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Cultural Resources Fact Sheet
What are Cultural Resources?
Cultural Resources are evidence of past human activity. These may include
pioneer homes, buildings or old roads; structures with unique architecture;
prehistoric village sites; historic or prehistoric artifacts or objects; rock
inscription; human burial sites; earthworks, such as battlefield entrenchments,
prehistoric canals, or mounds. These nonrenewable resources often yield unique
information about past societies and environments, and provide answers for
modern day social and conservation problems. Although many have been discovered
and protected, there are numerous forgotten, undiscovered, or unprotected
cultural resources in rural America.
The NRCS's Role in Protecting Cultural Resources
NRCS considers cultural resources in its conservation planning for the same
reason it protects the natural resources — the soil, water, air, plants and
animals — on your property. Keeping natural resources in balance helps provide
the basis for a healthy and profitable farm environment; keeping cultural
resources provides the basis for understanding our human past. The stewardship
of these nonrenewable resources is an important link in the conservation ethic
that underlies the NRCS mission.
Several Federal, state, and local laws have been enacted to preserve cultural
resources. The most important of these is the National Historic Preservation Act
of 1966. Under this and other legislation, Federal agencies, including the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, are required
to protect cultural resources.
Some Benefits of Cultural Resources
Cultural resources provide many useful benefits to people today. They —
Expand our knowledge and understanding of history. Provide scientific data. Archeological sites for example, can provide
information not available from historic records on droughts, floods, and erosion
over thousand of years. Provide jobs during the renovation process. Preserving cultural resources may
also stimulate other community improvements. Attract tourists, who bring money into the community. Provide information that will help solve conservation and natural resource
problems. Some modern irrigation techniques, for example, are actually based on
prehistoric methods.
Your Role
Every American has a stake in the protection of cultural resources. All of
the protected and restored cultural resources that we enjoy today have one thing
in common: some individual, group, or organization went to work to protect and
preserve for future generations to come.
If you know of an undeveloped cultural resource, do your part to preserve our
country's heritage. Contact a local historical society, museum, archeological
society, university archeology (sociology, anthropology) department, or your
local Natural Resources Conservation Service office.
For More Information
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