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Office of History and Archaeology news

Alaska Historic Commission October 3 meeting. Actions taken at the meeting include:
Certified Local Government Grant Proposals
AHC considered two CLG applications from the Municipality of Anchorage: Government Hill Wireless Station HSR—Phase II, $30,000, and Old Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church (Eklutna Chapel) Restoration, $49,500. AHC recommended both grants for funding.
The total grant request was $79,500 out of $170,000 total CLG HPF grant funds available. OHA expects to open a second CLG grant round in November 2024.

National Register of Historic Places
The Alaska Historical Commission accepted the Chena Building (Fairbanks) as meeting criteria for listing in the National Register. Areas of Significance are Commerce, Exploration, and settlement, and the Period of Significance is from ca. 1905 to 1922. The nomination was recently submitted to the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places for listing in the National Register under Criteria A and C.

Geographic Names Proposals
The AHC approved three geographic name proposals:
Mount Carola, new name;
Arkose Peak, new name;
Souvenir Peak, changed from Arkose Peak
The proposals have been sent to the U.S. Board of Geographic Names.

National Register Listing
The Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, DC, listed the Sitka Woman's Club Building on October 15, 2024. The historic building was constructed in 1895 by Hans Christian Pande, a recent immigrant from Tønsberg, Vestfold Fylke, Norway, for his daughter, Ragnhild, who used it initially as a hat shop. The building retains features that illustrate and convey a wood-frame Norwegian vernacular cottage. When the building was constructed, it sat alone prominently on the rocky outcropping directly on the water. Local Sitkans called the house the "Cottage by the Sea." By the turn of the 19th century, the house became the property of William Parker Mills of the W.P. Mills Company, a lumber company that made the Mills family one of the wealthiest in southeast Alaska, and his wife Florence Edith, one of the founders of Sitka’s Woman’s Club, who sat near the top of Sitka’s social hierarchy. Through much of the 20th century, the house was an epicenter for Sitka’s Progressive Era ideals such as professionalism, social clubs, women’s suffrage, temperance, volunteerism, and the traditional feminism espoused by the town’s pioneering upper-middle-class families.

The Office of History and Archaeology staff are working on a hybrid schedule. 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
Alaska Heritage Resource Survey access, renewals, or submissions: oha.ibs@alaska.gov

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Department of Interior news

The Department of the Interior, on October 16, announced the signing of three landmark agreements with Alaska Native Tribes and Corporations to advance co-stewardship on public lands and waters. Two agreements between federal agencies and Alaska Native Tribes and the Tanana Chiefs Conference will advance efforts to safeguard salmon within the Yukon, Kuskokwim, and Norton Sound regions through the Department's Gravel to Gravel Initiative. A third agreement will improve management of easements that provide access to public lands and waters across privately owned Ahtna lands.

In partnership with Tribes, Indigenous leaders, governmental agencies, and community partners, the Department’s Gravel to Gravel Keystone Initiative, created through funding from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, is bringing Indigenous Knowledge and the best available science together to inform plans for collective action to support resilient ecosystems and communities in the region and make immediate investments to respond to the salmon crisis. Today’s agreements add to over $44 million already invested towards the initiative.

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National Park Service news

Grants
The National Park Service announced that the Save America's Treasures (SAT) grant program is now accepting applications. The program was established in 1998 and first awarded grants in 1999 to help preserve nationally significant historic properties and collections that convey our nation’s rich heritage to future generations. The program is administered by the NPS in cooperation with its partners, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The NPS manages the Preservation grants, and the IMLS administers Collections grants. Congress has appropriated $25.5 million in FY2024 funding for Collections and Preservation projects. Applications are due December 12, 2024

The Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) for NPS FY2024 competitive programs will be spring through fall 2024. To be notified when this year's opportunities become available, go to Grants.gov and subscribe to a saved search: for CFDA 15.929 for Save America's Treasures (SAT), 15.932 for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), and 15.966 for all other competitive programs. You can create a saved search on grants.gov under the "Connect" menu. The application period is 60-90 days from the time the NOFO is posted on Grants.gov. Because the window to apply for funding is limited, we encourage all applicants to plan well ahead of the application deadline. Information on applying to all of NPS' competitive programs is available through their website year-round. Registration in Grants.gov, SAM.gov, and other federal systems can take up to four weeks, so start early. Extensions will not be granted due to incomplete registrations in these systems or applications.

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Advisory Council on Historic Preservation news

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) is recruiting for a director of its Office of Communications, Education, and Outreach (OCEO)(GG15). The director is an important member of the ACHP’s senior management team, responsible for identifying and implementing the organization’s communications needs under the oversight of the executive director.

The director strategizes and works closely with the Chair and ACHP members to meet the agency’s communications needs. The director also informs and educates appropriate stakeholders about the ACHP’s policies, programs, actions, services, and activities. The director also plans, executes, and evaluates the effectiveness of the agency’s communication efforts through oversight of the OCEO and supervision of three professional staff responsible for conducting all agency communications, education, and outreach activities.

The ACHP is a small agency with a collegial work environment and opportunities for telework. We encourage anyone with a passion for communication and an interest in and knowledge of the ACHP’s mission to apply. More information about the position and application process can be found on USAJobs at https://www.usajobs.gov/job/815205400. Please note the application period closes on November 12, 2024.

Prototype Programmatic Agreement for Minor Transportation Activities
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), in coordination with other Department of Transportation (DOT) operating administrations (OAs), is writing to notify you of the development of a Prototype Programmatic Agreement (Prototype PA) for Minor Transportation Activities to support compliance requirements under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). FTA is the lead OA in development of the Prototype PA; other participating OAs include the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). FTA is working in close coordination with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) to develop the Prototype PA. A webinar will be held on Thursday, November 21, 2024 at 1-2pm EST to provide information on the Prototype PA process and the proposed Minor Transportation Activities, and to answer questions. The webinar will be held via Zoom and a meeting link is forthcoming. Following the webinars, there will be a comment period for the public and other stakeholders to provide input.

Proposed Nationwide Programmatic Agreement for the State Home Construction Grant Program
VA is proposing a Nationwide Programmatic Agreements (NPA) to address Section 106 processes for one of the agency’s most active programs - the State Home Construction Grant Program. Information about the proposed NPA can be found at their website. The VA will accept written and oral recommendations and comments throughout the consultation process.
- Via email: HistoricPreservation@va.gov (preferred for written communications)
- Oral: During any consultation meetings.
- Via USPS: VA Historic Preservation Office (003C2), Office of Construction & Facilities Management, Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20420.

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Federal Highway Administration news

2024 Byways Grants
The National Scenic Byways Program (NSBP) 2024 Grants Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is now available!
NSBP 2024 Grants NOFO
Applications for the NSBP 2024 Grants NOFO must be submitted electronically through grants.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, December 16, 2024.
Opportunity Number: 693JJ324NF00029
Opportunity Name: National Scenic Byways Program-2024
Assistance Listing Number: 20.205

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National Trust for Historic Preservation news

National Trust Preservation Funds Grant Program:
National Trust grants are announced throughout the year. Sign up for the grants interest list.
For more information, visit https://savingplaces.org/grants

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American Association for State and Local History

AASLH Now Accepting 2025 Annual Conference Session Proposals: The AASLH 2025 Annual Conference will be held in Cincinnati, Ohio, on September 10-13. Session proposals are now being accepted and are due on December 13. The theme of the conference is The American Experiment. As we approach America 250, we history practitioners can help the public at large explore the origins of our civic institutions, think critically about how they’ve changed, and how they will actively shape our nation for the next 250 years. Learn more about the conference.

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National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers

NATHPO invites tribes and native organizations to stay current on important happenings using their new Calendar of Events. They have job listings, Community Job Board, and listing of relevant Grant Opportunities.

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Public Projects Alert

Section 106 large project consultation in progress:

West Susitna Access Road, DOT&PF

Graphite One Mine near Nome

Safer Seward Highway, MP 98.5-118

Review and compliance agreement development for large projects in progress:

Johnson Tract Access

Programmatic Agreement

Alaska Highway WWII Bridges

Programmatic Agreement

Glenn Highway Corridor

Programmatic Agreement

USFS Sustainable Cabins

Programmatic Agreement

NPS Kennecott Maintenance and Operations

Programmatic Agreement Amendment

NPS Dyea and the Chilkoot Trail

Programmatic Agreement

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.

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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 dnr.oha@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.

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Preservation Calendar

2024

OCTOBER

• October 28-30 - PastForward, National Trust for Historic Preservation annual conference, New Orleans. Conference programing proposals and nominations for National Preservation Awards due January 12, 2024. SavingPlaces.org
  
  

NOVEMBER

• November 7 - Preservation Alaska annual membership meeting at 6:00pm. Will be presenting annual Historic Preservation Awards, the Ten Most Endangered Historic Properties grant awards, and a presentation on a group of women from Minnesota who owned the Garnet Mine at the mouth of the Stikine River just north of Wrangell. RSVP: AKpreservation@gmail.com
  
  

• November 13-14 - Cultural Landscapes: An Introduction, National Preservation Institute Workshop. Learn more at npi.org or contact Jere Gibber, Executive Director, info@npi.org.
  
  

• November 15 - Cultural Landscapes: Advanced Tools for Managing Change, National Preservation Institute Workshop. Learn more at npi.org or contact Jere Gibber, Executive Director, info@npi.org.
  
  

DECEMBER

• December 12 - OHA Education Series Webinar, Survey Unit Results 2024.
  
  

2025

FEBRUARY

• February 20 - OHA Education Series Webinar, American’s Pastime in Alaska, State Historian Katie Ringsmuth.
  
  

APRIL

• April 10 - OHA Cultural Resources Workshop. BP Energy Center. Hybrid – in-person and MS Teams. Details to come later.
  
  

MAY

• May 14-17 - The Vernacular Architecture Forum. Annual Meeting, Wilmington, Delaware
  
  

SEPTEMBER

• September 10 - 13 - AASLH annual conference, theme The American Experiment, Cincinnati, OH. Session proposals are now being accepted and are due on December 13. Learn more about the conference.
  
  

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