The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Review Committee will hold its next meeting online on Monday, September 23, 2024, from 2:00-6:00pm Eastern Time. The agenda for the meeting may include a report from the National NAGPRA Program; the discussion of the Review Committee Report to Congress; subcommittee reports and discussion; and other topics related to the Committee's responsibilities under section 8 of NAGPRA. In addition, the agenda may include presentations by Indian tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, museums, Federal agencies, associations, and individuals, and public comment.

The meeting agenda and materials are located HERE.

Register to access the meeting HERE.

Due September 23, 2024: ACHP Section 106 Termination For Lava Ridge Wind Project. The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) is accepting public comments regarding the termination of Section 106 consultation for the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Lava Ridge Wind Project in Idaho. On Friday, September 6, 2024, the ACHP formally terminated its participation in the Section 106 consultation process with the BLM for the Lava Ridge Wind Project. More information regarding the undertaking and the ACHP's decision to terminate consultation, as well as how to submit comment, can be found HERE. NATHPO will be submitting comment, a draft copy of which is attached to this email.

• 09-23-24 NATHPO comment letter regarding the termination of Section 106 consultation for the Bureau of Land Management’s Lava Ridge Wind Project in Idaho.

Due September 23, 2024: ACHP Environmental Justice Plan Comment. The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) is accepting public comments regarding their proposed environmental justice strategic plan. Comments are due on September 23, 2024. NATHPO will be submitting comment, a draft copy of which is attached to this email. Should you have any questions about the draft, or would like to submit written comments, please contact Candra Teshome, Equity Officer, at cteshome@achp.gov.

• 09-23-24 NATHPO comment letter regarding the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s (ACHP) proposed environmental justice strategic plan.

ACHP Member Comments Due September 25, 2024: ACHP Proposed Exemption for Indigenous Knowledge-Informed Activities by NHOs. The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) has been working to develop a proposed Exemption for Indigenous Knowledge-Informed Activities by Native Hawaiian Organizations (NHOs), which would enable the ACHP to take a key implementation action related to its Policy Statement on Indigenous Knowledge and Historic Preservation. You can find more information about the proposed exemption, as well as how to submit your own comment, HERE. ACHP Member comments are due September 25, 2024, and NATHPO will be submitting comment, a draft copy of which is attached to this email.

• 09-25-24 NATHPO comment letter regarding the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s proposed Exemption for Indigenous Knowledge-Informed Activities by Native Hawaiian Organizations (NHOs).

Consultation on September 25, Comment Due October 9, 2024: ACHP Proposed Program Comment on Accessible, Climate-Resilient, Connected Communities. The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) is developing a Program Comment on Accessible, Climate-Resilient, Connected Communities that aims to provide federal agencies with an alternate way to comply with their responsibilities under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. There will be a consultation session for Tribes and Native Hawaiian Organizations on September 25. 2024. Comments are due October 9, 2024, and NATHPO will be submitting comment, a copy of which will be posted on our website when it's finalized. You can find information about the proposed program comment, the upcoming consultation, and how to submit your own comment HERE.

Consultation on September 26, Comment Due October 18, 2024: Program Comment on Stewardship and Management of National Park Service Mission 66-Era Facilities (1945-1972). The National Park Service (NPS) is requesting the subject Program Comment to facilitate continued use and preservation of Mission 66-era historic properties by providing parks with an optional tool that will reduce or eliminate external reviews for certain straightforward Mission 66-era focused undertakings. It will also allow superintendents to consider Mission 66-era facilities as eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places when they reference the Mission 66-era Multiple Property Determination Form, thereby addressing NPS’s identification backlog. There will be a Tribal consultation session on September 26, 2024 from 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM (Eastern Time). Comments are due October 18, 2024, and NATHPO will be submitting comment, a copy of which will be posted on our website when it's finalized. You can find more information HERE.

Consultation on September 30, Comment Due October 1, 2024: NPS Transcontinental Railroad Tribal Consultation Sessions. The National Park Service (NPS) will be conducting a virtual Tribal consultations sessions to share information on their multi-year and multi-state effort to study the history, legacy, and impacts of the Transcontinental Railroad. The Transcontinental Railroad program (TCRR) seeks to study, engage, and develop programming that tells the full story of this route. You can find more information on the study and the consultation session, including how to register, on our events calendar or on the NPS project website.

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.

The Association for Preservation Technology has funding for a limited number of equity scholarships to the APT - National Trust Joint Conference Montréal 2024, from November 12-16, 2024. Applications are due TODAY Friday, September 20. You can find more information HERE.

Last month, more than 200 people gathered at the Ho-Chunk Gaming Resort in the Wisconsin Dells to participate in the 24th Annual NATHPO Conference & Sacred Places Summit. It was an exciting, informative, and emotional week, and we can't thank enough our hosts, the Ho-Chunk Nation, as well as all the sponsors, panelists, and attendees who made the week such a huge success. You can check out NATHPO's Facebook Page for photos, videos, and updates from the week.

We also hope you're join us next year in Reno, NV, at NATHPO's 25th Annual Conference! Our host will be the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony and their THPO, Michon Eben. Stay tuned for more details and announcements.

One of the major announcements NATHPO made at our conference last month was that our Protecting Native Places Grant program would continue in 2024 with support not just from our founding partner, The Wilderness Society, but also Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). That application process will open in the coming weeks, so please stay tuned for more details. We highlighted several previous recipients at our conference last month, allowing them to tell attendees how they'd used their grants to further their sacred work, and we look forward to continuing this program to directly support THPOs and the Tribes they serve protecting Native places and safeguarding cultural resources.

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.

Valerie J. Grussing, PhD
NATHPO Executive Director
valerie@nathpo.org | 202-628-8476