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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, 9am – 12:30 pm on Teams. More information and a copy of the agenda can be found on our website: Alaska Historical Commission.

Publications: The new guidance document “Identifying State Land Managers for SCRIPs” is live on our website! You can find the pdf here: identstatelandmanscrips.pdf. More information on SCRIPs can be found on our webpage here: Permits for Investigations on State Lands.

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 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
On Tuesday, September 1st, 2026, the House of Representatives voted to extend federal spending at current levels, through December 11th. Federal funding was set to run out at the end of September. The legislation passed the house 370-48 with bipartisan support. The Senate had already passed the continuing resolution in August. President Trump is expected to sign it into law.

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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 Trust for Historic Preservation

Legislative Update: Key Preservation Priorities on the Hill Webinar
The National Trust is holding a webinar on September 17 (10am AKST) with their Government Relations team for a legislative update ahead of the National Preservation Summit. You can register for the webinar here: Webinar Registration - Zoom.

National Preservation Summit
The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Summit is happening September 22-24 in Washington, D.C. and online. More information can be found on their website: National Preservation Summit | National Trust for Historic Preservation.

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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

Weapons Generation Complex & Airfield Optimization Projects, USAF

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

SEPTEMBER

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

• September 17 – Legislative Update: Key Preservation Priorities on the Hill webinar by National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2pm -3pm EST. Register here: Webinar Registration - Zoom
  
  

• September 21 – Alaska Historical Commission meeting, Anchorage.
  
  

• September 22-24 – National Preservation Summit 2026, Washington DC. Free, online participation registration is also available: National Preservation Summit Registration Information | National Trust for Historic Preservation
  
  

• 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.