Alaska Department of Natural Resources

Office of History and Archaeology

February/March 2022

IN THIS ISSUE

◇ Office of History and Archaeology
◇ Federal Legislation
◇ Department of Interior - Derogatory Geographic Names
◇ National Park Service
◇ Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
◇ National Trust for Historic Preservation/Partners for Sacred Places Grant Program
◇ Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area
◇ National Preservation Institute
◇ Public project alerts
◇ Heritage subscription information
◇ Preservation calendar

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Office of History and Archaeology news

Office of History and Archaeology (OHA) will host a 2022 education series to provide a continuing education opportunity to Tribes, cultural resource management professionals, and our local, state, and federal agency partners to strengthen partnerships with the goal to preserve, protect, educate, and advocate for Alaska’s cultural resources. Each one-to-two-hour long session will focus on a topic relevant to history, archaeology, historic preservation, and/or cultural heritage.

OHA’s online Education Series launches April 21, 2022, with a presentation on Inadvertent Discoveries Guidance by Sarah Meitl, M.A. The presentation will provide step-by-step guidance for inadvertent discoveries, including how the process will vary if human remains are involved. This workshop is geared towards CRM professionals, project managers and engineers, land managers, agency partners, and Tribes. This session will be offered through Webex to accommodate social distancing. For details or to register for the session, please email dnr.oha@alaska.gov. More information about the series can be found at http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/oha/publiceducation/publicedindex.htm

OHA Education Series
Date Time Topic
April 21, 2022 1:30 pm AKST Inadvertent Discoveries Guidance
June 30, 2022 1:30 pm AKST CLGs - local historic preservation programs
October 20, 2022 1:30 pm AKST National Register Program - benefits of listing

Our office is interested in your feedback and requests your input on future topics. For more information go to:
http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/oha/publiceducation/training.htm. Send suggestions and recommendations to dnr.oha@alaska.gov.

COVID 19 Adjustments
OHA employees are working on a hybrid schedule. This means that correspondence, phone calls, and the processing of invoices/payments may be delayed.

While the Office of History and Archaeology staff are working remotely, we recommend people contact staff by email. If you have a general inquiry, a project for review, or state cultural resources investigation permit application please use one of the following email addresses:

General inquiry, geographic names, Alaska Historical Commission, etc.: dnr.oha@alaska.gov
Review/compliance, Section 106, project review: oha.revcomp@alaska.gov
State Cultural Resource Investigation Permits: oha.permits@alaska.gov

Section 106 COVID 19 guidance from the Alaska State Historic Preservation Officer is available at the following link: https://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/oha/shpo/shpocovid19.pdf
The Alaska SHPO has invoked tolling effective March 19, 2020 regarding the timelines outlined in 36 CFR 800. With tolling, the 30-day regulatory clock that would allow agencies to proceed with their undertaking following non-response after 30 days does not apply. SHPO will be allowed to comment beyond the 30 days.



Federal Legislation news

A bill was introduced in Congress to permanently authorize and fully fund the Historic Preservation Fund at $300 million. Rep. Teresa Leger-Fernandez (NM) and Rep Earl Blumenauer (OR), introduced the Historic Preservation Enhancement Act (H.R. 6589) in the U.S. House on February 3, 2022.



Department of Interior

On November 19, 2021, Secretary of Interior Haaland, formally declared per Secretarial Order 3404 "squaw” a derogatory term and created a Reconciliation in Places Names advisory committee to identify and replace additional derogatory names. https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/elips/documents/so-3404-508.pdf

Historically, this term has been used as an offensive ethnic, racial, and sexist slur, particularly for Indigenous women. According to the Board on Geographic Names, more than 650 federal units contain the term, and 27 are located in Alaska.

The Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force established by the Order included representatives from federal land management agencies and the Department of Interior diversity, equity, and inclusion experts. Dr. Michael Tischler was named chair of the task force. The Secretary's Order directed task force participants to engage in Tribal consolation and consider public feedback on proposal name changes.

Secretarial Order 3405 also created a Federal Advisory Committee to solicit broadly, review, and recommend changes to other derogatory geographic and federal land until names. (see Sec. Haaland Action to Remove Derogatory Names from Federal Lands, DOI News Release, November 19, 2021.) To reconcile the names declared derogatory, DOI directed the U.S. Geological Survey to develop a list of geographic replacement names derived by searching nearby geographic features, adhering to the Board on Geographic Names Principles, Policies, and Procedures for the Domestic Names Committee. For example, named geographic features in the Dillingham Census Area situated near the declared derogatory "Squaw Creek" include "Bradford Point," "Grassy Island," "Snag Point," "Sheep Island," and "Picnic Point." Accordingly, the first candidate replacement name for the derogatory name feature would be "Bradford Creek," the second would be "Grassy Creek," and so on. (See SO3404 for the complete list of candidate names.)

Dr. Tischler expressed that DOI's aim was to get these name changes done quickly. If the public wishes to propose an additional candidate name, they can submit a formal comment via the Federal Register. Federal Register :: Reconciliation of Derogatory Geographic Names. The task force will then consider the local proposal, and those names will be prioritized. Dr. Tischler explained that Federally Recognized Tribes were notified process via letters. After the public comment period ends, the replacement names will go into effect. Dr. Tischler stressed that the replacement names are tentative and could be changed through more conventional processes. The public comment period opened on February 23, 2022, and is open for 60 days, ending on April 25, 2022.

The National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (NATHPO) and the Wilderness Society (TWS) co-sponsored "A Guide to Changing Racist and Offensive Names on Public Lands." It provides a step-by-step tutorial on how to apply to name or rename offensive place names through the U.S. Board of Geographic Names – the official entity responsible for naming lakes rivers and mountains in the United States. The free guide also provides advice for engaging Tribes, local communities, and state naming authorities.
A guide to changing racist and offensive names on public lands | The Wilderness Society

National Park Service news

NPS grant opportunities. Apply via grants.gov.
Save America’s Treasures -Application deadline extended to March 10, 2022.

Underrepresented Community Grant Program – applications due March 31, 2022
The URC grant projects include surveys and inventories of historic properties associated with communities underrepresented in the National Register, as well as the development of nominations to the National Register for specific sites. For more information on the URC grant program go to: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/historicpreservationfund/underrepresented-community-grants.htm

The National Park Service is honoring the 250th anniversary of the United States with the launch of the Semiquincentennial Grant Program. This is a new grant program created by Congress in 2019 to support the preservation of State-owned sites and structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places that commemorate the founding of the nation.
Important Eligibility Information

  • Only resources that are both State owned and listed in the National Register of Historic Places (including National Historic Landmarks) individually or as contributing to a listed district at the time of application are eligible for this program.
  • Buildings, structures, sites, districts, and objects considered significant for their association with people, places, or events between the earliest known resources and December 31, 1800 may be considered as associated with the "founding of the nation."
  • While the resources to be supported by this program must be owned by a State government, eligible applicants may also include local governments, non-profit organizations, public and non-profit institutions of higher education, and tribes that are partnering with States.
  • Eligible costs for this program include architectural/engineering services (not to exceed 20% of the grant award) and physical preservation projects. Applications are due May 03, 2022.

For more information and to apply for the Semiquincentennial Grant Program visit grants.gov: P22AS00035

The National Park Service’s Tribal Historic Preservation Program grant program is accepting applications.
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/historicpreservationfund/tribal-heritage-grants.htm

The Heritage Documentation Programs (Historic American Buildings Record/Historic American Engineering Record/ Historic Landscapes Survey) a division of the National Park Service announced four student employment and competition opportunities in 2022:

SUMMER EMPLOYMENT WITH HABS/HAER/HALS
CHARLES E. PETERSON PRIZE COMPETITION
LEICESTER B. HOLLAND PRIZE COMPETITION
HISTORIC AMERICAN LANDSCAPES SURVEY CHALLENGE

For information go to www.nps.gov/hdp

Advisory Council on Historic Preservation news

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) recently announced Ira Matt has been named director of the Office of Native American Affairs (ONAA). Ira previously served as Senior Program Analyst in ONAA. Ira takes over for Valerie Hauser, who established the Office of Native American Affairs in 1998 and served as its first director. Hauser retired from federal service December 31, 2021.

Ira brings 22 years of experience, along with his education and tribal background, to the Director position. Ira first began working at the ACHP in 2015 as a Program Analyst in the Office of Federal Agency Programs. In 2018, he moved to the Office of Native American Affairs as a Senior Program Analyst, where he led ONAA’s tradition knowledge initiative and co-authored the ACHP’s Early Coordination with Indian Tribes handbook. He also served on several committees of the White House Council on Native American Affairs.

Before joining the ACHP, Ira worked for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) for 16 years in varying capacities, including as Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Resource Advisor, Tribal Archaeologist, and as a wildland firefighter. During this time, he regularly worked with the Cultural Committees and Elder Advisory Boards, Tribal Council and Salish Kootenai College to generate positive outcomes in cultural resource management by implementing historic preservation as a tool to effectuate cultural perpetuation.

Ira’s prior federal experience includes serving as the Federal Preservation Officer/National Archaeologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and as a Tribal Affairs Specialist for the Department of Energy.

Ira is Salish and an enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of western Montana. He received his BA and MA in Anthropology from the University of Montana and a Master of Jurisprudence in Indian Law from the University of Tulsa College of Law.

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation recently released a report, The National Historic Preservation Act as a Model for the Protection of Indigenous Sacred Places in Other Nations. The report concludes that the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA) and related federal directives can be used to protect sacred places in the United States and might serve as models for the protection of sacred places in other nations. The ACHP produced this report in response to a request from the Hualapai Tribe and the Oglala Sioux Tribe in 2014 during the U.S. Department of State’s consultations in preparation for the United Nations Conference on Indigenous Issues. The conference was an examination of progress by U.N. member states on implementation of the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

On Jan. 19, 2022, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) Vice Chairman Jordan Tannenbaum signed an agreement with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (NCSHPO) to extend the duration of the BLM’s national Programmatic Agreement (nPA) by an additional two years to February 2024. The nPA forms the basis of the BLM’s implementation of its cultural resource management actions under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation is offering digital classrooms for their Section 106 courses: The Section 106 Essentials and Section 106 Agreements Seminar. They will use Zoomgov.com. To learn more and register, go to www.achp.gov/training/classroom.

National Trust for Historic Preservation/ Partners for Sacred Places news

The National Fund for Sacred Places is a program of Partners for Sacred Places in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The National Fund for Sacred Places provides training, planning grants, technical assistance, capacity-building support, and capital grants up to $250,000 to congregations of all faiths for rehabilitation work on their historic facilities. Letters of Intent are due March 7.

Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area news

KMTA awards grants to communities that recognize, preserve, and interpret the historic, scenic, and natural recreational resources and cultural landscapes of the KMTA historic transportation corridor. Projects promote and facilitate public enjoyment of these resources. Applications are due March 11, 2022, Website: https://kmtacorridor.org/grant-guidelines/ Questions: email amandasassi@kmacorridor.org.

National Preservation Institute news

NPI provides online training that complements their in-person seminar curriculum. NPI offers the option of online customized training with interested organizations. Look for training options at www.npi.org. On-demand modules available include GIS, Historic Wood Windows, Corridor Development, New Sources of Funding, Native America 101, Streetscapes, Cultural Landscapes, and Section 106 compliance. For further information contact Jere Gibber, Executive Director, NPI, 703.765.0100, info@npi.org.

Public Projects Alert

NEPA:

Section 106 large project consultation in progress:

Greens Creek Mine

Ambler Access Road

- 2021 Fieldwork Report Review
- DNR Listening Session 3/11/2022 https://dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/ambler-road/

Review and compliance agreement development for large projects in progress:

Polychrome and East Fork, Denali National Park

Memorandum of Agreement

Mendenhall Glacier Visitors Center Rehabilitation

Programmatic Agreement

Glenn Highway Corridor

Programmatic Agreement

Sterling Highway MP 45-60

Data Recovery Plan
Programmatic Agreement Amendment

Formerly Used Defense Sites Program

Programmatic Agreement

Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson

Programmatic Agreement

USFS Sustainable Cabins

Programmatic Agreement

NMFS Grants

Programmatic Agreement

KNWR Cabins

Programmatic Agreement

Point Thomson

Programmatic Agreement Amendment

Grant Lake Hydroelectric Project

Historic Properties Management Plan

For information on how to participate in the process, or on how to review and comment on the above projects, contact Sarah Meitl, 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 907.269.8700.

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

2022

MARCH

  • March 7 - 10 National Historic Preservation Virtual Advocacy Week 2022.

  • March 15-16 Advisory Council on Historic Preservation: Section 106 Essentials. Session 12:30pm-4:30pm EST. Registration $400. To learn more and register, go to www.achp.gov/training/classroom

  • March 17 Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Section 106 Agreements Seminar. Session 12:30 – 4:30PM EST. Registration fee $350. To learn more and register, go to www.achp.gov/training/classroom

APRIL

JUNE

JULY

  • July 19-20 Advisory Council on Historic Preservation: Section 106 Essentials. Session 12:30pm-4:30pm EST. Registration $400. To learn more and register, go to www.achp.gov/training/classroom

  • July 21 Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Section 106 Agreements Seminar. Session 12:30 – 4:30PM EST. Registration fee $350. To learn more and register, go to www.achp.gov/training/classroom

SEPTEMBER

  • September 20-21 Advisory Council on Historic Preservation: Section 106 Essentials. Session 12:30pm-4:30pm EST. Registration $400. To learn more and register, go to www.achp.gov/training/classroom

  • September 21-24 Museums Alaska annual conference, Transitions: Navigating Change and Moving Forward. Will be held in Valdez and online. https://museumsalaska.org/Conference

  • September 22 Section 106 Agreements Seminar. Session 12:30 – 4:30PM EST. Registration fee $350. To learn more and register, go to www.achp.gov/training/classroom

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

National Preservation Institute provides continuing education and professional training in historic preservation and cultural resource management throughout the year. For training options go to: www.npi.org For information contact Jere Gibber, Executive Director, info@npi.org