UPCOMING DEADLINES STOP Act Comment, Due 12/24/24: Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Regulations - The Department of the Interior proposes new regulations that provide a framework to prevent the export for sale in foreign countries of Native American cultural items that are held in violation of current Federal laws; to repatriate such items from individuals and organizations having such items; and to improve coordination among Federal agencies, Indian Tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations seeking to prevent the export and sale, and support the repatriation, of such items. The proposed rule would establish an export certification system, set forth procedures for detention and repatriation of items subject to the rule, establish a framework for voluntary return of items subject to the rule, and establish interagency and Native working groups. NATHPO will be providing comment to the Interior Department, a draft of which is attached to this email and will be made available on our website HERE when finalized. Comments are due on or before December 24, 2024. You can learn more about the proposed rule HERE. Historic Preservation Award for Federal Partnerships in Historic Preservation, Nominations Due 1/10/25 - If you know of someone worthy of receiving the National Trust/Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Award for Federal Partnerships in Historic Preservation, submit a nomination at the link below. Nominations are due January 10, 2025. Learn more HERE. USDA 1994 Tribal Scholars Program, Applications Due 1/31/25 - The USDA 1994 Tribal Scholars Program provides full tuition, fees, books, and paid workforce training to any interested and eligible student pursuing degrees in agriculture, food, natural resource sciences, or related academic disciplines at a Tribal college or university. Eligible applicants include graduating high school seniors, full-time students currently enrolled at a 1994 land-grant Tribal college or university, or recent TCU associate degree graduates. The program timeframe begins Fall 2025 and the application deadline is January 31, 2025. Learn more HERE. NAGPRA Review Committee, Nominations Due 2/3/25 - The National Park Service is calling for nominations to the NAGPRA Review Committee from Indian Tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, and traditional religious leaders. Please note the nominee must meet the description of a traditional Indian religious leader (see 43 CFR 10.12(b)(1)). Nominations must be received by February 3, 2025. Detailed information is in the Federal Register: https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2024-28234 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melanie O'Brien, via telephone at (202) 354-2201. NPS Grant Opportunity, Applications Due 2/27/25 - The National Park Service is accepting competitive grant applications through their Tribal Heritage Grants Program. Federally-recognized Tribes, Alaska Natie Villages/Corporations, and Native Hawaiian Organization are all eligible for grants from this $600,000 program. Applications are due February 27, 2025. You can find details about this opportunity 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. |
BOARD OF DIRECTORS UPDATE Earlier this month, Pala Band of Mission Indians THPO and NATHPO Board Vice Chair Dr. Shasta Gaughen submitted her resignation from NATHPO's Board in order to more closely focus on issues closer to the Tribe she serves, We could not be more grateful to Shasta for the years of service she has given to NATHPO, first as Board Chair and more recently as Vice Chair. Having said that, we are grateful and excited to announce that the Board has elected Michael Black Wolf, THPO for the Gros Ventre and Assiniboine Tribes, as the new Vice Chair. You can learn more about Michael HERE, as well as the rest of NATHPO's Board and staff, HERE. We are also grateful to Sean Scruggs, THPO for the Fort Independence Indian Reservation, for agreeing to serve as the Pacific Region's representative on NATHPO's Board. A 20-year veteran of the United States Air Force, Sean has represented his Tribe with the Nellis Air Force Base Consolidated Groups and Tribes Organization for 10 years and has been his Tribe's THPO for nearly 7 years. Stay tuned to our website as we update in to include more information about Sean as he settles into his role on the Board of Directors. |
END OF YEAR REFLECTIONS 2024 was a whirlwind year for NATHPO. We welcomed six new THPOs, bringing the total number to 227 nationwide. Operations Director Melissa Madrigal and Indigenization Director Stacy Laravie (Ponca) went on an EPIC road trip visiting THPOs through the Western United States. We had a phenomenal annual conference at the Ho-Chunk Gaming Resort, where we honored champions in state government and Congress, as well as Ira Matt, the inaugural recipient of NATHPO's Federal Changemaker Award, a former THPO, whose many contributions to the Indigenous preservation community we only begin to outline in this post. We presented the 2024 Partner in Preservation Award to NATHPO Repatriation Advisor Dr. Timothy McKeown, whose long federal service, combined with his advice and guidance to NATHPO and the Tribes and THPOs we serve and advocacy on behalf of others working to bring home their ancestors whose remains were stolen, has been invaluable over the years. We also presented our Excellence in Tribal Historic Preservation Award to Dr. Shasta Gaughen, Environmental Director and the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Pala Band of Mission Indians, and our inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award to Ho-Chunk Nation THPO Bill Quackenbush. We partnered with The Wilderness Society and the Tennessee Valley Authority to continue our Protecting Native Places grant program (stay tuned for an announcement of the recipients in the new year). NATHPO also expanded its staff by bringing on Indigenization Director Stacy Laravie (Ponca) and Finance Director Amy Garcia as full-time staff members. And we closed out the year by accepting a historic grant from the Mellon Foundation, which will vastly expand NATHPO's ability to directly support and advocate on behalf of THPOs. We're truly grateful and honored for the opportunity to serve the THPOs performing the sacred work of protecting sacred places and preserving cultural resources, and we look forward to all the possibilities 2025 brings. |
(NATHPO Executive Director Dr. Valerie Grussing gathered with fellow grantees at the Mellon Foundation's 2024 Humanities In Place Convening in New York City earlier this month. Photo credit: Mellon Foundation)
