Heritage Newsletter

January 2015

Monthly news update from the Office of History and Archaeology
State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources

IN THIS ISSUE
          Federal legislation and funding for historic preservation programs
          Grants available for 150th anniversary of Alaska Purchase projects
          Office of History and Archaeology workshop scheduled for April 21
          Alaska Association for Historic Preservation identifying endangered properties
          Advisory Council on Historic Preservation webinars
          National Park Service Battlefield Protection Program grant deadline
          AASLH seeks Leadership in History Award nominations
          Public project alerts
          Heritage subscription information
          Preservation calendar

Federal legislation and funding for historic preservation programs

The "CRomnibus" budget bill for FY 15 (October 1, 2014-September 30, 2015) passed by Congress and signed by the President in mid-December appropriated funding the same as FY 14 for Historic Preservation Fund programs. State programs received $46.9 million, tribal programs received $9.0 million, and a fund for projects that address underserved communities received $500,000, for a total of $56.4 million. The appropriation for Heritage Areas, funded under the Recreation and Preservation Account, is $20.0 million, a slight increase because of additional Heritage Areas authorized the past few years.

In 2015 Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowksi will be chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and chair of the subcommittee on Interior Appropriations. In those positions she will be a key decision maker on historic preservation issues and budgets. For the past two years, as ranking member on the Interior appropriations subcommittee, Murkowski has signed-off on draft bills that increase spending for preservation, conservation and recreation programs.

The Defense Authorization Act passed by Congress in December did not include the provisions to allow the head of an agency managing federal property to object for reasons of national security to a property’s nomination to the National Register of Historic Places or to the National Historic Landmark program, and to establish an expedited process for federal agencies to de-list historic properties for reasons of national security.


Grants available for 150th anniversary of Alaska Purchase projects

The Alaska Historical Commission has $125,000 available for matching grants to plan for the 150th anniversary of the Alaska Purchase in 2017. The grants are for projects that will contribute to understanding the history and significance of the event and the times—the Russian era before and the first years of U.S. administration of the newly acquired territory. Projects are encouraged for historic research and publications, restoration of significant historic properties, and heritage tourism development and information services. A grant request may not exceed $15,000 and must be matched. Projects are to be done between April 1, 2015 and September 30, 2016. Applications must be postmarked, e-mailed, or delivered by 4:30 p.m., Monday, February 23, 2015. Additional information and the application are available at dnr.alaska.gov/parks/oha/index.htm, or by contacting Jo Antonson, 907.269.8714 / jo.antonson@alaska.gov or Jean Ayers, 907.269.8694 / jean.ayers@alaska.gov.


Office of History and Archaeology workshop scheduled for April 21

Early notice that the date for the annual Alaska Office of History and Archaeology workshop for agency cultural resources staff and consultants has been set. It will be a one day workshop this year, Tuesday, April 21, 2015 at the BP Energy Center in Anchorage. If there are topics you would like addressed please let coordinator Shina duVall know. Her contact information is 907.269.8720 / shina.duvall@alaska.gov.

Alaska Association for Historic Preservation identifying endangered properties

Nominations for the Alaska Association for Historic Preservation’s 2015 Ten Most Endangered Historic Properties in Alaska are being accepted until March 31, 2015. The group has been issuing its annual list since 1991. The list is announced in May during National Historic Preservation Week. It calls attention to significant historic properties in Alaska and advocates for their rehabilitation. The nomination form is at http://aahp-online.net/10-most-endangered.html. More information is available from Allegra Hamer, 907.929.9870 / akpreservation@gmail.com.

Advisory Council on Historic Preservation webinars

The Advisory Council is offering a series of webinars to help agencies meet their historic preservation responsibilities. Course offerings include managing confidential information, archaeological sites, property disposal and program alternatives. A complete list of course dates, program descriptions, and registration instructions is available at www.achp.gov/sec106webinar.html.

Also, the ACHP is seeking nominations for its Chairman’s Award for Achievement in Historic Preservation. The award recognizes projects, programs, or policies with a connection to federal properties or programs that make significant contributions to historic preservation. Awards also acknowledge noteworthy accomplishments in the advancement of the current Administration’s goals with respect to cultural resources and historic preservation. The nomination deadline is January 26, 2015. More information is available at www.achp.gov/chairaward.html, or from Patricia Knoll, 202.527.1483 / pknoll@achp.gov.

National Park Service Battlefield Protection Program grant deadline

The deadline is January 16, 2015 (electronic)/January 2, 2015 (mailed) to apply for a 2015 American Battlefield Protection Program preservation grant (www.nps.gov/abpp/index.htm). The grants can be used for archaeology, cultural landscape inventories, GIS mapping, National Register nominations, and preservation plans. For more information contact Kristen McMaster, 202.354.2037 / Kristen_McMaster@nps.gov.

AASLH seeks Leadership in History Award nominations

The American Association for State and Local History annually recognizes individuals, groups, and projects for excellent or innovative work with their Leadership in History Awards. Awards are made in the areas of collection, preservation, and interpretation of state and local history to make the past more meaningful to Americans. There is a webinar scheduled for January 13, 2015, to explain the program and to provide tips on how to put together a nomination. Additional information is at www.AASLH.org or one can contact Bethany Hawkins, 615.320.3203 / Hawkins@aaslh.org.

PUBLIC PROJECT ALERTS:

Alaska Department of Natural Resources / Donlin Gold Natural Gas Pipeline Project

Public meetings on right-of-way lease application: January 21, 2015, Skwentna; or by January 28, 2015 in writing to http://dnr.alaska.gov/commis/pco , email spco.records@alaska.gov , or mail 411 West 4th Ave., Suite 2, Anchorage, AK 99501-2343
Contact: 907.269.6859 phone / 907.269.6880 fax / spco.records@alaska.gov

Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities / West Susitna Surface Access Reconnaissance Study

Project information: http://dot.alaska.gov/roadstoresources/westsusitna/index.shtml

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission / Alaska Energy Authority, Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project

Project information: http://www.susitna-watanahydro.org/

U.S. Forest Service / Chugach National Forest Plan

Plan revision: fs.usda.gov/chugach / Land and Resource Management
Comments: chugachplanrevision@fs.fed.us

U.S. Forest Service / Tongass National Forest Sustainable Cabin Management Project

Environmental Assessment: http://go.usa.gov/WQEk
Contact: Victoria Houser, 907.826.1614 / vhouser@fs.fed.us

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 via e-mail to jo.antonson@alaska.gov, mail to 550 West 7th Ave., Suite 1310, Anchorage, Alaska 99501-3565, or telephone 907.276.8721.

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 oha@alaska.net with “Heritage, subscribe” in the subject line.

If you do not wish to continue to receive Heritage, please send an e-mail to oha@alaska.net with “Heritage, unsubscribe” in the subject line.


Preservation Calendar

JANUARY

• January 6 - Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, Managing Confidential Information and Section 304 of the National Historic Preservation Act webinar (webinar@achp.gov)

• January 15 - Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, Archaeological Sites and Section 106: A Discussion on Identification and Evaluation webinar (webinar@achp.gov)

• January 16 - American Battlefield Protection Program, www.nps.gov/abpp/index.htm, grant deadline (Kristen McMaster 202.354.2037 / Kristen_McMaster@nps.gov)

• January 25 - Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, Archaeological Sites and Section 106: A Discussion on Identification and Evaluation webinar (webinar@achp.gov)

• January 26 - Advisory Council on Historic Preservation nomination deadline for Chairman’s Award for Achievement in Historic Preservation (Patricia Knoll, 202.517.1483 / pknoll@achp.gov)

FEBRUARY

• February 19 - Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, Preservation Compliance and Property Disposal webinar (webinar@achp.gov)

• February 23 - Alaska Historical Commission, 150th anniversary of Alaska Purchase grant application deadline (Jo Antonson, 907.269.8714 / jo.antonson@alaska.gov)

MARCH

• March 1 - American Association for State and Local History: Leadership in History Awards nomination deadline (Bethany Hawkins, 615.330.3203 / Hawkins@aaslh.org)

• March 2-4 - National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week, Washington, DC (http://www.preservationaction.org/)

• March 2-4 - National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers advocacy day and annual meeting, Washington, DC (Elizabeth Hebron, 202.624.5465 / hebron@ncshpo.org)

• March 3 - Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, Preservation Compliance and Property Disposal webinar (webinar@achp.gov)

• March 4-7 - Alaska Anthropological Association annual meeting, Anchorage (aaaconference@uaa.alaska.edu)

• March 18-21 - Alliance for Historic Landscape Preservation annual meeting 2015: Continuity and Vitality, Savannah, GA (www.ahlp.org)

• March 19 - Alaska Historical Commission meeting, Anchorage (Jo Antonson, 907.269.8714 / jo.antonson@alaska.gov)

• March 24-28 - Society for Applied Anthropology: Continuity and Change, Pittsburgh, PA (www.sfaa.net/annualmeeting)

• March 25-29 - American Association of Physical Anthropologists, St. Louis, MO (www.physanth.org)

• March 31 - Alaska Association for Historic Preservation, Ten Most Endangered Historic Properties in Alaska nominations due (Allegra Hamer, 907.929.9870 / akpreservation@gmail.com)

APRIL

• April 13-16 - Mid-Century Modern Structures' Materials and Preservation 2015 Symposium, St. Louis, MO (Mary F. Striegel, 318.356.7444 ex 224 / mary_striegel@nps.gov )

• April 15-19 - Society of American Archaeology, San Francisco, CA (www.saa.org)

• April 21 - Alaska Office of History and Archaeology workshop for agency cultural resources staff and consultants, Anchorage (Shina duVall, 907.269.8720 / shina.duvall@alaska.gov)

• April 23-25 - National Council for Preservation Education: Learning from the Reservation; Using the Traditional Cultural Place Perspective for Better Decision Making in a Diverse Cultural Landscape conference, Dover, DE (Robin Krawitz, 302.857.7139 / rkrawitz@desu.edu)

• April 23-25 - Alaska Trails Statewide Trails 2015 Conference, Wasilla (Steve Cleary, 907.334.8049 / steve.cleary@alaska-trails.org)

• April 28-May 2 - Council of Geographic Names Authorities annual meeting, Anchorage (Wayne Furr, twfurr@cogna50usa.org)

• April 28-29 - National Preservation Institute: Landscape Preservation: An Introduction, Sitka (Jere Gibber, 703.765.0100 / info@npi.org)

• April 30 - National Preservation Institute: Landscape Preservation: Advanced Tools for Managing Change, Sitka (Jere Gibber, 703.765.0100 / info@npi.org)

MAY

• May 12-13 - National Preservation Institute: The Recent Past: Identification and Evaluation of Mid-20th Century Resources, Anchorage (Jere Gibber, 703.765.0100 / info@npi.org)

• May 14 - National Preservation Institute: Preservation Planning and Policy Development for Historic Roads, Anchorage (Jere Gibber, 703.765.0100 / info@npi.org)

• May 25-29 - National Park Service, Current Archeological Prospection Advances for Non-Destructive Investigations in the 21s Century, Lyons/Rice County, KS (Steven L. DeVore, 402.437.5392 / http://www.nps.gov/mwac)

SEPTEMBER

• September 10-12 - Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, & Museums, 2015 International Conference of Indigenous Archives, Libraries, and Museums, Washington, DC (ATALM, www.atalm.org)

• September 16-20 - American Association for State and Local History, annual meeting: The Power of Possibility, Louisville, KY (Bob Beatty, 635.320.3203 / beatty@aaslh.org)

• September 30 - October 3 - Alaska Historical Society / Museums Alaska annual meetings, Cordova (www.alaskahistoricalsociety.org)

2016

MARCH

• March 16 - National Council on Public History annual meeting: On the Edge of 2016: Commemorating the Past and Shaping the Future of Federal Preservation Activities, Baltimore, MD (Barbara Little, barbara_little@nps.gov or http://ncph.org/cms/conferences/working-groups/)

JUNE

• June - National Alliance of Preservation Commissions Forum, Mobile, AL (NAPC, 706.369.5881 / napc@uga.edu)