Federal Agency Policies and Procedures to Identify Historic Properties
» USCG has made Section 110 of the NHPA an equal compliance priority with the NHLPA Program and has proposed evaluation of a minimum annual percentage of its overall real property asset inventory. This is a change from previous identification methods that emphasized the evaluation of lighthouse and light station properties only for the purposes of qualifying them for entry into the NHLPA Program, ultimately leading to divestiture. » During the reporting period, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) strengthened its historic property identification efforts by investing more than $300,000 into an agency-wide assessment of eligibility for the National Register and identified 140 eligible properties. Digital Information Agencies continue to utilize, improve, and develop new tools for the maintenance of historic property inventories digitally, in collaboration with SHPOs, Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (THPOs), and other parties. Over the past three years, for example, the Presidio Trust has expanded its in-house GIS team from one to two full-time employees and is actively working on a comprehensive update for its mapping of historic properties in the Presidio. The team has also developed online resources for accessing maps and data related to historic properties which is available to Presidio Trust staff and project managers for analysis and to assist in decision making. The 2021 Section 3 report focused on the use of digital information in the identification of historic properties, and as discussed in Chapter 1, the ACHP’s Digital Information Task Force promulgated recommendations for greater utilization of digital tools to support federal project planning. Agencies continue to develop these tools in keeping with those findings.
Federal agencies use a variety of policies and procedures to identify historic properties. These derive from requirements such as Sections 106 and 110 of the NHPA, the Archaeological Resources Protection Act, executive orders, and internal department and agency policy that implement these statutes and EOs. Measures of success for many agencies were recognized in the level of resources provided for identification efforts under Section 110 and the effectiveness of their programs by the integration of their personnel, procedures, and policies toward a consistent compliance approach. Agencies including GSA, DHS, and NOAA emphasized streamlining of federal agency review to incorporate historic preservation into offices responsible for architecture and design. In general, and as in previous reporting cycles, numerous respondents cited compliance with Section 106 as their primary mechanism to identify historic properties, with the ability to conduct Section 110 survey contingent on mission needs, funding, and personnel availability. However, several agencies reported an emphasis in compliance with Section 110 during the reporting period.
HIGHLIGHTS
» BOR performed a program-wide internal control review of its compliance with Section 110 as it applies to archaeological resources and associated lands. This review found not all regions emphasized Section 110 survey to manage archaeological resources, regularly conducted Section 110 surveys, or maintained Section 110-specific budgets. The review also found BOR lacks an agency-wide database system that reliably provides property inventories. It also found that monitoring and assessment of archaeological sites is currently done on an ad-hoc basis. The review resulted in BOR working to expand its efforts to comply with the many requirements of Section 110, including site inventory, resulting in 33,757 additional acres surveyed under Section 110 over the last three years, as mentioned above. » Through its Legacy Resource Management Program, the Department of Defense (DoD) has initiated a nationwide approach to Section 110 surveys. This program will allow installations to comply with Section 106 and Section 110 in a timely manner by completing baseline data collection and evaluation ahead of training and mission readiness planning efforts. » The Department of Labor (DOL) performs approximately 40 facility surveys per year. Following these surveys, DOL develops plans for short- and long-term projects, uses the survey data for infrastructure funding, and develops a construction and rehabilitation budget work plan based on priorities. » Since 2019, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has focused much of its Section 110 archaeological inventory effort at its power generation sites to improve planning for anticipated future projects. TVA’s nuclear, coal, gas, and hydroelectric generation sites occupy large land areas, including undeveloped land. Project planners use maps of documented sites as a tool, so sites may be avoided when feasible.
HIGHLIGHTS
» In 2021, the DoD Cultural Resources Program began using The Digital Archaeological Record (tDAR), an international digital repository. tDAR includes digital records of archaeological investigations and archived cultural resources documents and project deliverables. The use, development, and maintenance of tDAR is governed by Digital Antiquity, an organization dedicated to ensuring the long-term preservation of irreplaceable archaeological data and to broadening access to this data. » The Cultural Resources Program at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Los Alamos National Laboratory developed a new tool using RStudio software to automate much of the cultural resources data collection required to perform a project review. Using the GIS layer of the project area, the Cultural Review Tool identifies historic properties within or adjacent to the project area, gathers information on those properties from internal databases, assesses potential impacts based on resource evaluation status and eligibility, and recommends subsequent actions. Then, the Cultural Review Tool presents all collected data in a report for a reviewer to use, fully integrating it into the cultural resources review process.
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IN A SPIRIT OF STEWARDSHIP: A Report on Federal Historic Properties • 2024 | 25
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