NPS Cultural Resources Programs
In preparation for the National Park Service’s approaching 100th anniversary in 2016, NPS has issued A Call to Action: Preparing for a Second Century of Stewardship and Engagement (PDF, 5.8MB) to help chart a path for our second hundred years. Working through the parks and our partners, the NPS Cultural Resources Programs seek to provide leadership to a national historic preservation program, engage all Americans with the places and stories that make up our national identity, and serve as a model for the stewardship of historic resources throughout the world.
As part of “A Call to Action” (C2A), we will be working with our partners in several areas, including the stewardship of cultural resources, technical guidance, science and scholarship, and the national preservation program. Action 25 of the plan also specifically calls for NPS to “modernize historic preservation methods and technologies, show how historic structures can be made sustainable, and support efforts to rebuild the economic vitality of rural and urban communities by updating the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for the Treatment of Historic Properties in consultation with historic preservation partners.”
NPS hopes to strategically focus its efforts and align its existing resources on actions that best advance these goals. As we look to establish priorities and focus our efforts on areas likely to have the most impact, we invite your suggestions and comments on our specific major initiatives, Action 25, or other components of the plan pertaining to the National Park Service’s Cultural Resources Programs.
This website is intended to be a central clearinghouse and comment board for the seven main initiatives we will be undertaking as part of the plan (identified in the upper left-hand menu by sub-category), as well as a way to keep our preservation partners updated on other Cultural Resources-related activities in support of the plan and that may be of interest. Please see the posts below for additional information as well as opportunities to be part of “A Call to Action” as we work through this process with our partners.
Related Posts
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As part of the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program, more than $3.8 million in grants were awarded in June to help with land acquisition at six Civil War battlefields. Grant projects include easement purchases at Cross Keys, Virginia ($181,125); Tom’s Brook, Virginia ($25,000); Buckland Mills, Virginia ($3,350,060); and fee simple acquisition at Mill… - Explore America's National Heritage Areas
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Call to Action Items #1 (“Fill in the Blanks”), #4 (“In My Back Yard”) and #5 (“Parks for People”), focus on documenting important local and urban resources, and making communities more aware of the important history that surrounds them even in our dense and diverse neighborhoods. The National Park Service’s Cultural Resource GIS Facility (CRGIS)… - Discovering and Documenting Properties Associated with Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage
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The National Park Service’s Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science Directorate has answered the Director’s Call to Action #17 Go Digital and #24 Invest Wisely by moving our old physical servers into “the Cloud.” Through a partnership with the Office of Information Resources’ National Technology Information Center, we migrated all of our Windows application, web, and… - Climate Change Adaptation Coordinator Established at NPS
In the summer of 2011, NPS initiated a focused program on cultural resources and climate change by establishing the position of Climate Change Adaptation Coordinator for Cultural Resources. This position serves as a link between the NPS Climate Change Response Program and the Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science Program. - Civil War Sesquicentennial: Creating Legacy through Technology
Throughout the Civil War sesquicentennial, the National Park Service is “Going Digital” (Call to Action #17) to offer unmatched visitor experiences and provide opportunities to touch millions of Americans and help them find meaning. Parks and partners have collaboratively embraced a strategy for commemorating historical events within an environment that is inclusive and contemplative. - Call to Action - NPS Cultural Resources Programs
In preparation for its approaching 100th anniversary in 2016, the National Park Service (NPS) has published A Call to Action: Preparing for a Second Century of Stewardship and Engagement to help chart a path for our second hundred years. As we look to establish priorities and focus our efforts on areas likely to have the… - 14th Successful Year for the Cultural Resources Diversity Internship Program
Founded in 1999, the Cultural Resources Diversity Internship Program (CRDIP) offers unique career exploration opportunities in historic preservation and cultural resource management for undergraduate and graduate students of diverse backgrounds. The WASO Cultural Resources Associateship partners with the Student Conservation Association in administering this program. This partnership fulfils the Call to action item #2, “Step…
I’ve been involved in historic preservation since Mary Carolyn Pitts hired me in Cape May, NJ to record and research that NHL town.
Carolyn was later called “The Landmark Hunter,” so don’t forget her legacy.
NPS at 100 years? Fantastic!
“Action 25 of the plan calls for NPS to modernize historic preservation methods and technologies …” will be of great interest. Keep up the good work and please keep me posted.
Keep an keen eye on federal legislation that may override environmental impact evaluation and legislation. Then keep on with national, regional and local preservation initiatives.
I agree with Mary Sue, the current crop of lawmakers seem to have little interest in preservation; also, look for the legislation that has passed and then is unfunded into oblivion.
I find this quite ironic, considering the proposed Eisenhower Memorial will essentially desecrate the McMillan Plan and Washington.
This would be a great opportunity to finally recognize the professionalization of the Heritage Conservation (Historic Preservation) field. When the Secretary’s professional qualification standards (36 CFR Part 61) were written, historic preservation as a profession was a relatively new and somewhat vague concept. Over the past 30 years, since the first Master’s degree programs were offered, the profession has matured – there are now very clear requirements for the sub-specialties and to continue to ignore the educational and experiential backgrounds necessary to the profession would undermine attempts at modernizing all other areas of the Secretary’s standards.
I am fairly new to preservation in an official sense, however, being a second generation brick mason, I have actually been a lifelong afficiando. This is a government site, and funding can be an important part of preservation, but always remember the most important ingredient is passion. Too many times the “business” of governmant becomes a hindrance to a project.
For a monumental anniversary, remember to piont out that “passion” and heartfelt memories brought this organization into being.