The National Park Service (NPS) signed agreements with six Tribal nations during the 2024 fiscal year, transferring specific historic preservation responsibilities to these Tribes. These responsibilities, typically handled by state governments, will now be managed directly by the Tribes on their lands. The agreements were finalized as part of the NPS’s Tribal Historic Preservation Program, which operates under the National Historic Preservation Act to help federally recognized Tribes strengthen their preservation efforts through Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPOs).
The following Tribal nations joined more than 220 others already partnering with the NPS to establish 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 works with the NPS to develop a detailed program plan, a process that can take a year or longer. The NPS also collaborates with State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs) and other Tribal and federal partners to finalize the plan and formalize the agreement…