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Office of History and Archaeology news

Staff Updates: The State of Alaska currently has a hiring freeze in place and as of June 30, 2026, OHA has six vacancies. Until hiring waivers are approved and positions are backfilled, current OHA staff are in acting status: Sarah Meitl, Acting Chief, and Amy Hellmich, Acting Review and Compliance Coordinator.

Save the Date: The next Alaska Historic Commission meeting is scheduled for September 21st, 2026. Stay tuned for more details.

Contact Information: OHA encourages sending inquiries and requests to the email addresses listed below.

To send by email:

Section 106: oha.revcomp@alaska.gov
State Permits: oha.permits@alaska
AHRS: oha.ibs@alaska.gov
Grants: ohagrants@alaska.gov
Surveys and Research: adam.brinkman@alaska.gov
General Inquiries: dnr.oha@alaska.gov

To send by USPS or other courier:

Alaska State Historic Preservation Office
c/o Office of History and Archaeology
550 W 7th Ave, Suite 1310
Anchorage, AK 99501

America250 Program: The America250-Alaska “Week of Dreams” happened over the final week of June and first week of July. It started with an opening ceremony and Alaska Baseball League Anchorage Glacier Pilots game in Anchorage on June 27th and ended with a closing ceremony and Alaska Goldpanners baseball game in Fairbanks on July 4th! We would like to thank everyone who volunteered and attended all of the Week of Dreams events in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and around the state! Happy Semiquincentennial!!

A more in-depth summary of the events can be found on the America250-Alaska website here: Week of Dreams - America250-Alaska

America250 Traveling Exhibit: The Alaska Office of History and Archaeology has created a traveling exhibit, Alaska's Fields of Dreams: America's Pastime in the 49^th State, for the America250 Alaska project. The exhibit consists of nine free-standing, 80" x 33.5" banners. The banners tell the history of Alaska Baseball, from the Indigenous version of the game to the Alaska Baseball League. Reserving the exhibit is free, except for shipping. To learn more, contact OHA's exhibit coordinator, Katie Ringsmuth at katie.ringsmuth@alaska.gov.

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Federal Legislation

2027 Federal Funding
The FY27 budget process in Congress continues:

The House Appropriations Committee held a full markup on the FY27 House Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations bill (H.R. 9171) in early June and voted 35-27 along party lines to advance the bill. The bill would fund the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) at $163.65 million, which is $17.409 million below FY26 enacted levels. Here is a breakdown of the proposed HPF funding levels in this version of the bill (numbers from Preservation Action, Volume 26, Number 16 [June 5, 2026]):

• $62.150 million for SHPOs (same as FY26)
• $23.750 million for THPOs (same as FY26)
• $25.5 million for the Save America’s Treasures grant program (same as FY26)
• $30.25 million for Competitive Grant Sub-activity (same as FY26)
• $11 million for the HBCU Preservation Grant Program (same as FY26)
• $7 million for the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant program ($906,000 below FY26)
• $4 million for the Semiquinncentennial Grant Program ($907,000 below FY26)
• Congressional Directed Spending for HPF projects not included ($15.596 million below FY26).

The bill also includes a one-year authorization for the HPF, which currently runs through September. The House Interior Appropriations bill includes $3.2 billion for the National Park Service, $42 million below FY26 enacted levels. The bill also includes $6.2 million for the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, $2.085 million below FY26 enacted levels, a more than 25% cut. The National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities is funded at $135 million each, $72 million below FY26 enacted levels. The bill also includes level funding for the Heritage Partnership Program which supports National Heritage Areas at $30.985 million and funds Cultural Programs at $40.327 million, a $1 million increase.

Congress is likely entering their August recess after scheduled Senate sessions ending on August 7th.

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Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

ACHP Votes to Move Forward with Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
The ACHP members voted on Friday, July 24, to move forward with a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding revisions to the regulations implementing Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, “Protection of Historic Properties,” 36 CFR Part 800.

ACHP Vice Chairman, Travis Voyles, originally convened an unassembled meeting on July 17 to vote on the proposed rulemaking action. Now, the draft NPRM will move to the interagency review process with the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs within the Office of Management and Budget before publication in the Federal Register.

Stay tuned to the ACHP news page for additional updates: Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

You can also find more news and updates on the Section 106 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and process at the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (NCSHPO) website here: News – NCSHPO.

Other voting members on the ACHP, including the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (NATHPO) and the National Trust for Historic Preservation both have continuing coverage on the proposed changes, which can be found here July 2026 Updates - National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (NATHPO) and here National Trust for Historic Preservation.

eLearning
The ACHP has implemented a new e-learning portal with a variety of online, on demand Section 106 courses. Visit the eLearning course webpage(e-Learning Courses | Advisory Council on Historic Preservation) The ACHP has implemented a new e-learning portal with a variety of online, on demand Section 106 courses. Visit the eLearning course webpage Preserve the Past, Build For the Future Webinar Series | Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

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Asian & Pacific Islander Americans in Historic Preservation (APIAHiP

Forum 2026
The APIAHiP’s biennial National Forum returns September 10-13 in Denver and Aurora, Colorado. Early Bird registration rates end on June 30 and Scholarship applications for attending are open June 1 – June 30. More information can be found here: 2026 — APIAHiP

Preservation Field Guide is live. This free educational resource is built for communities that are new to historic preservation, centering APIA places and histories from the ground up: Preservation Field Guide | Explore Preservation Insights - Join Us Today — APIAHiP

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National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (NATHPO)

NATHPO Annual Conference and Sacred Places Summit: August 24-26
NATHPO is holding their 26th Annual Conference and Sacred Places Summit, hosted by Pueblo of Acoma, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, this August! The NATHPO Conference emphasizes the importance of fostering meaningful connections among Tribal Nations, Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, and the diverse sectors and stakeholders that operate in the field of heritage preservation. More information on the conference and registration can be found here: 26th Annual NATHPO Conference - National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (NATHPO).

Protecting Native Places Grants
NATHPO’s 2026 Protecting Native Places (PNP) Grant applications are opening July 13, 2026. Grant awards will be $40,000 each again. They will be issuing 25 grants for a total of $1,000,000 in regrants to further assist THPOs in their work preserving sacred and cultural resources. The applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. The applications open July 13, 2026 and close on July 31, 2026, or whenever they reach 25 applicants, whichever comes first. PNP grants are only available to full NATHPO members in good standing and 2026 PNP Grants are only open to full NATHPO members who DID NOT receive a grant in 2025. More information can be found here: Grant Opportunities - National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (NATHPO).

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National Trust for Historic Preservation

“Section 106 Regulations Under Threat” Webinar
On July 30, 1pm EST, the National Trust for Historic Preservation will be holding a webinar outlining some of the more serious aspects and potential impacts of the proposed changes to Section 106 regulations and the timeline for the process. More information on the webinar and registration can be found here: Webinar Registration - Zoom.

Heritage Now! Campaign
The National Trust for Historic Preservation and several other national, and international organizations are part of the Heritage Now! Global campaign to harness the potential of built heritage for a resilient, climate positive and just Future. As part of this campaign, there is a series of webinars over the summer: Upcoming Webinars | National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The next webinar in the series is Implementing Heritage-Informed Decarbonization Policies on August 18. Recordings of the previous webinars can be found on YouTube.

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Public Projects Alert

Section 106 large project consultation in progress:

Graphite One Mine near Nome, USACE

Safer Seward Highway, MP 98.5-118, DOT&PF

Seward to Glenn Connection PEL, DOT&PF

Chilkoot National Historic Trail Comprehensive Trail Plan, NPS

Iditarod National Historic Trail Comprehensive Trail Plan Revision, BLM

Cook Inlet LNG, FERC

AK LNG, FERC

Ambler Mining District Access Road, AIDEA

West Susitna Access Road, USACE

Nikolai Nickel, USACE

Terra Coal, DOE

Review and compliance agreement development for large projects in progress:

West Susitna Access Road, DOT&PF

Programmatic Agreement

USFS Heritage Program

Programmatic Agreement Amendment

USFS Sustainable Cabins

Programmatic Agreement

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 Amy Hellmich, amy.hellmich@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.

Much like the OHA office, the Heritage Newsletter is entering a stage of transition. We are working on updating our mailing list and delivery system. We will have more information on the future of the newsletter and its delivery soon.

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Preservation Calendar

2026

JULY

• July 31 – Deadline to apply for NATHPO’s 2026 Protecting Native Places grants: Grant Opportunities - National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (NATHPO)
  
  

SEPTEMBER

• September 10-13 – Biennial National APIAHiP Forum in Denver and Aurora, Colorado: 2026 — APIAHiP
  
  

• September 21 – Alaska Historical Commission meeting, Anchorage.
  
  

• September 22-25 – Council of Geographic Names Authorities (CoGNA) Annual Conference in Sacramento, California: Annual Conference
  
  

• September 30 – ACHP Business Metting, time and location tbd.
  
  

OCTOBER

• October 7-10 – Alaska Historical Society, Homer
  
  

• October 7-10 – Museums Alaska Annual Conference, Juneau
  
  

2027

MARCH

• March 3-7 – Sharing Our Knowledge conference, Ketchikan. For more information and volunteer opportunities, contact Joaqlin Estus at jmestus50@gmail.com
  
  

• March 18-21 – 2027 Alaska Anthropological Association Conference, Utqiagvik. Registration forthcoming.