CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION AND ACHP PROGRESS REPORT
The federal government is the steward of thousands of historic properties of all kinds across the country and in all its territories, including buildings, structures, traditional landscapes of religious and cultural significance to Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations (NHOs), archaeological sites and districts, scientific and highly technical properties and objects, and others. Executive Order 13287, “Preserve America,” issued in 2003, focuses on affirming the stewardship responsibilities of federal agencies for historic properties, which began with the Antiquities Act of 1906, were expanded in the Historic Sites Act of 1935, and were reinforced in 1966 in the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and its subsequent amendments. Section 3 of EO 13287 requires federal agencies to report every three years to the ACHP and the Secretary of the Interior on the status of their progress in identifying, protecting, and using for economic benefit the historic properties they own. The ACHP reviews and analyzes the submitted information and presents its findings in a report to the President. This is the sixth triennial report on the status of federal agency historic property stewardship. The ACHP is an independent federal agency that promotes the preservation, enhancement, and sustainable use of the nation’s diverse historic resources and advises the President and Congress on national historic preservation policy. The ACHP also oversees implementation of Section 3 of the EO. The full text of the EO, past reports, and information about Section 3 can be found on the ACHP’s website. The goal of the EO and related provisions of the NHPA is to ensure federal agencies are good stewards of historic properties for the benefit of the American people while still meeting mission needs and, where appropriate, pursuing partnerships to promote the
Stars dance in the night sky above an Ancestral Puebloan ruin at Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico. (NPS/Bettymaya Foott)
8 | IN A SPIRIT OF STEWARDSHIP: A REPORT ON FEDERAL HISTORIC PROPERTY MANAGEMENT 2021
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