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Federal Preservation Officer
Cultural Resource Management: Policy and Regulations
Section 106 Notes
Agency and Related Links

Federal Preservation Officer

Janet Matthews, Ph.D.
Associate Director for Cultural Resources and Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places
National Park Service
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
Telephone: (202) 208-7625

Staff Points of Contact:

Antoinette J. Lee, Ph.D.
Assistant Associate Director for Historical Documentation Programs
National Park Service
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
Telephone: (202) 354-2272

Jon Smith
Assistant Associate Director for Heritage Preservation Assistance Programs
National Park Service
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
Telephone: (202) 354-2095

Randy J. Biallas
Assistant Associate Director for Park Cultural Resources Programs
National Park Service
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
Telephone: (202) 354-2061

Cultural Resource Management: Policy and Regulations

NPS Management Policies
NPS-28, Cultural Resource Management Guideline
NPS-2, Planning Process Guideline
NPS-6, Interpretation and Visitor Services Guideline
NPS-12, NEPA Compliance Guideline
36 CFR Part 18, Leases and Exchanges of Historic Property

The National Park Service contributed to the development of a Programmatic Agreement that establishes a national policy for the protection of cultural resources during emergency response under the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contigency Plan. Click here for more information on the PA and the Contingency Plan.

Section 106 Notes

NPS Endorses ACHP Policy Statement on Balancing Cultural and Natural Values

NPS has endorsed the ACHP policy statement, "Balancing Cultural and Natural Values on Federal Lands," which encourages Federal land managers to recognize that cultural and natural values should be considered in an integrated manner to ensure that cultural values are afforded equal consideration.

NPS Director Fran Mainella asked the regional directors to suggest ways to ensure that their practices measure up to existing NPS policies and to identify best practices and needs for improvement for managing cultural resources in the National Park System.

ACHP's policy statement represents two years of collaboration with NPS, which initiated its own review of its existing policy and guidance based on the principles in ACHP's policy statement. ACHP will use the policy statement as a basis for developing a similar policy to guide other Federal property agencies.

Section 106 participants are encouraged to refer to ACHP's Policy Statement on Balancing Cultural and Natural Values on Federal Lands and NPS's Summary of Policies to factor into Section 106 consultation where cultural and natural values may conflict.

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Nationwide NPS Programmatic Agreement

On October 1, 1995, a programmatic agreement among the National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior), the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers went into effect.

It was executed when the reorganization of the National Park Service necessitated revisions to the agreement's predecessor, which had been in effect from 1990. Consistent with the National Park Service reorganization, the new agreement designates Park Superintendents as the responsible Agency Officials for purposes of Section 106. It functions as a comprehensive programmatic agreement for the operation, management, and administration of the National Park System.

Guidance on implementation of the NPS Nationwide Programmatic Agreement is provided in the Federal Program Note: The 1995 Nationwide National Park Service Programmatic Agreement: How Is it Working?

Guidance on coordinating National Park Service planning with the programmatic agreement is addressed in the Federal Program Note: 1995 NPS Nationwide Programmatic Agreement: Simultaneous Review of NPS Plans and Section 106 Compliance for Component Undertakings.

National Park Service Grant Programs to State and local parks are not covered by the programmatic agreement. Undertakings funded by these programs may have the potential to affect historic properties, in which case they are subject to ACHP's regulations, 36 CFR Part 800, "Protection of Historic Properties." The most common of these programs, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), is administered by National Park Service Grants Program Offices who work with Land State partners to provide funding to State and local parks.

The Nationwide Programmatic Agreement encourages development of park-specific agreements that further develop the principles embodied in the Nationwide PA.

For instance, to streamline Section 106 review in parks, Stipulation IV of the Nationwide PA provides for specific activities to be excluded from review by either the State Historic Preservation Officer or ACHP, as long as they do not adversely affect historic properties. Parks and SHPOs are free to develop mutually agreeable additions to the list of programmatically excluded activities. A model agreement has been developed for this purpose.

The use of model agreements may not meet the needs of every park. Consultation to address a park's needs programmatically can be used as an opportunity to create an approach that fits best with a park's operational procedures and the character of its resources.

Agency and Related Links

National Park Service home page: www.nps.gov

National Park Service Cultural Resources home page: www.cr.nps.gov

National Parks (select by name, State, region, or theme): www.nps.gov/parks.html

List of Classified Structures (LCS): www.cr.nps.gov/phad/lcs.html

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