During the fiscal year 2024, the National Park Service (NPS) signed agreements with six tribal nations that delegated particular historic preservation obligations to these tribes. The tribes on their grounds will now directly control these tasks, previously handled by state governments. The NPS’s Tribal Historic Preservation Program finalized the agreements, working under the National Historic Preservation Act to assist federally recognized tribes in strengthening their preservation efforts through Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPOs).
The following tribal nations have joined more than 220 others who are already collaborating with the NPS to develop THPOs:
- Tule River Indian Tribe (California)
- Pueblo of Nambé (New Mexico)
- Rappahannock Tribe (Virginia)
- Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (Michigan)
- Nisqually Indian Tribe (Washington)
- Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma
Each tribe collaborates with the NPS to create a detailed program plan, which can take a year or longer. The NPS also works with State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs), as well as tribal and federal partners, to finalize the plan and establish the agreement.
Tribes take on important historic preservation responsibilities through THPO agreements, such as educating the public, giving training and technical assistance, and conducting surveys to identify and safeguard historic places. For example, in 2023, the Walker River Paiute Tribe’s THPO responded to catastrophic flooding on their Nevada reservation. They examined and documented cultural resources across more than 23,000 acres, assisting in the development of preservation policies to protect their cultural legacy from future disasters.
The NPS collaborates with all 574 federally recognized tribes in the United States to develop new THPO initiatives. To learn more about the Tribal Historic Preservation Program, go to nps.gov/thpoprogram.