Heritage Newsletter
Monthly news update from the Office of History and Archaeology
State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources
March 2020
IN THIS ISSUE
♢ Federal Historic Preservation Fund FY 2021 budget
♢ Office of History and Archaeology and Alaska Historical Commission news
♢ National Park Service News
♢ Advisory Council on Historic Preservation News
♢ Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
♢ National Trust Preservation Funds Grant Program
♢ National Fund for Sacred Sites
♢ Public project alerts
♢ Heritage subscription information
♢ Preservation calendar
Federal Historic Preservation Fund FY 2021 budget
The White House released its FY 2021comprehensive budget for the Federal government. The budget funds state historic preservation programs, which includes the core programs of the Alaska Office of History and Archaeology, at $26.9 million, a dramatic cut over FY2020 enacted levels.
Historic Preservation Fund: |
FY 2019 |
FY 2020 |
FY2021 |
States |
$49.67* |
$52.675 |
$26.9 |
Tribes |
11.74 |
13.735 |
5.7 |
Underrepresented Communities |
.75 |
.75 |
-0- |
African American Civil Rights |
14.50 |
15.50 |
-0- |
Civil Rights - All Americans |
|
2.50 |
-0- |
Historic Black Colleges |
8.00 |
10.00 |
8.0 |
Save America's Treasures Grants |
13.00 |
16.00 |
-0- |
Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization |
5.00 |
7.50 |
-0- |
TOTALS |
$102.66 |
$118.67 |
$40.6 |
* Figures are in millions. |
|
The Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) is supported by Outer Continental Shelf oil lease revenue, not tax payers dollars. Since the program began in 1977, the HPF has provided more than $2 billion in essential historic preservation grants.
The President’s FY2021 budget for Advisory Council on Historic Preservation is $7.4 million, a slight increase from final FY2020 appropriation. The budget request eliminates funding for the Heritage Partnership Program which supports National Heritage Areas. Designated National Heritage Area Coordinating Entities receive funding and technical assistance from the National Park Service. Alaska has one designated National Heritage Area, the Kenai Mountain-Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area, website https://kmtacorridor.org.
Office of History and Archaeology and Alaska Historical Commission news
The Office of History and Archaeology’s annual workshop will be April 21, 2020, at the BP Energy Center in Anchorage. The workshop will include sessions with program updates, an Introduction to Good Faith Effort, Deep Testing, a Consultation Panel, and guest speaker Dr. Pat Druckenmiller, who will speak about Paleontology in Alaska. Space is limited. Register in advance to hold your reservation. To register, visit http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/oha/publiceducation/Trainings/Workshop2020.htm or contact Sylvia Elliott at 907-269-8724 or sylvia.elliott2@alaska.gov.
The Office of History and Archaeology is recruiting for an Archaeologist (Archaeologist II, PCN 10-5262). The State of Alaska hires through Workplace Alaska. The position description and application are at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/alaska/jobs/2732573/archaeologist-ii-pcn-10-5262. The position is open to Alaska residents only. The deadline to apply is March 13, 2020. The individual will work in the Office of History and Archaeology's Review/Compliance Unit to review federal or state licensed, funded, or permitted projects for impacts to historic properties under state and federal laws, regulations and guidelines. The individual will serve as Cultural Resource Liaison with the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities for the Section 106 and NEPA processes and is the point of contact for DOT&PF Cultural Resource Management staff for DOT&PF and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) projects. The individual must meet the federal qualifications for an archaeologist, established in the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Historic Preservation, 49 FR 44739. If you have questions about the position, the office, or the preservation program, please contact Judy Bittner, 907-269-8715 / judy.bittner@alaska.gov.
Mark Rollins, Archaeologist, and Cultural Resource Liaison to DOT&PF, is leaving the Office of History and Archeology. Mark has accepted a position with DOT&PF, Central Region. He has worked in the Office of History and Archaeology for nine years.
The next meeting of the Alaska Historical Commission will be by teleconference on Monday, April 27, 2020. The agenda includes review of applications for grant projects from Certified Local Governments and applications for development/predevelopment historic preservation grant projects. The agenda also includes geographic name proposals, National Register nominations, and updates on Office of History and Archaeology programs. The tentative agenda is posted at http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/oha/histcomm/2020/ahcagenda042720.pdf
The National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT) is hosting the Alliance for Historic Landscape Preservation annual meeting, Conserving Cultural Landscapes, April 2-4, 2020 in Natchitoches, Louisiana. The conference theme is Conserving Cultural Landscapes.
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
Program Comment for Army Inter-War Era Historic Housing 1919-1940.
Comments on the draft Design Guidelines must be submitted by 11 March 2020. Submit the Excel comment sheet to the Army Federal Preservation Officer, David Guldenzopf, email address: david.b.guldenzopf.civ@mail.mil by 11 March 2020.
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
On January 10, 2020, the Council on Environmental Quality issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would make sweeping changes to the regulations governing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The 194-page document includes: the removal of the obligation to analyze cumulative effects; limits consideration of indirect effects on the environment; narrows the scope of project types that will be subject to NEPA review by introducing a new concept “a threshold analysis” to see if NEPA should apply for privately financed projects with “minimal government funding or involvement”; allows companies proposing projects to assume a greater role in the NEPA process; and places new limits on public participation. The deadline to submit comments on the proposed rulemaking is March 10, 2020.
National Trust for Historic Preservation
Where Women Made History: The National Trust is asking for participation in their celebration of women in American history during this year as the United States commemorates the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote. The National Trust is asking for submittals of a photograph and a short description of a place where a woman made history. Their goal is 1,000 places connected to women’s history. Over 500 places have been submitted so far. Visit their site for details: https://savingplaces.org/where-women-made-history.
Annual Grants: The National Trust for Historic Preservation is accepting applications for its annual grants program. The funding ranges from $2,500 to $5,000 and supports preservation planning and educational projects. Application deadlines are June 1 and October 1. Applications are available eight weeks before the deadline. The National Trust reports that past grant projects have included engineering and architectural consulting services; tours that are accessible via smart devises; and market studies to assist in prioritizing preservation objectives. For more information visit http://forum.savingplaces.org/build/funding/grant-seekers/preservation-funds or contact Grants@savingplaces.org.
Public Projects Alert
Program Comment for Army Inter-War Era Historic Housing 1919-1940
Comments on the draft Design Guidelines must be submitted by 11 March 2020. Submit the Excel comment sheet to the Army Federal Preservation Officer, David Guldenzopf, email address: david.b.guldenzopf.civ@mail.mil by 11 March 2020.
Section 106 large project consultation in progress:
Alaska LNG Project
Comments on resources of concern and impacts to historic and cultural resources
Review and compliance agreement development for large projects in progress:
Pebble Project
Programmatic agreement
Ambler Industrial Access Road
Programmatic agreement
Long Lake Section, Glenn Highway Rehabilitation
Programmatic agreement
Formerly Used Defense Sites Program
Programmatic agreement
U. S. Coast Guard Base Kodiak
Programmatic Agreement and ICRMP
For information on how to participate in the process, or on how to review and comment on the above projects, contact Sarah Meitl, 907.269.8720 / sarah.meitl@alaska.gov.
Heritage Subscription Information
Heritage is produced by the Office of History and Archaeology, Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation, Alaska Department of Natural Resources. Please send your comments, suggestions, and information by e-mail to judy.bittner@alaska.gov, mail to 550 West 7th Ave., Suite 1310, Anchorage, Alaska 99501-3565, or telephone 907.269.8721.
All issues are posted to our web site at dnr.alaska.gov/parks/oha and distributed to subscribers by e-mail. A paper copy can be sent to individuals and organizations that specifically request it.
To be added to the subscription list, please send an e-mail to dnr.oha@alaska.gov with “Heritage, subscribe” in the subject line.
If you do not wish to continue to receive Heritage, please send an e-mail to dnr.oha@alaska.gov with “Heritage, unsubscribe” in the subject line.
Preservation Calendar
2020
MARCH
-
March 10-12 National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers annual meeting and advocacy day, Washington, DC (Ted Monoson, 202.624.5476 / monoson@ncshpo.org)
-
March 18-22 National Council on Public History annual meeting: Threads of Change, Atlanta, GA, https://ncph.org/conference/2020-annual-meeting/, Atlanta, GA (317.274.2716 / ncph@iupui.edu)
-
March 23-25 National Preservation Institute: Section 106, An Introduction, www.npi.org, Anchorage (Jere Gibber, 703.765.0100 / info@nps.org)
-
March 26-27 National Preservation Institute: NEPA Compliance and Cultural Resources, www.npi.org, Anchorage (Jere Gibber, 703.765.0100 / info@nps.org)
APRIL
April 2-4 Alliance for Historic Landscape Preservation annual meeting: Conserving Cultural Landscapes, http://ahlp.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/CFP-AHLP-2020.pdf, Natchitoches, LA (Kimball Erdman, kerdman@uark.edu)
April 21 Alaska Office of History and Archaeology, Annual Workshop, BP Energy Center, 1014 Energy Court, Anchorage, AK. To register, visit http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/oha/publiceducation/Trainings/Workshop2020.htm
April 22-26, SAA 85th Annual Meeting, https://www.saa.org/annual-meeting Austin, TX.
April 27 Alaska Historical Commission meeting, www.dnr.alaska.gov/parks/oha/histcomm/2020/ahcagenda042720.pdf, Anchorage (Judy Bittner, 907-269-8715)/ judy.bittner@alaska.gov
MAY
May 6-10 Vernacular Architecture Forum 2020 conference: Landscapes of Succession, http://www.vernaculararchitectureforum.org/San-Antonio-2020, San Antonio, TX (Michelle Jones, conference@vafweb.org)
May 11-15, 2020 National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers Annual Meeting, http://www.nathpo.org, Elton, LA
May 29-30 Construction History Society of America 7th Biennial Meeting: Quarrying History, https://www.constructionhistorysociety.org/7th-biennial-meeting, Bloomington, IN (Melanie Feerst, melaniefeerst@gmail.com)
JULY
-
July 22-26 National Alliance of Preservation Commissions, Forum 2020: Preservation Coast to Coast, www.napcommissions.org, Tacoma, WA (director@napcommissions.org)
SEPTEMBER
September 23-26 American Association for State and Local History annual meeting: What Kind of Ancestor Will You Be?, Las Vegas, NV (AASLH, 615.320.3203 / info@aaslh.org)
OCTOBER
October 9-10 National Center for Preservation Technology and Training and Tulane School of Architecture Preservation Studies, 8th National Forum on Historic Preservation Policy: A Critical Examination of Preservation & the 21st Century City, New Orleans, LA (Laura Blokker, lblokker@tulane.edu or National Preservation Institute, 703.765.0100 / info@npi.org)
October 28-30 National Trust for Historic Preservation, PastForward, the National Preservation Conference, Miami, FL (NTHP, 202.588.6000 / info@savingplaces.org)
Mission Statement
"The Alaska Office of History and Archaeology (OHA) and State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) provide programs to encourage the preservation and protection of the archaeological, historic, and architectural resources of Alaska."
