regularly submits comment letters to federal agencies advocating on behalf of Tribal communities and their THPOs. You can find several of our most recent letters HERE, and if you know of an upcoming deadline and want NATHPO to consider submitting comment, please contact Melissa Madrigal at melissa@nathpo.org.
THPO TRAINING OPPORTUNITY:
OIL SPILL RESPONSE FOR CULTUTAL RESOURCE PROFESSIONALS
The National Park Service is offering a course for cultural resource professionals on making the preservation of cultural resources a part of oil spill response. The training will take place in Bloomington, MN (just outside Minneapolis) March 26-28. The course is free for THPOs to attend, and the only prerequisites for attending are to complete two online training courses. THPOs are eligible for a stipend with per diem (as meals are not included).
Registration is open for NATHPO's 24th Annual Conference and Sacred Places Summit, taking place at the Ho-Chunk Gaming Resort in the Wisconsin Dells. We are incredibly grateful to the Ho-Chunk Nation for hosting our conference, and for Ho-Chunk Nation THPO Bill Quackenbush for his invaluable assistance as we plan the conference.
You can register here and take advantage of early bird rates through April 30. Special shout-out to Enterprise Rancheria for being the first Tribe to register for the conference!
HAPPENING TOMORROW: ACHP LISTENING SESSION
The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) is holding a listening session tomorrow, February 8, at 2:00 PM EST, to consult with Tribal Nations as they develop a Policy Statement on Indigenous Knowledge and Historic Preservation. You can find more information about the listening session, including login information, here. ACHP is also accepting comment on the proposed policy statement, the deadline for which is March 8. NATHPO will be preparing a comment letter to ACHP, which we will share once finalized.
THE NEW NAGPRA REGS ARE OUT!
On January 12, new regulations for implementing the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) became final. Tribes have begun to weigh in publicly, and we have already seen several museums and other institutions begin to act accordingly and remove or cover ancestral items on display until they are able to obtain consent from the descendant Tribes, and in the wake of these new regulations, Sen, Brian Schatz (D-HI), called on institutions to live up to the requirements of the law and return ancestors and belongings to their Tribes.
NATHPO is still working to unpack all of what these new regulations mean for Tribes and THPOs, who we know so often bear all or part of the responsibility of bringing those ancestors and belongings home. Earlier this week, we held a Tribes-only webinar, during which NATHPO's Repatriation Advisor, Dr. Timothy McKeown, talked about our initial take on parts of the new regulations and had a chance to hear from THPOs and Tribal leaders and staff what their takes were and gather questions they needed answered. Thank you to the more than 60 people from around the country who attended and contributed to this valuable conversation!
Meanwhile, the National Park Service is also conducting a webinar on the new NAGPRA regulations on Friday, February 16. You can register here. It's part of a 10-part series on NAGRA, and you only have to register once to attend as many sessions as you want.
We will continue to communicate with THPOs, Tribal leaders and staff, and our broader Tribal historic preservation audience about these new regulations and will be sure to communicate that information with you, as well as details about any future webinars or discussions on this vitally important topic.
NATHPO Community Calendar & Job Board & Grant Opportunities
Stay current on important happenings using our new Calendar of Events and post your own to share! And let us know if you have a job posting you would like to share and we'll post it on our Community Job Board. AND don't forget to browse our listing of relevant Grant Opportunities.
Save The Date! 2024 NATHPO Annual Conference
The 24th Annual NATHPO Conference and Sacred Places Summit will take place August 12-16, 2024, at the Ho-Chunk Gaming Resort in the Wisconsin Dells. Register here and take advantage of early bird rates through April 30, stay tuned for more details, and be sure to mark these days on your calendars!
Thank you for all you do to protect culturally important places that perpetuate Native identity, resilience, and cultural endurance, and to empower Tribal preservation leaders.
THPOs: this is your organization! Your participation and support through membership and dues make our work possible. JOIN OR RENEW TODAY! Founded in 1998, the Association is a national non-profit membership organization of Tribal government officials who implement federal and Tribal preservation laws.
