[Senate Hearing 112-274]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 112-274
MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK
=======================================================================
HEARING
before the
SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS
of the
COMMITTEE ON
ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
TO
EXAMINE ISSUES AFFECTING MANAGEMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL, CULTURAL, AND
HISTORIC RESOURCES AT MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK AND OTHER UNITS OF THE
NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM
__________
MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK, CO, NOVEMBER 5, 2011
Printed for the use of the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
_____
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COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES
JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico, Chairman
RON WYDEN, Oregon LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska
TIM JOHNSON, South Dakota JOHN BARRASSO, Wyoming
MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana JAMES E. RISCH, Idaho
MARIA CANTWELL, Washington MIKE LEE, Utah
BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont RAND PAUL, Kentucky
DEBBIE STABENOW, Michigan DANIEL COATS, Indiana
MARK UDALL, Colorado ROB PORTMAN, Ohio
JEANNE SHAHEEN, New Hampshire JOHN HOEVEN, North Dakota
AL FRANKEN, Minnesota DEAN HELLER, Nevada
JOE MANCHIN, III, West Virginia BOB CORKER, Tennessee
CHRISTOPHER A. COONS, Delaware
Robert M. Simon, Staff Director
Sam E. Fowler, Chief Counsel
McKie Campbell, Republican Staff Director
Karen K. Billups, Republican Chief Counsel
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Subcommittee on National Parks
MARK UDALL, Colorado, Chairman
MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana RAND PAUL, Kentucky
BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont JOHN BARRASSO, Wyoming
DEBBIE STABENOW, Michigan DANIEL COATS, Indiana
AL FRANKEN, Minnesota ROB PORTMAN, Ohio
JOE MANCHIN, III, West Virginia DEAN HELLER, Nevada
CHRISTOPHER A. COONS, Delaware BOB CORKER, Tennessee
Jeff Bingaman and Lisa Murkowski are Ex Officio Members of the
Subcommittee
C O N T E N T S
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STATEMENTS
Page
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, Cortez, CO.................... 43
Dyer, James, Former Board Member, Mesa Verde Foundation, Durango,
CO............................................................. 17
Gail, Dethloff, Director, Center for Park Research, National
Parks Conservation Association, Ft. Collins, CO................ 30
Hayes, Gary, Chairman, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Towoac, CO........ 14
Joss, Laura, Deputy Regional Director, Chief of Staff,
Intermountain Region, National Park Service, Department of the
Interior....................................................... 4
Krauss, Bambi, President, National Association of Tribal Historic
Preservation Officers.......................................... 19
Udall, Hon. Mark, U.S. Senator From Colorado..................... 1
MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK
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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2011
U.S. Senate,
Subcommittee on National Parks,
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
Mesa Verde National Park, CO.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 11:10 a.m. in
the CCC Recreation Hall, Mile Post 19, Mesa Verde National
Park, CO, Hon. Senator Mark Udall presiding.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. MARK UDALL, U.S. SENATOR FROM
COLORADO
Senator Udall. Good morning. The National Parks
Subcommittee will come to order here at Mesa Verde National
Park. Before we begin this morning, I'd like to recognize Terry
Knight, who's the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the
Ute Mountain Ute Tribe for a welcoming prayer.
So Terry, if you would come forward. We're really pleased
you're here.
Mr. Knight. Where? Up there?
Before doing the invocation I just want to thank all of you
for being here. Say good morning. Traditionally when we, the
native people, have a gathering for whatever purpose, we always
call upon the Creator and the Great Spirit to give us that
added assistance. So whatever we're doing and whatever we're
going to be discussing. That way we have some kind of a
satisfactory feeling that we have accomplished something. That
kind of paves the way for our endeavors whenever we go. I just
wanted to say that before my prayer.
[Speaking in different language.]
Senator Udall. Thank you, Terry.
I'm tempted to ask Terry how much snow he asked the Creator
to deliver the rest of the day.
[Laughter.]
Senator Udall. We all know how much moisture can do. Thank
you for setting the right tone. I've had a chance to go over
for a couple of minutes to the museum and looked at the Spruce
Tree House. It only takes a moment to realize the power that's
here on this Indian, green, Mesa. It's Mesa Verde.
So welcome to all of you. I'm really pleased to be able to
chair a hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on National Parks to
examine the issues affecting the National Park Service's
management of archaeological, cultural and historic resources
both here at Mesa Verde and at other National Parks throughout
the country.
During this hearing today, I'd also like to explore other
resources that contribute to the economic development and job
growth in the communities surrounding the special places we
call parks. When people think about National Parks they think
of the amazing landscapes and spectacular scenery, but many
don't realize nearly two-thirds of the almost 400 sites
protected as a part of the National Park system were primarily
established to preserve cultural and historic resources. In
fact Mesa Verde was designated as a National Park in 1906 and I
think actually the National Monument was later. I don't know.
Was it a National Park in 1906?
Alright. Thank you for that clarification. So this is
right.
You all know the important process by which national
monuments are designated and designated by the Congress as a
National Park, the Grand Canyon being one more example. But the
Congress had wisdom in 1906. Could we see some of that wisdom
in 2011?
[Laughter.]
Senator Udall. But in fact Mesa Verde was designated as a
National Park in 1906 to protect its amazing archaeological
resources in the famous cliff dwellings making it the very
first National Park created primarily to protect cultural
resources. I see a number of friends here among them, Jim Dyer,
who worked with--for many years for us and everybody gathered
here today. The personal connection is a powerful one.
I had the good fortune to pick my parents. My mother,
Patricia Emery was a Coloradan. She loved this part of the
world. As a young boy we traveled over and over again to this
part of the Southwest and--we'd see--on the National Monument.
I'd spent many a day on the tour of the canyon. I was amazed at
the astronomy sites at Chaco Canyon. The list goes on and on.
I've even imagined what it would be like to be a John--or a
Rich--and ride through the rim of one of these canyons 100
years ago. So this is really special and personal to me.
That contact at Mesa Verde really makes history come alive,
but it's also a really important economic resource that
provides important local jobs, over half a million visitors
from around the world a year. In a difficult economic time you
hear some people say, well can we afford to protect the special
places in our history and our culture? My answer is a
resounding yes, might even say it's a hell, yes. That's partly
what I want to do here, which is highlight the strong benefits
to the local economy that a park like Mesa Verde brings.
In effect, that's why I want to hold this hearing here
today. To draw attention to the amazing resources here, the
threats they face and the steps that need to be taken to
recognize all the values that the park provides. As an example,
I know the park is building a visitor research center on the
way up the beautiful winding road at the top of the Mesa. In
addition to the new research center, there are improvements
that are right for the park investment, park interest I should
say. Those investments, not only that showcase what the park
has to offer, make it more accessible to visitors and help
protect threatened, irreplaceable resources. But they're also
important to the local economies.
Just in Montezuma County, Mesa Verde National Park has
helped generate around $70 million each year in tourism related
revenue which helps support about 1,000 local jobs. When one
job matters, 1,000 local jobs are very, very significant. I
think it's important to note that the size of the construction
appears related to benefits. The park also provides for
important historical and archeological research throughout the
region and the country.
This region is blessed with cultural resources. I should
note that Senator Bennet and I offered a bill to create the
Chimney Rock Archeological Area and National Monument. We've
been joined by Congressman Tipton, who has introduced the bill
in the House. That site is very close to why we are here today
and becoming a unit of the National Park Service. It would--
when we get Chimney Rock designated it would help protect the
unique Chaco archeological site that's located between Durango
and Willowtail Springs where there are two spectacular rock
spires there as well as the remains of the Great House and
other buildings built by the ancestors of the Pueblo Indians
over 1,000 years ago.
Much remains unknown about the Chaco people and the site
itself. It is a site of astronomical and religious
significance. It's certainly a very important archeological
site.
But with that backdrop, it's important to note that the
park's cultural resources face a number of challenges. That's
also what I wanted to explore in this hearing. For example,
Mesa Verde's cliff dwellings are threatened by weather changes,
such as drought, which then in turn causes an increase in
wildfires. In fact, the Superintendent and I were talking and I
understand that over half the park has been burned at some
point in the last 15 years.
The park has exposed a lot of new archeological sites, but
now those sites are vulnerable to erosion and rain damage.
They're also at risk of being damaged by plants and animals as
well as vandalism.
If you look beyond Mesa Verde, the management of cultural
resources throughout our country poses a tremendous challenge
for the National Park Service. The Park Service preserves and
protects over two million archeological sites, over 27,000
historic structures and over 120 million historic documents. So
those numbers are amazing to me. They point out that the Park
Service has vast responsibilities which are even more of a
challenge as the agency faces increasing budget limitations.
So one of my goals as the Chairman of this Subcommittee,
was to spend more time on the older side of park management
issues. So in that spirit I've asked a very distinguished panel
of witnesses to come here today so that we can better learn
what can be done to protect these amazing resources, what still
remains to be done and any legislative actions that we need to
consider in the Congress. I'd like to explore additional
economic opportunities related to our cultural heritage and
what we can do to encourage generations of Americans to come
and enjoy our National Parks.
Finally I'd like to thank, I should use a more formal
title, the Park Superintendent, Cliff Spencer and his fantastic
staff for their help in making this hearing possible. I'd like
to particularly recognize Bill Elliott for his efforts. He went
the extra mile to ensure that this day was planned so that we
can maximize our time.
As a quick aside there was a proposal a while back to
privatize the National Park Service. I sit on the Armed
Services Committee in the Senate. Jim Dyer is the Marine, best
Marine--and when I heard that proposal to me it sounded a
little bit like we're going to privatize the Marine Corps.
We're not going to privatize the Marine Corps. We're not going
to privatize the National Park Service. They are wonderful,
unique, American institutions filled with dedicated people, who
are a part of what I call the portfolio of America's best
ideas.
So thank you, Superintendent, for all that you do and your
staff do as well.
So let's turn to our panel because I didn't come here to
listen to myself talk for very long, I hope.
Let's turn to our first witness, Laura Joss of the National
Park Service. Ms. Joss serves as the Intermountain Region
Associate Director for Cultural Resources. Welcome. We're glad
to have you here, Laura. We look forward to your testimony.
When you're finished I'll have a few questions I will direct
your way.
So thank you. The floor is yours.
STATEMENT OF LAURA JOSS, DEPUTY REGIONAL DIRECTOR, CHIEF OF
STAFF, INTERMOUNTAIN REGION, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT
OF THE INTERIOR
Ms. Joss. Thank you, Senator Udall. I do want to correct
that my title is Deputy Regional Director, Chief of Staff.
Senator Udall. Thank you for that correction.
Ms. Joss. That will be the last correction.
Senator Udall. We'll make sure that's in the record.
Ms. Joss. OK.
Welcome Senator Udall and all of our distinguished guests
who made it up the hill this morning. Thank you for being here.
We are honored to have you at Mesa Verde National Park and the
Intermountain Region of the National Park Service. We are
honored you have chosen this World Heritage Site for your
hearing.
Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the opportunity to appear before
you today at this oversight hearing on issues affecting
management of archeological, cultural and historic resources at
Mesa Verde National Park and other units of the National Park
System. I would like to submit our full statement for the
record and summarize the statement here.
Senator Udall. Without objection.
Ms. Joss. Thank you.
Congress established over half of the National Parks
specifically to protect cultural resources. Almost all parks
contain some type of cultural heritage. Resources are at risk
of destruction from lack of maintenance, intentional looting
and vandalism. More intense fire regimes and changes in
precipitation and temperature patterns have begun to affect the
stability and integrity of cultural resources as well.
Nationally, the National Park Service is working to
coordinate and redirect cultural resource efforts in a way that
aligns with Director Jarvis' emphasis on stewardship,
relevancy, education and the work force and that supports both
the President's America's Great Outdoors Initiative and the
National Park Service Call to Action. Current efforts are
focused on using available resources to address our most
critical needs, providing renewed coherence to our efforts and
identifying areas where additional support is needed. The
National Park Service has already started to address these
goals by planning to integrate and link our 14 cultural
resource data bases to facilitate management efficiencies.
One of the most successful responses to the challenges of
caring for cultural resources in recent years has been the
Vanishing Treasures Program, which is an Intermountain Region
initiative to support cultural resource management in parks in
the arid West. This program is helping to address the
devastating destruction of irreplaceable historic and
prehistoric structures, as well as the potential loss of
traditional building and preservation expertise.
Mesa Verde National Park is a good example of a park that,
with support from the Vanishing Treasures Program, identified
and prioritized cultural resources and took concrete steps to
preserve and protect the most significant resources. Since
1998, the program has provided funding for cultural resource
projects and to support positions for cultural resource staff.
As a result, 106 cliff dwelling sites in back country areas,
including 24 dwellings that had been affected by wild fires,
have been assessed and prioritized for future documentation and
preservation treatment. Vanishing Treasures also funded
documentation at 2 large cliff dwelling sites, Spring House and
Spruce Tree House.
The National Park Service is implementing a variety of
other cultural resource management strategies throughout the
National Park System. In Nevada, the Southern Nevada Agency
Partnership shares resources among Federal agencies for a
volunteer site stewardship program. Private citizens assist
agencies in monitoring and protecting archeological sites on
Federal lands from looting and vandalism and receive training
in site stewardship. This community civic education is crucial
for the protection of the sites. The Cultural Site Stewardship
Program received the Department of the Interior Cooperative
Conservation Service Award in 2007.
In Hawaii, traditional organizations and local communities
are working with a national park to repair temple compounds
that were damaged by earthquake. The stone structures are being
repaired with traditional methods and traditional tools. The
park has facilitated sharing and teaching these technologies
and the community involvement benefited the park by saving $3.5
million in repairs. For their work, the coordinating
traditional organization was awarded a Partners in Conservation
Award in 2011 from Secretary Salazar.
We have many different programs that train young people to
be tomorrow's cultural resources stewards.
In Texas, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park has
partnered with its friends group, Los Compadres, and a youth
group to develop an apprenticeship program in masonry repair.
In Massachusetts, the Salem Maritime National Historic Site
has developed the First Jobs Youth Program to provide
employment to young people while teaching them cultural
resource preservation skills.
Also in Massachusetts, NPS employees at the Frederick Law
Olmstead National Historic Site are working to get cultural
landscape learning activities into the third grade curriculum
of the public schools. To date, 1,000 third graders from the
Boston and Brookline public schools have participated in the
Good Neighbors program. The program has greatly raised the
visibility of the NPS in this region as a source of teaching
and learning.
Here in Colorado we have hosted hundreds of young people
through the Colorado Preserve America Youth Summit Program.
They have held on-site programs here at Mesa Verde, Great Sand
Dunes, in Florissant Fossil Beds, Dinosaur National Monument
and in 2012 they plan to be at Rocky Mountain National Park.
Mr. Chairman, we appreciate the opportunity to discuss our
efforts to meet our cultural resource challenges. This
concludes my prepared statement. I would be pleased to answer
any questions you may have.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Joss follows:]
Prepared Statement of Laura Joss, Deputy Regional Director, Chief of
Staff, Intermountain Region, National Park Service, Department of the
Interior
Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, I appreciate the
opportunity to appear before you today at this oversight hearing on
issues affecting management of archeological, cultural, and historic
resources at Mesa Verde National Park and other units of the National
Park System.
Over half of the units of the National Park System were established
by Congress specifically to protect cultural resources, and almost all
of the units contain cultural resources in the form of prehistoric and
historic sites and structures. Many of these resources are at risk of
destruction from lack of attention, intentional looting, and vandalism.
Recently, more intense fire regimes and changes in precipitation and
temperature patterns have begun to affect the stability and integrity
of cultural resources as well. The National Park Service (NPS) manages
over 72,000 known archeological sites, of which only 50% are in good
condition; 27,000 historic structures, of which only 41% are in good
condition; and 2,200 cultural landscapes, of which only 29% have been
adequately documented. The NPS also manages 42 million objects in
collections and 52,000 linear feet of records that requires maintenance
and protection.
A management approach that protects cultural resources in national
parks should emphasize identifying resources--their significance,
location, condition, and threats to their integrity--and uses that
information to make management decisions to prioritize efforts and
allocate scarce financial and human resources to protect the highest
priority resources. The NPS furthers the important work of caring for
cultural resources through national and regional initiatives, park-
based programs, and a wide range of partnerships.
Nationally, the NPS is working on coordinating and redirecting
cultural resource efforts in a way that aligns with NPS Director Jon
Jarvis' emphasis on stewardship, relevancy, education, and the
workforce, and that supports both the NPS A Call to Action and the
President's America's Great Outdoors Initiative. Current efforts are
focused on using available resources to address our most critical
needs, providing renewed coherence to our efforts, and identifying
critical areas where additional support is needed.
The NPS has already started to address these goals by increasing
management efficiencies. The bureau has adopted a set of standards
developed by the Cultural Resources GIS Program for cultural resource
locational data. Cultural resource locational data reported in the same
format, be it a landscape or an object, is required of all 14 cultural
resources databases. Standardization of the locational data allows
cross-referencing and integration of multiple data bases, facilitating
compilation of information about cultural resources. By querying
databases linked through locational data reported in a standardized
format, managers can more quickly comprehend the full importance of
each cultural resource, and the effects of management actions. It also
allows managers to link cultural information to interactive GIS-based
maps. Consequently, a more sensitive and effective management of NPS
cultural resources can be realized.
One of the NPS's most successful responses to the challenge of
caring for cultural resources in recent years is through the
development of a region-wide initiative, the Vanishing Treasures
Program. Vanishing Treasures is an internal NPS program whose goals
address both the devastating destruction of irreplaceable historic and
prehistoric structures, as well as the potential loss of traditional
building and preservation expertise.
Mesa Verde and 44 other national parks in the Intermountain and
Pacific West Regions benefit from the NPS Vanishing Treasures Program.
States that contain Vanishing Treasure parks include California,
Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. The
programs goals include documenting the rate of deterioration of
cultural resources; repairing structures in imminent danger and, in the
process, developing new techniques and materials toward that end. In
the last decade, the program was provided with over $1 million annually
to help protect and preserve cultural resources in parks. In 2011, the
program funded 12 projects in western parks that helped to preserve
and/or assess conditions of 160 archeological and historic sites.
The Vanishing Treasures program also focuses on training young
people, through mentorship, so they can replace our aging craftspeople
when they retire. Since the first year of funding, in 1998, more than
60 cultural preservation-related positions have been funded by the
program. It is a testament to the importance of these preservation
positions that the majority of the original 60 positions remain filled
in parks and some of the individuals trained in Vanishing Treasures
positions have moved on to continue preservation efforts in other
agencies or in the private workforce.
vanishing treasures projects--mesa verde national park
We acknowledge that a number of recent reports have documented that
cultural resource stewardship is under tremendous pressure, but Mesa
Verde National Park is a good example of a park that identified and
prioritized cultural resources and took concrete steps to preserve and
protect the most significant resources. Mesa Verde is one of our oldest
national parks and contains over 586 cliff dwellings sites that
represent a significant challenge to monitor and manage. Since 1998,
the Vanishing Treasures initiative has provided $786,800 for cultural
resource projects and $493,000 added to the park's budget to support
eight positions for cultural resource staff. Vanishing Treasures
project funding was used as a cash match for other state and federal
grants, which helped the park leverage additional funds to complete
multi-year documentation projects.
The majority of Vanishing Treasures project funds for Mesa Verde
National Park supported the Backcountry Condition Assessment Program.
Site condition assessments aid in the development of baseline
information regarding deterioration factors and thereby provide
archeologists and park managers with a foundation for determining the
need and urgency for preservation treatments. As a result of Vanishing
Treasures funding, 106 cliff dwelling sites in back country areas have
been assessed and prioritized for further documentation and necessary
preservation treatments.
The Vanishing Treasures initiative also provided funds to help
complete architectural documentation at two large cliff dwelling sites.
Spring House contains well-preserved and spectacular architecture that
is being threatened by erosion from the spring that gave the dwelling
its current name. The site consists of at least 70 rooms and 6 kivas
and a 3-story tower that is nearly 25 feet high. Vanishing Treasures
funding allowed park staff to document Spruce Tree House, stabilize
structures, and monitor the effects of erosion. It is the third largest
cliff dwelling in the park, and was constructed between A.D. 1211 and
1278. The dwelling contains about 130 rooms built into a natural
alcove.
In 2005, Vanishing Treasures funding was used to assess the
conditions of 24 back country cliff dwellings totaling about 142 rooms
that had been affected by wild fires. An increase in wildfire activity
and changes in precipitation and runoff patterns has the potential to
accelerate destruction of these magnificent monuments of the first
people to live in this land.
We would like to share with the committee additional examples of
successful cultural resource programs that echo the successes of the
Vanishing Treasures Program in training young people in traditional
technologies and strengthening relationships between parks and local
communities through project involvement and public education.
cultural site stewardship program--southern nevada agency partnership
One of the most important ways to protect cultural resources from
vandalism is through public education, and the NPS has been very active
in community involvement in site stewardship programs to monitor
archeological and other kinds of sites to protect them from vandalism.
The Southern Nevada Agency Partnership Cultural Site Stewardship
Program is one such program. This partnership between the NPS, the
Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the
U.S. Forest Service has provided the framework for a site stewardship
program that engages communities in protecting archeological sites on
lands managed by these agencies.
Since the program's inception in 2004, over 450 community-based
volunteers have logged more than 14,000 hours monitoring cultural sites
at risk from vandalism and looting. Site stewards learn about cultural
resource preservation laws, desert safety, and archeological site and
artifact identification and discovery protocols. This training imparts
and reinforces a site preservation and protection ethic, which is the
best kind of site protection. The Cultural Site Stewardship Program
received the Department of the Interior Cooperative Conservation
Service Award in 2007.
heiau repair--pu'ukohola heiau national historic site
One of the lessons the NPS has learned from the Vanishing Treasures
Program is the need to build strong partnerships and engage the younger
generation in learning traditional technologies. The repair of two
temples provided Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site, on Hawaii
Island (Big Island), with an opportunity to engage local communities in
traditional masonry. In 2006, an earthquake caused significant damage
to the Mailekini Heiau and the Pu'ukohola Heiau. Approximately 1,000
cubic meters of the walls and faces of the two temples required repair.
The damage, involving 15 major collapses of the terrace, main
foundation, and walls, was estimated to cost over $6.5 million to
repair using mechanical equipment and, in the repair process, would
have excluded participation of the descendents of the people who
originally built the heiaus.
A community partner organization, Na Papa Kanaka o Pu'ukohola
Heiau, volunteered to assist the park to repair the earthquake damage.
Beginning in 2007, around 600 volunteers have been working to repair
damage to these massive 16th century and 18th century temples using the
same technologies that were used to build them. The temples were
repaired using traditional methods of manual dry-stacking of stone
masonry and traditional tools following traditional Hawaiian protocols
appropriate to a sacred space.
Master and journeyman stone masons led the volunteers, who worked
alongside NPS archeologists, safety officers, and project crew. Twenty
workshops involving 12 to more than 400 volunteers were conducted over
this four year span, resulting in substantial savings to the NPS ($3.5
million saved) to preserve significant architecture and to continue the
commitment of the descendant peoples, successfully transferring the
skills of traditional dry stacking masonry and hand lashing of wooden
ladders, used in place of scaffolding, to the next generation of Native
Hawaiians. In the process, people who had personally put their hard
work into the stabilization efforts built and reaffirmed personal and
perpetual connection to the temples. For their work, the traditional
organization was awarded a Partners in Conservation Award in 2011 from
Secretary Salazar.
mason apprenticeship program--san antonio missions national historical
park
To foster interest and opportunity for a new generation of skilled
historic preservation professionals, the National Park Service promotes
training opportunities for young people. San Antonio Missions National
Historical Park has facilitated a partnership between its friends
group, Los Compadres, and the Environmental Corps of American
Youthworks to establish an apprenticeship program in masonry repair.
American Youthworks engages youth and young adults in conservation work
with a community focus and Los Compadres provides financial investment
for the apprentice program.
Beginning in 2008, the program hosted four apprentices. Since then,
nearly two dozen individuals have moved through the program, working
with NPS experts to repair limestone and sandstone walls. The
apprentices have contributed more than 2,000 hours of work on walls in
the four mission compounds, the nation's only functioning Spanish
colonial aqueduct, a grist mill, and two historic dams. The program
inspired one of the students to return to graduate school in historical
architecture. Another student turned his experience in the
apprenticeship program into a highly qualified applicant rating, and
gained seasonal work with the NPS. The preservations skills and
knowledge that young people gain while assisting the San Antonio
Mission staff with cultural resource preservation will provide benefits
both to the resources and the apprentices in years to come, by building
good foundations for future work.
first jobs youth program--salem maritime national historic site
Another example of the NPS's commitment to training cultural
resource stewards for the 21st century is the First Jobs Program at
Salem Maritime National Historic Site. Since 2009, the park has worked
with the Massachusetts North Shore Youth Career Center to reach out to
disadvantaged youth, a segment of the general population usually not
attracted to national parks. The park approached the North Shore
Workforce Investment Board (Department of Labor) to obtain funds to pay
the young people, and the Essex National Heritage Area managed the
program's administration.
The program began with 10 students, and has since grown to 25. The
park's goals are to provide students with employment skills, and to
place the best students in positions in parks in the Boston area. The
students learned prepping and painting, and the park further invested
in them by teaching the specialized skill of gold leafing. The group
made impressive contributions to the maintenance of historic buildings
in the park. They repainted the trim on one historic structure, the
Customs House, built in 1819; painted the entire exterior of the 1675
Narbonne House; and refurbished a portion of the site's fencing that
contributed to the historic 1938 landscape plan.
For many students, this was their first employment experience. They
learned important life skills, such as writing resumes, correctly
completing job applications, dressing appropriately, and interacting
with the public, which will stand them in good stead in the future. The
project manager, NPS woodcrafter Douglas Law, was given the NPS
Director's 2010 Appleman-Judd-Lewis Award for Facility Maintenance. By
combining the needs of the park cultural resource management program
with a willingness to help disadvantaged youth, he was not only able to
complete much-needed work but was able to instill in the youth an
appreciation for cultural resources, which will pay dividends in the
future for the NPS.
Good Neighbors: Landscape Design & Community Building--Frederick
Law Olmstead National Historic Site The NPS is committed reaching very
young audiences, as well, with cultural resource educational messages.
In Massachusetts, the Frederick Law Olmstead National Historic Site is
growing citizens with an appreciation for cultural resources, and
cultural landscapes in particular, through a program that targets third
graders in the community of Brookline. Begun in 2007, this unique
program draws on children's skills and creativity and encourages them
to plan parks and cultural landscapes. Good Neighbors takes place at
Fairsted, the historic Brookline home and office of landscape architect
Frederick Law Olmstead, and uses the grounds, restored office, archival
collection, and model workshop to explore landscape design and park
stewardship.
To date, a thousand third graders from the Boston and Brookline
public schools have participated in the Good Neighbors program. In
2011, alone, the park hosted 18 classes consisting of 440 students,
totaling more than 2,350 visitor hours. The Brookline public schools
system has embedded the program in its grade three curriculum, ensuring
that every student who moves through the school system will be exposed
to the Good Neighbors program. The park received the prestigious Award
of Excellence in Communication from the Boston Society of Landscape
Architects for their work on Good Neighbors.
This is the first program to introduce young learners to cultural
landscapes and to the community-building power of public parks as part
of an integrated elementary level curriculum. It has greatly raised the
visibility of the NPS in this region as a source of teaching and
learning, successes that can be translated to other parks. In 2012-
2013, Olmstead National Historic Site will begin a national roll-out of
the Good Neighbors programming model in collaboration with the National
Association for Olmstead Parks.
Mr. Chairman, we appreciate having the opportunity to discuss our
efforts to meet our cultural resource challenges. This concludes my
prepared statement. I would be pleased to answer any questions.
Senator Udall. Thank you, Deputy Regional Director for that
testimony. Before I direct some questions, I want to recognize
State Representative J. Paul Brown who is in the audience
today. Thank you for being here, Representative.
If I have a chance to visit with you before you ran out
every time I've tried to talk to you. I'd been running for
Senator, so there are worse things than losing an election. One
of them is winning the election.
[Laughter.]
Senator Udall. Jim Dyer is here as well. Thank you both for
being here.
A few minutes ago I highlighted the economic benefits or at
least some that accrue the Four Corners region because of Mesa
Verde. Do you have any sense of whether other cultural and
historical parks throughout the National Park System would
provide similar economic benefits to the local economies?
Ms. Joss. Definitely. When I was working at Yellowstone
National Park, we were creating a museum partnership with all
of our surrounding communities. Our gateway communities are
very important to our visitors as well as to the park. So what
we tried to do through the creation of the Yellowstone Museum
Consortium was to share our visitors with those museum sites by
informing the visitors of those sites and also providing
professional assistance to the museums outside of the park.
But this is a very important issue to the Park Service as a
whole and it's listed in Director Jarvis' Call to Action. Our
Regional Director, John Wessels leads up the Economic Benefits
Committee of the Call to Action. So we're all very interested
and try to document those numbers as well as increase them.
Senator Udall. Let me move to another subject which you
touched on in your remarks. I've been trying for years to find
ways to get children into our parks, both because of exposure
to the national, cultural treasures, but also employment
programs that provide for youth jobs working on our public
lands. Finally because we are seeing increasingly lower levels
of fitness and increasing levels of obesity in our population.
An unfit country is not a strong country and a fit country, by
definition, will be a strong country.
Can you talk about what you're doing in Colorado through
the Park Service to improve access and encourage access on the
part of, not just children, but also adults to our parks and
any park related job initiatives?
Ms. Joss. Definitely. I did mention the Colorado Preserve
America Youth Summit.
Senator Udall. Yes.
Ms. Joss. We are very proud to help assist with that
program.
In Rocky Mountain National Park we have seven different
programs that provide a variety of work, educational and
research opportunities for young people particularly urban
youth initiatives. These programs address youth with a range of
needs, ages, backgrounds and provide training and employment,
then encourage young people to obtain those skills to compete
for permanent National Park Service jobs.
I can read those names if you'd like.
Senator Udall. Why don't you submit it for the record? How
does that sound?
Ms. Joss. OK.
We have Pathways to Park, Eagle Rock Internship Program,
Groundwork Denver Internship Program, the Environmental
Learning for Kids Internship Program, 50/50 Program, the Pro
Ranger Program.
Senator Udall. Great.
Ms. Joss. The George Melendez Wright Climate Change
Internship and Fellowship Program.
Senator Udall. Do you have anything you wish to add to that
list, that question?
Ms. Joss. Not at the moment, thank you.
Senator Udall. For a number of years the Park Service has
had a successful program known as the Natural Resource
Challenge. It was designed, as I understand it, to increase
funding for protection of threatened natural resources at our
parks throughout the country. Given the success of that program
should the Park Service consider establishing a similar
challenge to identify and protect cultural resources, maybe the
Natural Cultural Resource Challenge would be a term we could
apply?
Ms. Joss. The Park Service is facing great challenges in
managing cultural resources as we've discussed earlier. To
identify what resources we have, what the threats to those
resources are, how best to respond to those threats and to
share the knowledge learned so that all involved are in power
to make better decisions, we're developing strategic priorities
for focusing our efforts using our available resources to
address the most critical needs and providing renewed coherence
to our efforts.
This coordinated effort to better deploy our resources in
management of our cultural heritage is articulated in Director
Jarvis' Call to Action and in President Obama's America's Great
Outdoors Initiative. We also hope to use successes that we've
learned at individual parks to extend those out service-wide.
Senator Udall. How do we pay for this in a tough budget
environment?
Ms. Joss. We have appreciated the Secretary advocating for
the Historic Preservation Fund and the Appropriations Committee
has maintained a steady level of funding. We also appreciate
the support that's been given to our Cultural Resources
Program.
Senator Udall. But we need to be vigilant is what I'm
hearing you saying. I think one underlying opinion on my part,
but it's backed up by the fact that there are many reasons to
do this including economic reasons.
Here's an easy question. What do you think the most
critical priority the Park Service needs to address is with
respect to cultural resource management?
Ms. Joss. I actually have a list of those, if I can find
it. OK. I'm going to speak from the Intermountain Region to
answer that question.
Senator Udall. We're over biased. We're Westerners. As my
friends from California remind me, we're Rocky Mountain
Westerners. I'll wear that title proudly. They can be far
Westerners. We're Rocky Mountain Westerners.
Ms. Joss. One of the most pressing challenges in cultural
resource management includes loss of structural integrity of
the exterior adobe walls at the Spanish Mission at Tumacacori
National Historic Park. In both 2010 and 2011 Southern Arizona
received major rains over a period of several days. The rain
softened the adobe walls and a hole 14 feet wide and 10 feet
tall was created in the sanctuary where 1.5 tons of material
collapsed.
Another is that climate change is threatening the integrity
of archeological resources at high altitudes. You referred to
this earlier, Senator. But formerly protected sites are now
within the fire danger zone. Melting glaciers and snow are
revealing frozen objects and artifacts that deteriorate
quickly.
Then the third issue would be that 76 percent of the parks
in the Intermountain Region manage significant museum
collections such as those at Grand Teton National Park and
Little Big Horn National Monument without the benefit of a
professional-level museum curator.
Senator Udall. Thank you for those three areas. In the
parks are and I think specifically Mesa Verde, the debate we've
had as Western communities when it comes to ceramic pot
hunting, for lack of a better term. It's a crude term, but
those who vandalize sites that in effect rob the future
generations of knowledge and also, of course partake of our
Native American brothers and sisters from those sacred sites.
Have those kinds of activities and incidents been rare in
the parks?
Ms. Joss. I can't give you figures on that. But we have
addressed those incidents through the Archaeological Resources
Protection Act. Unfortunately, they do happen. But we're trying
to work to address them as quickly as possible and to prevent
them, more importantly.
Senator Udall. I know we have similar challenges on our
forest and BLM and national wildlife units.
This is an iconic site here. What are some of the best
practices learned here that have been applied to other parks or
could be replicated at other National Parks, National Park
units?
Ms. Joss. Mesa Verde National Park and its friends group,
the Mesa Verde Foundation, is a good example of the ways that
partners can work together effectively to protect cultural
resources. The park has also successfully leveraged Vanishing
Treasures funding to complete many long term rehabilitation
projects.
Senator Udall. Can I go back to the previous question?
Will you provide for the record statistics on looting and
vandalism in the National Park?
Ms. Joss. Sure. We will provide you with those. Yes.
[The information referred to follows:]
At the November 5, 2011, hearing on issues affecting management of
archeological, cultural and historic resources at Mesa Verde National
Park and other units of the National Park System, the National Park
Service witness, Laura Joss, Deputy Regional Director for the
Intermountain Region, indicated that she would provide additional
information to the subcommittee. This letter provides the requested
information.
You requested statistics on looting and vandalism within the
National Park System. The following statistics document known
violations of the Archaeological Resource Protection Act (ARPA), the
Antiquities Act, or other statutes protecting cultural or
paleontological resources from 2006 through 2010:
2006, 471 cases (Cultural and paleontological resources)
--6 arrests made in cases of documented vandalism or looting
--53 citations issued in cases of documented vandalism or looting
--Example: An individual was arrested and sentenced to 18 months in
jail for stealing historic letters written by George
Washington and Abraham Lincoln and selling them for
$97,000.
2007, 403 cases (Cultural and paleontological resources)
--16 arrests made in cases of documented vandalism or looting
--56 citations issued in cases of documented vandalism or looting
--Example: Two brothers were arrested and sentenced for stealing
historic Navajo rugs from Hubbell Trading Post National
Historic Site, and Cook Collection museum pieces from Agate
Fossil Beds National Monument totaling over $200,000.
2008, 454 cases (Cultural and paleontological resources)
--16 arrests made in cases of documented vandalism or looting
--42 citations issued in cases of documented vandalism or looting
--Example: ``Operation Antiquities,'' a five year investigation
involving the National Park Service, Internal Revenue
Service, and Immigrations and Customs, led to numerous
warrants and subpoena services in several states for
looting, importation, sale and tax fraud violations related
to historical and cultural items.
2009, 276 cases (Cultural resources)
--8 arrests made in cases of documented vandalism or looting
--66 citations made in eases of documented vandalism or looting
--Example: Three juveniles were convicted of vandalizing the Kane
Cemetery in Bighorn Canyon, Wyoming. The juveniles
destroyed historic headstones through physical breaking and
spray painting.
2010, 401 cases (Cultural resources)
--23 arrests made in cases of documented vracialism or looting
--44 citations made in cases of documentedandalism or looting
--Example: After a three year multi agencyinvestigation by the
National Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Service, over
30,000 artifacts, mostly burial goods, were returned to the
California Native American Heritage Commission.
Please note that prior to 2009, the National Park Service recorded
total paleontological violation cases with cultural resource violation
cases. The 2009 and 2010 statistics are cultural resource violations
only.
Senator Udall. Thank you very much.
Let's turn to--unique management regime. What steps does
the Park Service take to coordinate management protection of
cultural resources with interest in tribes?
Ms. Joss. We work together with the tribes through tribal
consultation on a regular basis and related to the sacred sites
on park lands. If I could refer the Park Services Committee to
section 304 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966,
that section ensures confidentiality about the information
about historic resources that would cause a significant
invasion of the right to privacy that would risk harm to the
resources or interfere with the use of sacred sites.
Mesa Verde National Park is a good model for holding
information about archeological sacred sites confidential.
Senator Udall. Would that be one of the other best
practices, perhaps, that could be applied to other parks
dealing with their cultural resources?
Ms. Joss. Yes. Thank you. Yes, it is.
Senator Udall. Do you have anything else you'd like to
offer for the record at this point?
Ms. Joss. I do not.
Senator Udall. Do you have any questions you want to ask
me? That's not----
Thank you. Thank you, Deputy Director for your testimony
and for your interest. We'd like to invite you stay on the
stage. Then I'd like to call the next panel to the stage, if
they would.
Ms. Joss. Thank you very much.
Senator Udall. Thank you.
[Various speakers as next panel moves to stage.]
Senator Udall. Alright we'll get started with our second
panel. I'm going to ask the panel to project when they speak. I
think we've got the audio system at least somewhat in balance.
It's great to see these children back here who have joined
us.
I see Senator, former Senator Whitehead is here. That's his
family. It's great to see you here.
Again, thank you all for taking time. I know, Terry, it's
still snowing out there. It's starting to accumulate. We love
our moisture, though.
Let me introduce the members of our second panel as a
group. Then we'll come back and start with Chairman Hayes with
the initial comments.
But we do have Chairman Hayes here. He's with the Ute
Mountain Ute Tribe. I'm really happy to welcome you here.
I did want to mention the tribe and I think all of us lost
recently a much loved and respected leader, former Chairman
Earnest House, Senior. He was a friend to many here in the room
and the tribal park adjacent to Mesa Verde was a real source of
pride for him. I know our hearts are heavy, but I know he'd
want us to carry on and appeal to the best in each other. So
you have and will carry on in his spirit.
Next to the Chairman is Jim Dyer, a former Board Member of
the Mesa Verde Foundation. Jim and I served in the State
legislature. Everything I know, J. Paul Brown, I learned from
Jim Dyer. He also served in our State senate, served on the
PUC, our Public Utilities Commission. He is a Marine. It's
really great to see, Jim. Always someone who has dedicated
himself to causes greater than his own self. Thank you.
Next to Jim we have Bambi Krauss, who represents the
National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers.
Welcome.
Then finally we're joined by Dr. Gail Dethloff, Senior
Director of the National Parks Conservation Association's
Center for Park Research.
So thank you all for joining us. I'm really eager to hear
your testimony.
I'm going to turn to the Chairman. I'll ask each of you to
do all you can to keep your remarks to 5 minutes so that we can
then have a lively conversation and add additional material for
the record.
So, Mr. Chairman, the floor is yours.
STATEMENT OF GARY HAYES, CHAIRMAN, UTE MOUNTAIN UTE TRIBE,
TOWOAC, COLORADO; ACCOMPANIED BY TERRY KNIGHT, TRIBAL HISTORIC
PRESERVATION OFFICER
Mr. Hayes. Thank you, Senator. I appreciate the opportunity
here. Thank you for comments on regarding Earnest House,
Senior. It's definitely a loss to us. I know that if he was
here I would help him instead of taking his place because he
was very into preserving culture and history and the conditions
of the site. Thank you for your comments, Senator.
Good morning, Senator Udall and distinguished guests. I'm
Gary Hayes from the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe whose tribes are
located in Colorado, Northern New Mexico, Eastern Utah.
Accompanying me today is Mr. Terry Knight, our Tribal Historic
Preservation Officer for the Tribe.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify before the
Committee and bring you information important to the protection
of all the National Park resources within the Rocky Mountain
region. Because of Mr. Knight's knowledge and experience the
Ute Mountain Tribe is an active participant in the Region as a
consulting tribe and partner in many projects. Each park within
the Region has its unique assets and common concerns in
consulting with tribes.
The challenge for all in this economy is funding. Careful
goal oriented budgets regarding staffing and training is key to
a successful protection of all park cultural resources. The
economy forces all agencies to supplement the work force with
volunteer groups and youth conservation groups.
How all this affects cultural resources?
By hiring and training qualified staff we can:
One, protect the Tribal collections and sites and the laws
that protect these previous collectionsites must be firmly
enforced.
Two, ensure the proper care and maintenance of NAGPRA
inventories and materials held within the parks.
Three, the National Park Service policy for NAGPRA and
associated objects is followed.
Four, implementation of NAGPRA policy should include
consideration of whether these collections should be held in a
regional Federal repository and not individual parks. The
National Park Service needs to ensure that the 106 Tribal
consultation protocols are followed and include all of the
National Park Service sites, objects and inventories, as well
as the notification of collections they hold for other
agencies.
In the eyes of the affiliated Tribes, inadequate
information and unproductive consultation costs money and time
and creates frustration that the National Park Service, as well
as other Federal and State agencies, are not adequately
considering the Tribal perspective and taking in the advice on
Native culture heritage.
The Tribal viewpoint that I have heard expressed is that
all Federal and State held lands over which Congress and
related agencies have jurisdiction because of culturally rich
resources areas are not limited by park boundaries or State
borders.
The Tribes request that all training of National Park
Service employees includes cultural awareness, competency to do
their National Park Service duties and respect for each Park's
affiliated Tribes and Pueblos. The Rocky Mountain Regional
Office of the National Park Service has initiated consultation
with its affiliated Tribes and Pueblos and maintains
communication and consideration of their concerns.
The cultural heritage and landscapes within the Rocky
Mountain region are important to all of the affiliated Tribes
and Pueblos. These resources must be protected and
appropriately preserved when found on all lands. They are
extremely important far more than their commercial value or
artistic pleasure when displayed. They are, to the affiliated
tribes and pueblos, a part of history of native people, a
remembrance of the strength of their survival, their
initiative, their innovation and life practices. All agencies
should consider with respectful attention to the spiritual and
cultural beliefs concerning sacred sites, sacred activities and
their associated sacred objects. To our people, these are not
objects for barter or show, they are the tools of our lives,
the cultural heritage left to us from our ancestors.
The Ute people have protected these lands from time
immemorial. These lands are a part of our original homeland and
at one time a part of our reservation lands. We continue to
regard these lands and the associated cultural resources with
great respect and it is extremely important to us that these
lands be managed and properly regarded to the peoples who have
historically occupied these lands, whose ancestors and buried
here and who prayed here.
We wish to participate in the preservation of these lands
and the resources to the greatest extent possible. It is Native
heritage and practices that give these lands their unique
character. The preservation and protection of these cultural
resources is a fundamental trust responsibility.
Again, given the economic landscape, we should not forget
the important functions of the National Park Service. Congress
needs to support the Park Service's policy of maintaining its
long standing and extremely valuable relationships with the
tribes.
In closing I would like to thank you, Senator Udall and
distinguished guests, for the opportunity to express our point
of view to establish in advance the tribal government
involvement in the development and implementation of laws,
programs and policies that affect tribal interests in the
protection of our natural resources.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Hayes follows:]
Prepared Statement of Gary Hayes, Chairman, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe,
Towoac, CO
Good Morning Senator Udall and Distinguished guests;
I am Chairman Gary Hayes from the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe whose
lands are in Colorado, Northern New Mexico and Eastern Utah.
Accompanying me today is Mr. Terry Knight, Tribal Historic Preservation
Officer for the Tribe.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify before this committee and
bring you information important to the protection of all National Park
resources within the Rocky Mountain Region. Because of Mr. Knight's
knowledge and experience the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe is an active
participant in the Region as a consulting Tribe and partner in many
projects. Each park within the Region has its unique assets and common
concerns in consulting with Tribes.
A challenge for all in this economy is FUNDING: careful goal-
orientated budgets regarding STAFFING and TRAINING is the key to
successful protection of all Park Cultural Resources. The economy
forces all agencies to supplement their work force with volunteer
groups and youth conservation groups.
How all of this affects Cultural Resources? By hiring and training
of qualified staff we can:
(1) Protect the Park collections and sites; the laws which
protect these previous collections and sites must be firmly
enforced.
(2) Ensure the proper care and maintenance of NAGPRA
inventories and materials held within the parks;
(3) The National Park Service policy for NAGPRA and
associated objects is followed.
(4) The Implementation of the NAGPRA policy should include
consideration of whether these collections should be held in a
regional Federal repository and not the individual parks. The
National Park Service needs to ensure that the 106 Tribal
consultation protocols are followed and include all of the
National Park Service sites, objects and inventories; as well
as the notification of the collections they hold for other
agencies,
In the eyes of the affiliated Tribes, inadequate information and
unproductive consultation costs money and time, and creates frustration
that the National Park Service, as well as other Federal and State
agencies are not adequately considering the Tribal perspective and
taking in the advice on Native culture heritage.
The Tribal viewpoint that I have heard expressed is that all
Federal or State held lands over which Congress and related agencies
have jurisdiction because of culturally rich resources areas are not
limited by park boundaries or State borders.
The Tribes request that all training of National Park Service
employees includes cultural awareness, competency to do their National
Park Service duties and respect for each Park's affiliated Tribes. The
Rocky Mountain Regional Office of the National Park Service has
initiated consultation with its affiliated Tribes and Pueblos and
maintains communication and consideration of their concerns.
The cultural heritage and landscapes within the Rocky Mountain
region are important to all of the affiliated Tribes. These resources
must be protected and appropriately preserved when found on ALL lands.
They are of extreme importance far more than their commercial value or
artistic pleasure when displayed. They are, to the affiliated tribes, a
part of history of native people, a remembrance of the strength of
their survival, their innovation and life practices. All agencies
should consider with respectful attention to the spiritual and cultural
beliefs concerning sacred sites, sacred activities and their associated
sacred objects. To our people, these are not objects for barter or
show...they are the tools of our lives the cultural heritage left to us
from our ancestors.
The Ute People have protected these lands from time immemorial.
These lands were part of our original homeland, and at one time a part
of our reservation lands. We continue to regard these lands and the
associated cultural resources with great respect and it is extremely
important to us that these lands be managed with proper regard to the
peoples who have historically occupied these lands, whose ancestors are
buried here, and who prayed here. We wish to participate in the
preservation of these lands and the resources to the greatest extent
possible. It is Native heritage and practices that give these lands
their unique character and the preservation and protection of these
cultural resources is a fundamental trust responsibility.
Again, given the economic landscape, we should not forget the
important functions of the National Park Service, and Congress needs to
support the Park Service's policy of maintaining its long-standing and
extremely valuable relationships with tribes.
In closing, I would like to thank you Senator Udall and distinguish
guest for the opportunity express our point of view to establish and
advance tribal government involvement in the development and
implementation of laws, programs and policies that affect tribal
interests in the protection of natural resources.
Senator Udall. Thank you, Chairman Hayes, for that very
powerful and eloquent statement, particularly the two
paragraphs that speak to the value of these lands that are
beyond price, so key to the history of a unique people. Thank
you for that----
Mr. Dyer, it's good to see you Jim.
STATEMENT OF JAMES DYER, FORMER BOARD MEMBER, MESA VERDE
FOUNDATION, DURANGO, CO
Senator Dyer. Thank you.
Senator Udall. I should note for the record that Jim Dyer
did not submit a statement which is his way of doing things
which I have always admired. He speaks from the heart. He
speaks from the head.
Senator Dyer. You're using up my time.
[Laughter.]
Senator Udall. You have all the time you'd like.
Senator Dyer. We go back a long ways. I was--had a couple
terms in the State House and Senate from House District 59 that
J. Paul Brown, ably represents now. I can't mention J. Paul
Brown without mentioning his dad, Casey Brown and mom, Jean,
who formed this boy. Welcome, J. Paul.
Yes, we go back a long ways. Welcome to this part of the
world that I was honored to represent in the State legislature
and thanks for mentioning my Marine Corps service, 3 years in a
place called Vietnam. I'm proud of that service as well.
In the mid-1990s the need for a new visitor and research
center became evident because the Far View Center was, well,
far, into the Park. Many times people were reluctant to drive
that distance because they weren't assured of having a ticket
to go visit the sites. So it became evident that we needed to
get a place where they could find out about the park much
closer to the highway.
There's a powerful story that goes around from some
tourists from New York, I think it was, asked how come the
Ute's didn't build the site closer to the highway? Not true.
Also, the archeological collections were stored in the tin
shed which was neat. We needed proper storage and conservation
preservation. So a new visitor and research center would
address both these issues. Mesa Verde Foundation was formed in
1997 with the goal of building this new center.
The Mesa Verde Foundation purchased land near the Park's
entrance in 1999. Then the Park's boundaries were expanded in
2007 to include this land. Then the Mesa Verde Foundation
deeded the land over to the Park.
The Mesa Verde Foundation raised funds for the
architectural design and planning documents for the VRC. These
plans, drawings and also were donated to the Park for the
project. I should note that the 24 tribes who share the
heritage of Mesa Verde were involved in the planning of the
site. Things like where do you board out the entrance to it. It
had to be according to what the tribal folks said it should be.
Through the efforts of the Mesa Verde Foundation Board and
Board Friends in particular, Frederick Lau of Phoenix, and
General were on the phone with the U.S. Air Force. He was the
15th Chief of Staff of the Air Force, of Durango, in
particular. Funding was secured through congressional
appropriation. Then Representative John Salazar and Interior
Secretary Ken Salazar, his brother, were instrumental in
helping shepherd the appropriation through Congress. About 20
million in stimulus funds from the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act went toward the project.
The Mesa Verde Foundation remains a strong committed
partner to the Mesa Verde National Park. The Foundation's
purpose is to fund capital improvements, projects and
educational endeavors that promote an understanding and
preservation of the park's cultural and natural resources.
That concludes my testimony, Sir. I will sit down and shut
up.
[Laughter.]
Senator Udall. OK, thank you, Senator Dyer.
The concise and informative set of comments. I did want to
acknowledge the wonderful work that the MVF does. Take note,
that most, if not all of the National Park units have similar
organizations. Increasingly we're working in partnership with
those organizations to complete projects, generate volunteers
and nurture and take care of the parks. So thank you for that
incredible gift you've given to all of us in leading this
important effort.
Senator Dyer. There were some people early on that buying
that land was critical to the whole, you know, the critical
piece of the whole thing. I mean, without that land it could
be, you know, a set of lemons for us.
Senator Udall. I was going to let you say that. Exactly,
exactly. We're all for commerce.
It's--what's important to note is that there are people who
love this park who are far, far afield. Americans in every
State, every territory and even of course, citizens of other
countries who fall in love with Mesa Verde and want to support
it, be sure that it's protected in perpetuity. You created a
way in which that can happen.
Senator Dyer. Yes.
Senator Udall. Ms. Krauss, it's great to have you here. The
floor is yours. Look forward to your testimony.
STATEMENT OF BAMBI KRAUSS, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
TRIBAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICERS
Ms. Krauss. Thank you very much. My name is Bambi Krauss.
I'm the president of the National Association of Tribal
Historic Preservation Officers and our chairman, Reno Franklin,
had planned on being here today, but unfortunately family
obligations kept him in California and he asked that I come
here and represent our organization.
As you know, NATHPO submitted a lengthy written statement
that will be entered into the record, I'm assuming. So I'm
going to summarize some of the points in that testimony.
I think in the opening statement, I think NATHPO feels
confident that cultural preservation is a tribal success story.
With a little time and resources and effort it could be premier
preservation program in the United States. You know, we've
survived misguided efforts of the Federal Government to
eliminate Native American cultures. They have prohibited the
speaking of our Native languages and prohibited Native
traditional healing practices and look what it's created, a
variety of social and economic and health damages throughout
our history. The past, as I said, 150 years have been
devastating and yet, Native people are here today.
I work with the tribal historic preservation officers and
they were created legislatively 20 years ago in the 1992
amendment to the National Historic Preservation Act. Since
passage, the Indian tribes have been more actively involved in
the preservation and protection of their culture and life ways.
This last, kind of, helping tribes preserve and protect is the
reason why NATHPO was created. We, the 12 original THPOs in
1998 created NATHPO. We're based in Washington DC. Today there
are 124 Indian tribes participating in the program.
Mr. Terry Knight here in the front row is a living example
of the THPO program in action. I wanted to recognize him and
his family in the back for all their hard work. They're one of
the more recent THPOs, but that is merely a name in terms of a
THPO program because Terry Knight has been practicing his
culture and traditions throughout his entire life. Cultural
preservation is not something that once you become a THPO, you
become an automatic expert in traditional Native ways. But it
is something that is a major commitment for any Native person.
NATHPO has an annual conference each year. We also do
provide technical assistance to our member tribes. We also
conduct original research and publish reports.
A few of them are significant for today's hearing is we are
about to publish one on tribal cultural landscape.
We published the first ever evaluation of Federal agency
compliance with the Native American Greatest Protection and
Repatriation Act.
We did an original study on tribal consultation and the
benefits of actually including tribes at the beginning of all
your projects.
Then finally we actually had a Tribal Park and
Environmental Organization Summit for the Pacific West region
back in 2005 and that was led by, at the time, Pacific West
Regional Director, John Jarvis.
So today I'm just sharing a tribal perspective and it's one
that's rarely heard. We really appreciate this opportunity,
Chairman Udall. Thank you for calling this hearing.
I'm probably going to run out of time, but I was hoping to
highlight six tribal specific issues, 2 tribal park issues and
then one overriding tribal deficiency issue. So I'll run
through those very quickly.
Again, the statement has much more detail.
I want to thank Chairman Hayes for bringing up the
government--relationship and the trust responsibility because I
kind of assumed that the whole world knows that now. NATHPO and
our tribal members believe that's some of our bedrock. So I
wanted to thank Chairman Hayes for making sure that he brought
that up.
Just to touch on the THPO program. It's been an
overwhelming success at the tribal level and the Federal agency
level. But the THPO program, any kind of Federal development,
any undertaking related to Federal moneys has to ensure
compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act.
So we have strong THPO tribal programs that any health
service clinic, that tribal school, that road that goes, you
know, in or out or on a tribal land is going to be a lot more
efficient. We feel that it's, the THPO program, not just a feel
good program. It's really essential to making Indian country
work. It's an important part of the infrastructure that's still
needed in Indian country. So I want to make sure that people
understand that it's not just a feel good program.
You know, the pace of the program is very quick. There were
12 in 1996 and now we're up to 124. So the issue is not with
the success of the program. The issue is the Federal funding.
So this is an example of the disparity between the level of
support that states get verses the level that tribes get. So
the average THPO grant will be about--will be below $70,000 a
year. I don't have the exact number but the average SHPO, State
Historic Preservation Officer grant in the hundreds of
thousands, usually about $500,000. The Tribal Historic
Preservation Officer program has--the tribe has assumed the
responsibilities of the State on tribal land. So that's the
crucial part of that.
So I think with my time left I can keep going or I can come
back and bring some other issues up.
Senator Udall. Why don't we come back to some of the
additional issues?
Ms. Krauss. Thank you very much.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Franklin follows:]
Prepared Statement of Reno Keoni Franklin, Chairman, National
Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers
Good morning, Chairman Udall.
My name is Reno Franklin and I am the chairman of the National
Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (NATHPO) that is
based in Washington, DC, and which has members throughout the lower 48
states. I am a Kashia Pomo from Coastal Northern California and am also
the interim chairman of my tribe, the Stewart's Point Rancheria. On
behalf of NATHPO, we thank you for the opportunity to participate in
this hearing on cultural resource issues in Mesa Verde National Park
and other units of the National Park system.
Indian tribes have been preserving and protecting their cultures
for thousands of years, yet, the last 150 years have been some of the
most devastating to Native people. Historic and misguided efforts by
the Federal government to remove traditional Native cultures, prohibit
the use of Native languages, and stop the practice of traditional
healing ways, have left a wide swath of disruption from which most
tribal communities have yet to recover. Traditional Native societies
have been attacked and western governing models inserted with the end
result of new, historic levels of unemployment and poor health
indicators. It has been a long fight for Native people to remain true
to themselves and their traditions and heritage and I am proud to be
one of 124 Tribal Historic Preservation Officers in the country who are
committed to preserving, protecting, and rejuvenating our respective
cultures in agreement and partnership with the National Park Service.
We welcome the opportunity to share our perspectives as well as
provide helpful examples and suggestions for the Committee's
consideration on how we can better preserve and protect tribal cultural
resources. Our message is simple: Indian country needs to be at the
table when issues affecting our ways of life are being considered and
our voice needs to be heard. Should this be truly achieved, the
National Park Service will have more fully fulfilled its core mission,
will more accurately and vibrantly reflect the cultures of Native
America and in return we will receive a boost in efforts to maintain
our identities.
the national association of tribal historic preservation officers
NATHPO is a national not-for-profit membership association of
tribal governments that are committed to preserving, rejuvenating, and
improving the status of tribal cultures and cultural practices by
supporting Native languages, arts, dances, music, oral traditions,
cultural properties, tribal museums and cultural centers, and tribal
libraries. NATHPO assists tribal communities to protect their cultural
properties, whether they are naturally occurring in the landscape or
are manmade structures. In addition to members who serve as the Tribal
Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) for their respective tribe, our
membership includes many other tribal government officials who support
our mission and goals. NATHPO provides technical assistance, training,
timely information, original research, and convenes an annual national
meeting of tribal representatives, preservation experts, and federal
agency officials.
In 1998, the initial cohort of 12 officially recognized Tribal
Historic Preservation Officers (THPOs) created NATHPO. In 2011, there
are now 124 officially recognized THPOs whose tribal governments are
responsible for managing over 50 million acres spanning 28 states. In
addition to convening training workshops and national meetings, NATHPO
provides technical assistance and conducts original research. Examples
of completed research projects include:
Tribal Cultural Landscapes (in final editing 2011)
Federal Agency Implementation of the Native American Graves
Protection and Repatriation Act (2008)
Tribal Consultation: Best Practices in Historic Preservation
(2005)
Report of the NATHPO Tribal Tourism Toolkit Project:
Cultural and Heritage Tourism in Indian Country (2005)
A New Beginning for Equity and Understanding--National Parks
and Traditionally Associated American Indian Tribes, Report of
the Pacific West Region Summit of National Parks-Tribes-
Conservation Organizations (2003)
My testimony is organized into three sections:
1. TRIBAL SPECIFIC ISSUES
a. THPO Program
b. Preservation Creates Needed Jobs and Revitalizes
Tribal Communities
c. Gathering of Traditional Plants Materials on
Public Land
d. Assessment of Actual Needs and Challenges Facing
Indian Country's Cultural Preservation
e. Tribal Needs and Challenges--Native American
Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)
f. Tribal Cultural Landscapes
g. Tribal Parks
2. TRIBAL-NPS ISSUES
a. NPS Regulations for Native Use of Traditional
Plant Materials
b. Co-Management of National Park Units
c. Revising Bulletin 38
d. NPS and Native Americans Working Together
3. TRIBAL-FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ISSUE
a. Tribal Consultation
tribal specific issues
a. Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Program (THPO)
In recognition and support of Indian Self-Determination and tribal
sovereignty, the 1992 amendments to the National Historic Preservation
Act, P.L. 102-575 (16 U.S.C. Sec. 470) (``the Act''), enhanced the
role of Indian tribes in the national preservation program authorized
by the Act and provided for greater protection of places of cultural
significance to Indians and Native Hawaiian organizations. Toward that
end, the 1992 amendments authorized the creation of a Tribal Historic
Preservation Officer (``THPO'') program funded through the National
Park Service, Historic Preservation Fund (``Tribal''\1\ line item).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ It is important to note that the ``Tribal'' line item under the
Historic Preservation Fund includes both noncompetitive THPO funding
and funding for a competitive tribal grant program. The entire
``Tribal'' line item does not go to THPOs, and NPS determines how much
THPOs and the competitive grant program will get each year.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
THPOs have the responsibilities of State Historic Preservation
Officers (``SHPOs'') on tribal lands and advise and work with state and
federal agencies on the management of tribal historic properties, as
authorized under Section 101(d)(2) of the Act. As a policy matter, the
establishment of THPOs has been an overwhelming success, allowing THPOs
to work closely with federal agencies to assist them in complying with
the Act on tribal lands, and at the same time allowing Tribes who have
THPOs to develop the expertise to efficiently protect cultural and
sacred resources that are vitally important to their identity as
American Indians.
At the local, tribal level, an efficient and well-working THPO
program has been shown to be of great benefit to federal agencies.
THPOs are not just another ``feel good program,'' rather they perform
the important role of expediting all federal undertakings, including
planning and construction of Indian Health Service clinics, tribal
schools, water treatment plants, roads, energy development, and housing
construction. Without a THPO in place, and without the federal funds to
support their work--akin to that performed for National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) compliance--many of these important development
projects are delayed until the National Historic Preservation Act
(NHPA) requirements are met, sometimes at great cost to all concerned
parties.
THPOs also preserve and rejuvenate the unique cultural traditions
and practices of their tribal communities. In order to fully understand
what the THPO programs are able to accomplish at the local level, here
are a few examples of their work that goes beyond federal compliance:
All THPOs believe that their work is an active expression of
tribal sovereignty as they assume the state historic
preservation responsibilities for their respective tribal
lands.
THPOs have worked with hundreds of local Tribal elders for
history interviews. For example, the Spokane THPO was able to
purchase audio recording equipment to assist in preserving the
knowledge and experiences of their tribal elders. As for almost
all tribal languages, their native language is shared verbally
and is not in a written format.
THPOs actively work to preserve and protect historic
structures, including historic Bureau of Indian Affairs
schools. For example, the White Mountain Apache Tribe is
preserving and restoring the Fort Apache Historic District, and
the Navajo Nation is restoring their Capitol Complex that was
built in the 1930 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The Yurok
Tribe in California restored one of its satellite offices that
was an original U.S. Forest Service Forestry Research Station.
The Lac du Flambeau Tribe in Wisconsin has embarked on a long
term effort to fully restore a tribal building that once served
as an Indian boarding school.
Federal Support of the THPO Program:
In furtherance of the modern federal policy of tribal self-
determination, tribes were authorized in the 1992 amendments to the
NHPA to assume historic preservation activities and responsibilities
with respect to tribal lands. In FY1996, tribal governments received
the first congressional appropriations under this authorization for
these activities via the Historic Preservation Fund (``HPF''). By
comparison, states have been authorized and have been receiving funding
under the HPF for over 40 years for historic preservation activities on
lands within respective state boundaries, but those funds were rarely
if ever utilized for tribal historic preservation activities,
particularly on tribal lands, prior to the 1992 delegation of authority
to tribal governments.
Unfortunately, vitally important and successful THPO programs are
severely threatened by lack of adequate funding to sustain them. THPOs
received their first federal appropriations in FY1996. At that time,
only 12 Tribes had established a THPO, with an average award of almost
$80,000. By FY2005, 43 Tribes had established THPOs (an increase of
350%), and the average award was down to approximately $44,000 because
appropriations increased only 38% percent from inception of the THPO
program. New THPOs further the purposes of the Act, but also dilute the
pool of available funds for all tribes. As funding for each respective
THPO program shrinks, they are less able to assist federal agencies
with their preservation compliance responsibilities and perform other
important tribal duties and functions.
Since FY1996, the THPO programs have become very popular and
successful with tribal governments. By FY2011, the THPO program has
grown to 124 participating tribes. The NPS has stated that they expect
131 THPO programs to be funded in the FY2012 cycle.
In FY2001--the height of funding for state and tribal historic
preservation--SHPOs started with a $385,000 base level support and
THPOs with a $52,000 base level for each THPO in existence at that
time. The average SHPO award in FY2001 was $850,209. The average THPO
award was $154,815. States undertake very important historic
preservation activities with their funding and tribes are not seeking
to dilute that funding, but seek increases to their important tribal
historic preservation activities as well.
However, despite tribal government and NPS support, neither the
annual Department of Interior budget requests nor congressional
appropriations have increased the line item under HPF that supports
tribal historic preservation in a way that keeps pace with increasing
interest of tribes in taking responsibility for historic preservation
duties under NHPA. Despite rapidly growing THPO programs and NPS
support, funding remained relatively flat from FY2002 through FY2005,
with a small but meaningful increase by Congress in FY2006 of $795,000,
which was preserved in the President's FY 2007 budget request.
One final illustration will indicate an important funding
disparity: In FY2004, eight (8) U.S. territories received $2.68 million
in HPF funding, and all 43 THPOs together received $2.25 million.
Despite territories receiving more funding, the land base of the 8
Territories was 2.93 million acres (from CIA factbook) and the land
base of those 43 THPO tribes was about 30.1 million acres.
b. Preservation Creates Needed Jobs and Revitalizes Tribal Communities
Heritage tourism in Indian country creates jobs, new businesses,
builds community pride and can improve quality of life. THPOs play an
important role in this planning process. Not only are tribal
preservation programs asked for their input on important tourism
endeavors, they are also involved in developing the important
infrastructure necessary to bring visitors to tribal communities. THPO
programs are thus an important part of a tribe's investment in local
jobs, non-federal contributions, and long-term economic development.
For example, the Nez Perce THPO has worked with soil and conservation
districts for watershed restoration projects and livestock watering
grants, reviewed Indian Health Service and U.S. Department of
Agriculture projects needed for water and sewer improvements, and is
involved in a myriad of transportation projects, including bridge
replacements, repaving projects and bus station development.
c. Gathering of Traditional Plant Materials on Public Lands
The use of plants is integral to the continuance of Native American
cultural traditions. For example, plants are used as food and medicine,
as well as playing an important role in the creation of ceremonial
regalia and basketry. Plants are also integral to manufacturing other
aspects of traditional culture, such as clothing, housing, and
transportation (boats/canoes). Because Native American cultures and
their use of natural products have evolved on this continent over
thousands of years, traditional harvesting practices tend to not
destroy, but rather enhance, plant population vitality.
Past flawed policies of the Federal government has resulted in the
serial reduction of tribal lands. Expansive territorial homelands were
reduced to reservations, which were then--through the allotment era--
fractionated into small parcels with remaining lands given or sold to
non-Indians. One result of this land reduction is that the resulting
smaller parcels that are available to Native Americans do not contain
the myriad of plant resources necessary to represent the full spectrum
of a culture. Non traditional uses by lands no longer controlled by
Native Americans have become subjected to practices that either remove
or damage or destroy traditional plant communities. One remaining
source of plant materials may now be found on public lands that have
not been subjected to intensive land disturbance. Inevitably Native
gatherers have relied on these public lands and that reliance has, at
times placed traditional gatherers in conflict with non-native
commercial gatherers or immigrants from other continents that have
adapted their own foreign gathering traditions to the plant biomes of
America.
In recent years several federal agencies have developed policies
that attempt to manage gathering activities of various user groups,
including Native American gathering practices. The U.S. Forest Service
and the Bureau of Land Management have such policies. It is anticipated
that more land managing agencies will develop similar policies over the
next decade. NATHPO is interested in advocating for such policies while
being careful to ensure the recognition of the unique and fundamental
relationships that Native Americans hold with the federal government
and the sustainability and vitality of plant populations.
d. Assessment of Actual Needs and Challenges Facing Indian Country's
Cultural Preservation
As stated earlier, Native Americans have been engaged in cultural
preservation for thousands of years. For purposes of entering into THPO
agreements with the NPS, it has only been in the past 20 years that the
federal government was able to commit to work with Native people in
preserving, protecting, and rejuvenating their cultures and lifeways.
In 1990, the National Park Service, under NPS Director James Ridenour,
conducted the first-ever national study--with funds appropriated by the
U.S. Congress--directing the NPS to ``report on the funding needs for
the management, research, interpretation, protection, and development
of sites of historical significance on Indian lands.'' For the past 10
years, NATHPO has been seeking to work with the NPS and other federal
agencies in developing and conducting another such effort that could
serve as a blueprint for future work, knowledge, and understanding.
nathpo's leadership role to provide essential training
Notwithstanding the need to take the pulse of Indian country in
terms of overall cultural preservation needs, NATHPO has listened to
our member tribes and has been offering training opportunities since
1998. Our trainings assist Native Americans in building capacity,
including supporting tribal leadership, members, and communities, and
provides valuable knowledge and skills needed in today's world to
preserve tribal history and traditions for the future.
NATHPO's efforts are designed to fill a long-standing void of
training opportunities in Indian country. This training void was first
identified and studied in 1996 and was summarized in the National Park
Service-funded report, ``Historic Preservation Training by and for
Indian Tribes: Report of a Workshop on Tribal Needs & Priorities,''
that was contracted to the University of Nevada and Crow Canyon
Archaeological Center. More than 20 years later, there is still a
dearth of culturally appropriate training sessions.
NATHPO has also been offering training via our National Native
Museum Training program that was created in 2006 and is designed to
expand the knowledge and skills of museum leaders, increase the number
of trained native museum professionals, and strengthen the overall
capacity of tribal museums. The trainings support tribal museums and
cultural centers to preserve cultural resources within tribal
communities and serve as a hub for community members to learn and
connect the past with the present. As an outgrowth and response to the
Institute of Museum and Library Services study that was published in
2003, ``Tribal Museums in America,'' the program fills an important
niche for Native American professionals.
e. Tribal Needs and Challenges--Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act was
enacted into law on November 16, 1990 (P.L. 101-601) to address the
rights of lineal descendants, Indian tribes, and Native Hawaiian
organizations to certain Native American cultural items, including
human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of
cultural patrimony. The Act assigned implementation responsibilities to
the Secretary of the Interior, including making grants to assist
museums, Indian tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations in fulfilling
their responsibilities and opportunities under the Act.
Many THPOs are also their tribe's ``NAGPRA representative\2\''
meaning they are part of the NAGPRA process and consult directly with
museums and Federal agencies--including the NPS--which also administers
the overall National NAGPRA Program. This tribal role requires detailed
knowledge and skills prescribed by the act and the associated
implementing regulations.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Only one Federal law cites the need to name one tribal
employee--the THPO--as the point of contact. There is no federally
created ``NAGPRA representative.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
As a result of successful repatriation efforts, many Indian
communities have brought their relatives and ancestors home. Solemn
ceremonies honor the return of these individuals: an honor that each
family and community in the United States conducts for their dead in
their own way. Also, resumption of ceremonial life can begin anew with
the return of sacred, ceremonial items. Each repatriation enables
Native communities to employ the objects and items that have been
handed down for countless generations in teaching their younger
generations not only the important role that these sacred items have in
their Native culture but also the pride, responsibility, and honor that
are associated with the profound duty of caring for and conserving
these precious resources.
Grants to Support Tribal NAGPRA Activities:
Section 10 of the Act authorizes the Interior Secretary to make
grants to Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations for the
purpose of assisting them in the repatriation of Native American
cultural items and to make grants to museums to assist them in
conducting inventories and preparing summaries. Over the years, the NPS
NAGPRA program has been using funds from the grant program to cover
some of their administrative costs with the result that fewer dollars
are making it to the local, tribal level. The resources currently
available to effect repatriations fall far short of what is needed.
While the U.S. Congress and administration have appropriated funds to
support the NPS NAGPRA program, overall, those funds have been
inadequate to effectively address the mandates of the Act. Insufficient
resources also prevent Native governments and organizations from
maintaining a robust NAGPRA program effort needed to assure protection
of a tribe's cultural resources. NAGPRA grants to Indian tribes and
museums have decreased in the past five years, thus it is recommended
that the program be substantially increased from its current level of
$2.4 million for grants in FY2008.
makah-nathpo report, federal agency implementation of the native
american graves protection and repatriation act
In August 2008, the Makah Indian Tribe and NATHPO released the
report, which is the first ever study and analysis of how federal
agencies are complying with the Act. One of the major findings is that
the Federal government neither assures compliance with nor enforcement
of the federal law enacted to protect American Indian remains and
funerary objects and to reunite them with their families and homelands.
In some instances, agencies have withheld or changed information about
the objects or human remains in their possession, in blatant disregard
of the law, according to the report. The report also stated that while
some federal agencies have good working relationships with Native
Americans, many Indian tribes say federal agencies rarely made good-
faith efforts in contacting them about their collections. Tribes also
have discovered that some of the federal agencies' official notices of
cultural determinations have been withdrawn for unknown reasons and
without consulting the tribes.
Other report highlights:
Study only examined federal agencies--not museums. However,
it is estimated that museums hold at least eight times as many
human remains and objects as federal agencies. Using the
database of Culturally Unidentifiable Native American
Inventories Pilot Database as an example of the split between
Federal agencies and museums (as of 2007): There are 118,400
individual Native Americans listed and 828,641 associated
funerary objects inventoried by 627 museums and agencies in the
database. Federal agencies account for 13,785 of the overall
118,400 Native Americans and 66,407 of the overall 828,641
funerary objects.
The NPS has failed to enforce the mandates of the Act on its
fellow federal agencies and encouraged some federal agencies to
withdraw the pending Notices of Inventory Completion. Overall,
the NPS has withdrawn the most information from the entire
repatriation process by unilaterally deciding to withdraw
pending Notices of Inventory Completion (and thus, no
repatriation process). The Act requires each museum and agency
to provide notice directly to the culturally affiliated Indian
tribe or Native Hawaiian organization. However, since 1995
these notices have undergone increased scrutiny by the National
Park Service, resulting in delays; an unknown number of these
notices have been ``withdrawn'' by the National Park Service
without adequate notification to the culturally affiliated
Native American. Many of these pending Notices have been on
hold in the NPS administrative office in Washington, DC, since
1995-96 (over 13 years).
The report also identifies these additional weaknesses for all
Federal agencies:
Federal staffing to implement the Act is insufficient.
Federal officials responsible for implementing the Act are
inadequately trained.
Identifying the appropriate NAGPRA contact within each
agency is extremely difficult, thus making the repatriation
process even more burdensome for both tribes and federal
agencies.
There currently is no publicly available listing of which
agencies and museums have submitted summaries and inventories.
There currently is no standard for adequate consultation
with Native Americans.
Some agencies, like the Tennessee Valley Authority,
knowingly unearthed Native American remains in the 1930s and
simply listed the over 8,000 human remain as ``culturally
unidentifiable,'' thereby denying them a respectful burial by
culturally affiliating the remains.
Other agencies, like the Bureau of Land Management in the
Spirit Cave case, have listed human remains as ``culturally
unidentifiable'' despite the incredible amount of information
to the contrary that was provided at great cost by the
culturally affiliated Indian tribe.
While the Department of the Interior can investigate
allegations of failure to comply by museums, there is no
similar mechanism to ensure that Federal agencies comply with
the Act.
Compliance with the Act varies from agency to agency. There
needs to be some way to verify Federal compliance.
The Makah-NATHPO report also called for the Government
Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate federal repatriation
programs, which has now occurred. The GAO released the following two
reports:
1. Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act:
After Almost 20 Years, Key Federal Agencies Still Have Not
Fully Complied with the Act (2010)
2. Smithsonian Institution: Much Work Still Needed to
Identify and Repatriate Indian Human Remains and Objects (2011)
f. Tribal Cultural Landscapes
Over thousands of years, Native American cultures have lived in the
area now known as the United States. Resident plants, animals, natural
and geologic features, weather patterns, geographic features and Native
American long term manipulation of these landscape attributes have all
contributed to sense and identity that is characterized as a homeland.
When a young native child asks his or her grandparents who they are,
inevitably the answer is to point to the landscape and its contributing
attributes and to provide instruction on appropriate native relations
to these attributes.
The National Historic Preservation Act and various guidelines that
inform regulations provide definitions for types of historic
properties. One type of historic property, called a ``cultural
landscape'' or ``ethnographic landscape'' was created in order to
recognize the tendency of human cultures to evolve in holistic ways
with landscapes broadly defined. The National Park Service Brief 36
provides guidance on how to document Cultural Landscapes. The National
Register of Historic Places and the National Landmark registries are
replete with examples of ranch landscapes, mining landscapes and urban
garden landscapes such as New York's Central Park or San Francisco's
Golden Gate Park. However, the registries lack adequate representation
of Native American cultural landscapes. This lack of representation has
resulted in lack of education about Native cultures and practices and
consequently, it has reduced the protection of these special places.
Over the last several decades two new terms have been added to the
historic preservation lexicon in order to bring more awareness to these
broad places: Traditional Cultural Properties (see NPS Bulletin 38) and
Sacred Sites (see American Indian Religious Freedom Act and Executive
Order 13007: Federal Land Manager Sacred Site Protection).
Unfortunately this additional awareness has also wrought confusion over
what the similarities and differences of these three terms are and why
three terms are needed when perhaps only one term will suffice. In very
gross general terms Traditional Cultural Property literature puts less
emphasis on objective documentation of the land and how specific
cultures interact with the land and more emphasis on consulting with
the cultural representatives who use and understand the land and
demonstrating that a particular landscape feature remains vital to the
continuance of traditional culture into current times. Sacred Site
policy concerns under what conditions and manners federal land
management agencies can allow or restrict access of the public or
Native American practitioners to special places particularly for use in
spiritual or religious purposes. It is the Cultural landscape concept
and methods of documentation that most objectively provides
understanding of what the landscape actually is by requiring
identification of contributing elements or attributes. Understanding
the components that go to make up a cultural landscape allows the most
adequate means of developing Historic Property Treatment Plans that
provide guidance for managing landscapes in keeping with traditions and
in the face of an on-going federal undertaking.
NATHPO advocates and stands ready to assist the National Park
Service in melding the three concepts into one coherent concept.
g. Tribal Parks
America' National Park Service is a means of protecting our special
places that includes educating and interpreting those special places'
natural and cultural qualities to the general public. As a result the
National Park Service is a central participant in the Nation's heritage
and eco tourism industries. State, counties, and cities also operate
park systems that promote enjoyment and educational opportunities
within natural and open settings. Other countries have representative
spaces set aside for similar purposes. The NPS maintains a solid
relationship with Parks Canada and the National Park System of Mexico.
Likewise, several Indian tribes have developed their own parks.
Examples include the nearby Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Park, Navajo Tribal
Parks, and the Agua Caliente Tribe's Palm Canyon Tribal Park. Other
tribes are in the process of establishing tribal parks or preserves.
For example the Yurok Tribe is in negotiations with a timber company, a
city, Redwood National Park and other land holders to cobble together a
Yurok Tribal Park System that protects and manages resources for
traditional usage and public education and recreation.
While the Bureau of Indian Affairs may have some role in the
establishment and partial funding of some of these tribal parks it is
suggested that in recognition of tribal sovereignty the National Park
Service establish a NPS program to assist in the establishment,
operations and where appropriate (such as in areas where Tribal Parks
and National Parks are in close proximity to one another) co-management
of some or all of the involved parks, park related features and the
resultant tourism opportunities.
tribal-national park service issues
a. NPS Regulations for Native Use of Traditional Plant Materials
The NPS has fallen behind other federal land managers in allowing
Native Americans to conduct traditional gathering of plant and mineral
materials on the park lands that they now manage. This lapse, arguably
inconsistent with the NPS mission, is partially due to regulations
found at 36 CFR Part 2.1 that have prevented most tribal gathering
except where either treaties explicitly allow gathering or specific
Park enabling legislation allows gathering. Until these regulations are
modified, some park law enforcement zealously prevent the Native
American gathering while in other parks, Native gathering practices are
ignored. Neither policy treats Native people in a respective manner and
may very well create tension within park units and externally between
tribes and park service personnel. This tension has existed since the
1970's and there have been several attempts to revise the otherwise
prohibitive ``gathering regulations.'' Recently NPS Director Jarvis has
put in motion a path to revising the regulations. An NPS spokesperson,
recently speaking on behalf of NPS Director Jarvis stated, ``Director
Jarvis has deep experience working in parks where the ties between
First Americans and the lands that are now parks have never been
broken. He believes that maintaining those ties can nourish our
landscapes while supporting native cultural traditions and providing
opportunities for all Americans to better understand the history of
America's first peoples.''
The NPS wishes to revise the regulations to support long traditions
of the original inhabitants and managers of National Park lands by
allowing park superintendents to work in partnership and agreement with
tribal governments to identify respective plant populations, methods
and quantities of gathering and to establish mutually agreeable
communication, access and monitoring protocols. The revisions make
clear that this is to be done in recognition of tribal sovereignty,
government to government relationship building and recognition of first
nation/land manager statuses without opening parks to commercial
gathering to all interested parties.
While there are some critical of these proposed revisions, NATHPO
reminds all of those involved that many of the landscapes fastidiously
managed by NPS units are the vestiges of long term Native American
gathering and related land management practices (e.g., the pristine
Bald Hills of Redwood National Park would not be bald had it not been
for thousands of years of Native American burning practices that were
conducted in part to encourage plant re-growth to assure ample supply
of materials vital to the continuance of Native material culture).
Today, practices conducted by Redwood National Park staff mimics
traditional burning mosaics and provides interpretation at its visitor
centers concerning Native basket weaving and the role of fire in
procuring good basketry materials. Yet traditional basket weavers
cannot harvest the resultant plant growth. Should native plant
gatherers go onto adjacent private lands they do so at risk to
prosecution for trespass and theft and also expose themselves to
harmful pesticides and herbicides. The NPS, in some instances, hold the
best populations of plants for traditional practitioners.
NATHPO applauds Director Jarvis's leadership fueled by his strong
sense for the bond between Native people, their landscapes and
particularly the plants that result from and play a vital role in the
continuance of America's oldest traditions. NATHPO is available to
assist in educating the general public and particularly those critical
of the revisions. Once revisions are made, NATHPO is also ready to
assist in facilitating a NPS-Native gathering program that provides
benefits to Native cultures and people, enrichment of the education of
park visitors, and ultimately meaningful caretaking of the landscapes
that NPS now manages.
b. Co-management of National Park Units
One significant method for addressing NATHPO's simple message of
being included at the decision making table early and often is for NPS
to embrace various co-management relationships with tribal governments,
tribal parks and THPOs. While some are critical of the co-management
concept or philosophy because they fear that tribal governments will
usurp inherent federal decision making authorities, NATHPO suggests
that the ``co'' of comanagement can mean many different things, all
with positive connotations. For example the ``co'' can be for
``collaborative'' relations or the co can be for ``coordinated''
operations. Co-management in whatever form of cooperative arrangement
is simply a smart philosophy to pursue in these times of budget cuts,
reduced staffing and resulting erosion of staff morale. NATHPO
envisions a future where a tribal park superintendent shares office
space with a National Park superintendent; a place where a critical
animal population that does not recognize park or reservation
boundaries is researched and managed seamlessly with coordinated
budgets, staff and research agendas that avoid duplications or
contrasting recommendations; or a time when a combined park employee/
tribal young adult trail crew build a trail available to the general
public that connects tribal lands with National Park service lands; or
where a National Park superintendent and staff negotiate with a tribal
government over an agreement to allow traditional gathering and
interpretation of a particular plant. There are successful models that
exist internationally (e.g. aboriginal roles in Australia National
Parks/Preserves). There are several ongoing and emerging examples in
the U.S. National Park Service such as Canyon De Chelly, Grand Portage
Rapids, Pipestone National Park and the south unit of the Badlands.
NATHPO urges that more relationships are explored that move beyond the
realm and practice of ``consultation'' to the realm of true ``co''
stewardship of the lands and the plants, animals, other resources and
people that are sustained by such lands regardless of ownership,
boundaries or authorities.
c. Revising Bulletin 38
An issue that is related, yet different from the tribal cultural
landscapes discussion above, is the possible revision of NPS Bulletin
38, Guidelines for Evaluating and Documenting Traditional Cultural
Properties. The document was authored in 1990 and was last revised in
1998 and is currently being considered for further revisions. While
NATHPO has heard from key Park Service staff that the Bulletin is in
need of revisions and agrees that it should be, the process to move
forward is still being developed. At least one NATHPO member tribe has
requested that the NPS conduct consultations with Indian tribes prior
to making revisions to assure that such changes will be embraced by
tribes and that all aspects of the document are discussed. NATHPO also
supports an effort to alleviate any confusion that may currently exist
about the similarities and differences of Traditional Cultural
Properties, Cultural and Ethnographic Landscapes and Sacred Sites.
NATHPO has expressed to the National Park Service our interest in
working together in this revision with the goal of improving the
process so that Indian country may most effectively and expeditiously
preserve and protect their respective historic properties.
d. NPS and Native Americans Working Together
The discussion of the NPS working together with Native Americans
also should include work force issues and opportunities.
Notwithstanding the fact that many Indian tribes are located in close
proximity to national park units, there are few structured efforts to
encourage Native American participation, including employment. There is
a need for a supported and prolonged effort to recruit and train Native
American staff to work within the NPS, whether as rangers, or within
the museums and visitor centers located throughout the country.
Recruiting and supporting Native people in these fields has been slow
and needs a influx of attention and resources to make viable career
options. It has been encouraging to witness Native American involvement
in park Interpretation and there are many park units that would benefit
both Native Americans and the visitor experience to our nation's park
units.
tribal-federal government issue
a. Tribal Consultation
One process spans the entire Federal government spectrum: the need
for open and transparent tribal consultation protocols. The Obama
administration has tasked each federal agency with developing and
sharing their tribal consultation process. Without such information,
Indian country will continue to be in the dark when it comes to initial
and final decision making on issues that directly affect Native peoples
and their cultural traditions.
closing statement
During the 2009 NATHPO membership discussion on priorities to be
considered by the incoming administration, one issue that applied to
many federal agencies was the need to ``enhance and promote the Native
voice in all aspects of historic preservation at all levels of
government.'' This sentiment continues to be true today. The THPO
program has demonstrated its positive effect--both at the tribal level
and at the federal level--yet its existence is threatened by the lack
of federal support. Another important federal law enacted for the
benefit of Indian country, the Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act, is beset with issues that impede full Native American
participation. Yet, as described above, if Indian country was
encouraged and supported to fully participate as partners with the
National Park Service, significant challenges to tribal cultural
preservation may be overcome. Perhaps in the next 20 years, Native
American people will be allowed to gather plant materials from lands
now managed by the NPS in a continuation of a practice that dates back
thousands of years. Perhaps the next generation will be allowed to
express their history from their own points of view and be a present
part of the story for park visitors who want to hear the authentic
story of tribal connections to natural and cultural resources. There
are many challenges but our resolve and vision to be part of the story
is encouraging for me and I hope that you will support us.
Senator Udall. Very legitimate and--concerns you have. But
thank you for that testimony.
Dr. Dethloff, you're presence is important. Thank you for
being here representing an important stakeholder institution.
The floor is yours. We look forward to your testimony.
STATEMENT OF GAIL DETHLOFF, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR PARK RESEARCH,
NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION, FT. COLLINS, CO
Ms. Dethloff. Thank you.
Mr. Chairman, I'm with the Center for Park Research at the
National Parks Conservation Association.
NPCA is a non-profit, non-partisan, association dedicated
to the protection and enhancement of our National Park system.
The Center for Park Research provides information on research
conditions throughout the system. We appreciate this
opportunity to testify because our research shows cultural
resources in our National Parks are in some jeopardy. In 91
percent of the parks we surveyed we found cultural resources
were in fair or poor condition.
The National Park system encompasses an extraordinary
portfolio of American culture. The National Park Service
through its stewardship of these sites and its national role in
preservation activities is the closest thing the U.S. has to a
heritage ministry. As the Senator noted, one finds in the Park
System nearly 27,000 historic buildings, an estimated 2 million
archeological sites and 123 million museum and archival pieces.
Of these sites, stories and programs the agency oversees it
largely governs how our cultural--how these cultural resources
are managed. Support was gained from the Administration in
Congress has a strong bearing on this governance.
Over the past decade our Center has staffed of
preservationists, historians and anthropologists assess the
condition of heritage properties and collection in 77 parks. To
assess the condition of cultural resources we employ the
methodology based on NPS's own Cultural Resource Management
Guideline. Our findings were recently published in the State of
America's National Parks.
Cultural resources in parks generally do not fare well
overall. In parks established primarily to protect such
resources, they do fair better relatively speaking. While we
did not assess Mesa Verde, it is our country's flagship
archeological park. Its extensive research programs,
preservation leadership and the curatorial work indicate a high
level of adherence to the Cultural Resource Management
Guideline and correspondingly healthy resource conditions.
Our research shows, however, that Mesa Verde is an
exception, not the norm. The history of inattention to cultural
resources and inadequate funding have led to decisions that
have slighted cultural resources in the system. Across
disciplines with designations parks struggle to identify
documents, maintain and monitor them. Our National Parks don't
have enough professional staff to take care of cultural
resources. They often lack the funds to pay for materials to
keep them in good condition.
To expand on this, if you don't know what you have or what
condition it is in, how can you protect it and share it with
others?
All the parks we assessed lacked cultural planning
documents. For example nearly half of them had no historic
structure reports to guide the preservation and maintenance of
buildings listed on the National Register. Olympic National
Park had virtually all of its archival collections un-cataloged
when we assessed it.
When information is available on what resources are listed
at the park--and get them to preserve and interpret them. A
good example of this is here at Mesa Verde where a structural
stabilization crew works to maintain cliff dwellings with
thorough documentation guiding that crew. Yet cultural
resources staffing has fallen nearly 25 percent in the past 10
years. Even in a major cultural park like Appomattox
Courthouse, cultural resources management has occasionally been
regulated to the level of collateral duties with staff getting
to it when they have the time. Maintenance and monitoring fall
by the wayside when staff are absent.
For example at Big Bend there is no annual monitoring
program for historic structures when we assessed them. All of
the staff are critical to preserving these places for current
and future Americans. It takes money to pay for those staff--to
maintain them.
NPS cannot currently track the cost of bringing all of
those cultural resources into good condition. Only for historic
structures do we have a ballpark figure currently estimated at
$2 billion. The current rate of funding and the construction
budget doesn't allow the parks to keep up. Construction
conditions can worsen when maintenance is delayed.
With all of that said, the challenges to cultural resource
stewardship obviously is serious, but they are not
insurmountable. In a number of parks, NPS is doing an exemplary
job. For that we commend them.
NPC makes the following recommendations for improving
cultural resource conditions in the National Park System.
NPS should establish and Congress should fund a Cultural
Resources Challenge that enables the agency to work effectively
on management and preservation to bring America's stories
completely to life.
NPS should continue programs that address the basic needs
of completing baseline documentation of cultural resources,
providing staff training and providing access to technical
expertise.
NPS should better utilize partners to acquire baseline
information which would alleviate urgent needs and help parks
to identify which resource specialists they need over time.
Congress can encourage community links to park resources by
supporting public transportation enhancements to better connect
parks and revising certain regulations to simplify historic
preservation tax credits for rehabilitation of park historic
structures.
NPC thanks you for the opportunity to address the Committee
today. Given a long history of inattention to cultural
resources we applaud your leadership in calling this hearing.
Here at Mesa Verde it is apparent what can be achieved. It
is a global icon attracting half a million visitors a year.
That that it is a dynamic economic engine for the entire
region. NPS staff are on the front lines in caring for our
history. But we are all responsible for safeguarding these
irreplaceable pieces of it.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Dethloff follows:]
Prepared Statement of Gail Dethloff, Director, Center for Park
Research, National Parks Conservation Association, Ft. Collins, CO
Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, I am Dr. Gail
Dethloff, Director of the Center for Park Research with the National
Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). NPCA is a nonprofit. nonpartisan
organization dedicated to the protection and enhancement of our
National Park System, with 344,856 members nationwide. Since 1919, NPCA
has been the leading voice of the American people on behalf of our
national parks. We are happy to have this opportunity to testify today
because our research clearly shows that the state of cultural resources
in America's national parks is jeopardized by major challenges,
including challenges in funding and management.
NPCA's Center for Park Research provides accurate, comprehensive
information and analysis on resource conditions throughout America's
National Park System. The Center's professional staff has expertise in
areas such as ecology, environmental quality and monitoring, historic
preservation, anthropology, and environmental history.
Over the past decade, the Center evaluated natural and cultural
resources at 80 national park units. Of these 80, the Center for Park
Research assessed the condition of park heritage properties and museum
and archival collections in 77 parks. NPCA researchers consulted
National Park Service (NPS) cultural resources databases, examined
reports and studies produced by or for the Park Service, visited parks
in person, and conducted interviews with park and regional staff. When
assessing the condition of parks' cultural resources, we employed a
methodology based on the National Park Service's own Cultural Resources
Management Guideline. The methodology analyzed the condition of
archaeological properties, museum and archival collections, cultural
landscapes, ethnography, and historic structures, and the status of
historical research. Our findings were published this summer in The
State of America's National Parks. The data we collected and the
summary report provide the basis for this discussion of cultural
resources in the National Park System.
The National Park System encompasses an extraordinary portfolio of
significant American culture. More than 65 percent of national park
units were designated to preserve places where the North American story
took place, from prehistoric times to the present. Across all 396
national parks one finds nearly 27,000 historic buildings, 3,500
historic statues and monuments, an estimated 2 million archaeological
sites, and 123 million museum objects and archival documents--
collections bested only by the Smithsonian Institution's assemblage of
museums. Here at Mesa Verde exist more than 4,000 archaeological sites,
including 600 cliff dwellings, which provide an astonishing record of
the life of the Ancestral Puebloan people who lived here a thousand
years ago, whose descendants still live here in the Four Corners region
and along the Rio Grande. Mesa Verde has a unique set of resources but
the park is one of a number preserving the historic cultures of the
Southwest. Most of the major battlefields associated with the American
Civil War are managed by NPS, and by virtue of the sites the agency
manages and the stories it interprets and preserves, NPS is one of the
largest stewards of African-American, Latino, Indian, and Asian-
American history in the country. In addition, the Park System preserves
sites fundamental to understanding social forces such as westward
movement, industrialization, and the quest for equal rights for all
citizens.
The National Park Service is the closest thing the United States
has to a heritage ministry. As the steward of these sites and through
its federal matching grants for preservation activities, its technical
expertise, and its management of a federal tax incentives program
valued at more than $2 billion in private investment each year, the
Service governs how our country's cultural resources are managed. The
support received from the administration and Congress has a strong
bearing on this governance.
With robust preservation management and activities, Americans have
amazing opportunities to understand where we've been as a people and
how our heritage affects where we are going.
The National Park Service has been charged with protecting our
nation's most important historic sites since its beginning in 1916, and
works to do so under legislative mandates such as the Antiquities Act
(1906), the National Historic Preservation Act (1966), the
Archeological Resources Protection Act (1979), and the Native American
Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (1990). The agency developed its
most recent set of standards to guide the management of cultural
resources in the late 1990s. Devoted and talented people from cultural
resources disciplines are attracted to working in our national parks
because the parks represent the most important parts of our heritage,
with the highest standard of preservation. We ourselves used NPS
guidelines to shape the methodology we used in assessments and we found
that closer adherence to the standards appeared to result in better
resource condition. In parks established primarily to protect cultural
and historic resources, these resources do fare better, relatively
speaking. While we did not assess Mesa Verde, it is our country's
flagship archaeological park, and its extensive archaeological research
program, preservation leadership, and the curatorial work being done to
move the collections to the new Visitor and Research Center indicate a
very high level of adherence to the Cultural Resources Management
Guideline and correspondingly healthy resource conditions.
But there is also, in the history of the park system, a history of
inattention to cultural resources and their management in many places,
especially parks established to preserve natural and scenic resources,
and small parks with less visually spectacular but still vitally
important cultural resources. Our research shows that a systemic
attitude that heritage preservation should play second fiddle to
natural and scenic wonders and overall inadequate funding for the
system have led to decisions that have slighted cultural resources. Our
parks struggle with an inadequate baseline understanding and inventory
of resources, a shortage of professionally trained staff, and a lack of
funding that have caused overall cultural resources condition to be
considered ``fair'' or ``poor'' at 91 percent of the parks we surveyed.
interrelated issues
The problems affecting cultural resources occur across park
designations and across regional divisions. But they are not
insurmountable; they are understandable and can be addressed. And there
are good examples of NPS staff finding solutions to the problems, which
can serve as a path forward from where we currently stand.
The first step in cultural resources management is to identify,
evaluate, and document the properties and collections in the Park
Service's care. This baseline documentation of resources is the key to
next steps. Unidentified and unevaluated resources simply cannot be
appropriately preserved, protected, or interpreted. At Rocky Mountain
National Park, which the Center assessed in 2002, we noted a need for
historic structures resource studies and condition reports, and in the
intervening time, park staff worked through the Cooperative Ecosystems
Studies Unit to contract with local universities to complete those
documents. With that information in hand, park staff had documentation
on what they have, what threatens it, and what the next steps are for
protecting and preserving the resource. However, all parks the Center
assessed lacked cultural and heritage planning documents (such as
comprehensive interpretive plans, historic resources studies,
ethnographic overviews and assessments, cultural landscape reports, and
collection management plans) in one or more disciplines. Because these
research and planning documents inform a park's larger planning
documents, processes, and decision-making, their absence means that
cultural resources continue to be ignored as park managers determine
how to spend limited time and money. Simply put, unless park managers
seated at the planning table have authoritative proof of the importance
and condition of cultural resources in their park, those resources are
not taken into account when decisions about park priorities and budgets
are made.
With the information in hand on what resources exist at the park
and what may threaten them. NPS staff with appropriate expertise on
specific resource types can take the necessary steps to protect,
preserve, and interpret them. At Mesa Verde. a structural stabilization
crew of professional archaeologists and stone masons work together to
maintain the cliff dwellings and archaeological structures. Al park
sites with brick-and-mortar fortifications (e.g., Fort Sumter, Fort
Pulaski, Fort McHenry, Dry Tortugas (Fort Jefferson), Gulf Islands
(Fort Pickens), Golden Gate (Fort Point)). the presence of a historical
craftsperson. such as a mason, is essential to properly caring for
properties. However, cultural resources staffing has seen a significant
decline (> 25%) in the past 10 years, and even in a major cultural park
like Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, cultural
resources management and historic preservation have been relegated for
periods of time to the level of collateral duties.
Very few parks assessed by the Center either had on staff or had
access to in the Regional Office the unique complement of professionals
needed to do the job. For example, of the parks assessed by NPCA, 65
percent lacked the minimum professional staffing needed to oversee
museum and archival collections and address the growing backlog of
museum objects. When it comes to these situations, even a single staff
person can have a significant impact. At Lake Clark National Park and
Preserve, an archival technician with a three-year position
significantly decreased the percentage of uncataloged items, even as
the collection more than doubled in size, making these materials easily
available for park staff and other researchers for the first time. When
experts are present, they are finding it more and more difficult to
stay current with training, education, and participation in the
scholarly arena. These personnel need training and education that allow
them to apply relevant, up-to-date scholarship to understanding and
interpreting our nation's stories. When it comes to caring for the
prehistoric and historic places, monuments, and museum collections in
the Park Service's care, there is no higher priority than
professionally trained staff.
Having baseline documentation and professional staff on hand are
also primary factors in implementing appropriate oversight and
monitoring of America's cultural heritage. When resources are
catalogued and identified, they can be maintained and guarded in a
cost-effective manner. At Capitol Reef National Park in Utah, there is
adequate staff to conduct annual monitoring of the park's 25 historic
structures, and the data are kept up-to-date in the List of Classified
Structures. Comprehensive condition assessments for each structure are
performed every five years, and all structures have been evaluated for
eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
Any adverse changes in condition would be noted and could be addressed
in a timely manner. But regular monitoring is the exception rather than
the rule. In a more extreme example, at the time of our assessment, Big
Bend National Park in Texas had no annual monitoring program in place
for historic structures, even though the park has 69 structures either
listed on or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. At
Big Bend, due to a lack of staff and competing management priorities,
inspections of historic buildings are conducted on a five-year
rotational cycle only for the most heavily visited or publicly
accessible structures.
Documentation and personnel are also important in the maintenance
of the most visible of cultural resources in many parks, the historic
buildings and structures. If the structures have no documentation to
guide treatment, or their condition has not been monitored, park staff
can only guess at the work that is needed. But, because of the dollar
amounts involved, the construction budget for the Park Service itself
has become an over-riding factor when it comes to the condition of
these resources. Currently, the deferred maintenance cost for historic
structures in the park system is estimated at 52 billion. Certain parks
have taken innovative approaches to preserving their structures, even
in the face of declining budgets, by taking actions such as partnering
with community organizations to maintain and use park structures. For
example, Valley Forge National Historical Park in Pennsylvania has had
great success leasing one of its historic properties to a local
Montessori school. While the property is historic, and therefore the
park has an obligation to preserve it, it is not part of the park's
main interpretive theme, and the park had no interpretive or
administrative use for it. But other parks are struggling with
structures whose conditions continue to worsen as maintenance is
delayed. Alcatraz Island in Golden Gate National Recreation Area has
benefited from rehabilitation work on one of the two remaining guard
towers and seismic retrofitting of the Cellhouse, but other structures
such as the New Industries Building and the Sallyport of the guardhouse
through which all visitors enter are visibly deteriorating.
ways forward
In a number of instances, NPS is doing an exemplary job of
preserving and protecting the historic places and artifacts in its
care, and for that we commend them. Championed by loyal and dedicated
NPS professional staff, the task of fulfilling the agency's statutory
mandate to preserve these places unimpaired while providing for the
enjoyment and benefit of these places by the American public has become
an ever-increasing challenge.
But striving for that mandate provides the excellent opportunity to
connect all Americans with ``America's best idea.'' Given its analysis
of resource condition information, the National Parks Conservation
Association makes the following recommendations for improving cultural
resource conditions in the National Park System:
Recommendations
NPS should establish and Congress should fund a Cultural
Resources Challenge that enables the agency to work effectively
on cultural resource management and historic preservation in
the parks and through its programs. NPS should address long-
term solutions to problems in cultural resources preservation
and protection and leverage such funding through partnerships.
This will greatly enhance the level and type of resources
devoted to cultural resources preservation.
NPS should continue internal programs such as the System-
wide Archeological Inventory Program (SAIS), the Preservation
and Skills Training (PAST) program, and the Ruins Preservation
Team based out of Mesa Verde. These programs address the basic
needs of completing baseline documentation, providing staff
training, and providing access to technical staff identified as
fundamental issues in preserving cultural resources. The
programs should also he used as models for solutions across
cultural resource disciplines.
NPS should better utilize partners such as the Cooperative
Ecosystem Studies Units National Network to acquire technical
baseline information that all parks need on cultural resources.
This could include educating NPS staff that Network
universities or other partners are available to work on
cultural resources. Work through such partnerships would
alleviate urgent needs and help parks to identify which
cultural resource specialists they need over time at the park
or regional level.
NPS should encourage the involvement of community partners
in preserving and interpreting cultural resources. Congress
should assist in this process by removing barriers to this
involvement through such actions as supporting public
transportation enhancements to help volunteers get to parks
easily, and revising tax and other regulations to make it
possible for community partners to take advantage of historic
preservation tax credits for rehabilitation of park historic
structures.
The National Park Service should incorporate cultural
resource management concerns in all considerations of
institutional capacity. The National Park Service Director, all
associate directors, regional directors, superintendents, and
others must take full responsibility for cultural resources in
the System. The National Park Service should establish a
Cultural Resources Advisor to the Director of the National Park
Service as a complement to the existing Science Advisor
position.
The National Park Service holds in trust for the American people
the places, artifacts, and stories that form our collective heritage.
If we are to continue to understand, appreciate, and learn from our
heritage, NPS must have the tools and resources it needs to keep those
places open to the public in safe and historically accurate condition,
to keep the artifacts on display in appropriate settings accessible to
all, and to share those stories in meaningful ways that are relevant to
Americans today. NPS staff are on the front lines in caring for our
history. but we are all responsible for safeguarding and preserving
these irreplaceable pieces of who we are as a people and a nation.
Given the long history of inattention to cultural resources, NPCA
applauds this Subcommittee's leadership in seeking insight and
perspectives from various knowledgeable panelists on the significant
threats and challenges facing these precious resources in our national
parks. Here at Mesa Verde, it is apparent what can be achieved with
dedicated and highly skilled park staff working with strong partners.
This is an extraordinary place. It is a global icon and a source of
great pleasure and enjoyment for half a million visitors each year from
all over the world. It is also a dynamic economic engine that provides
a source of livelihood for the entire region. Thank you for the
opportunity' to provide this testimony.
Senator Udall. Thank you, Dr. Dethloff. Thank you to all of
you on the panel.
Let me direct my initial question to you, Doctor. You
surveyed many, if not all, of the National Park units and you
perform an important function. We thank you for that.
Is it your sense that other historic and cultural parks
create similar local economic benefits and opportunities as was
the case here?
Ms. Dethloff. I know that we have done economic studies at
San Antonio missions and at Colonial National Historic Park. In
those cases there has been a definite economic value associated
with the parks.
The San Antonio missions, economic activity was estimated
at almost $99 million coming from that park throughout the
surrounding area supporting over 1,000 local jobs.
Colonial National Historical Park was also a driver. That
is the historic triangle that is Williamsburg, Jamestown and
Yorktown. So in that area there was seen to be $42.5 million in
visitor spending in 2010. Visitation to that park supported
that many millions of dollars in visitor spending. There's an
estimate of over 1,000 local jobs coming from that economic
activity.
Senator Udall. I think you can understand why I keep asking
that question. It's both because I want to draw attention to
the economic benefits of the parks, but I also want to look at
ways to generate additional local and private sector support as
well as government support to protect cultural and historic
resources.
Is San Antonio Park, is that the Alamo?
Ms. Dethloff. No, the Alamo is actually a private
foundation, I believe.
Senator Udall. OK.
Ms. Dethloff [continuing]. That manages it. It does not
include the Alamo.
Senator Udall. I'm a lawyer so I can ask questions I don't
know--I'm not a lawyer so I can ask questions I don't know the
answer to.
[Laughter.]
Senator Udall. But, you know, thank you for sharing some of
those other parks and their statistics.
Let me turn to Chairman Hayes to you, if I might. As you
mentioned one of the big challenges is finding adequate funding
to protect cultural resources. We've got a tough budget
situation. Finding additional funding will be difficult within
the short term. I'm hopeful, by the way, that we will find a
way forward and our economy will return to a robust condition
and then we can look at making investments on the government
side.
Other than finding more money, what do you think is the
most important thing we need to do? I know you talked about
coordination on the part of the Park Service with Indian
Country. But what else is on--what would be on your list or
underline that further, if that's the most important thing we
could do.
Mr. Hayes. OK. One of the things that we talked about is
participation and funding at the levels that were mentioned
earlier and about State funding--actually getting tribes
engaged and that those resources to help protect. You know,
with this economy that we're facing today, you know, with the
shortfalls and all that with the resources. I always tell
people, welcome to Indian Country because Indian Country has
been facing this for decades.
We've been able to utilize resources. That's why it's
important that I believe that the government utilize the tribes
as an asset to be able to maintain to be an example. Indian
Tribal Park is partnering up and establishing a relationship.
We could utilize that also. It's to build economic development
here in this area. Partnering up with the tribes is important
to be part of that.
As you know you need to generate revenue to all--and that's
why I think it's important to tap into the tribal resources and
help as a partner in making sure that we protect our resources
that are here.
Senator Udall. One of my take a-ways already from the
hearing is to work with you to better understand how we can
leverage what you just described.
Mr. Hayes. I just want to say one thing.
Senator Udall. Please.
Mr. Hayes. For--service and I was in the Navy too. I spent
25 years in the Navy. I retired. So----
Senator Udall. This is something watching a sailor and a
Marine shake hands.
[Laughter.]
Senator Dyer. But until we learn to walk on water, we need
the Navy.
Mr. Hayes. I always tell the Marine Corps, say look at your
emblem here and what's the thing on top? Department of the
Navy.
Senator Udall. Alright, now settle down.
[Laughter.]
Senator Udall. Now there's actually an enormously
synergistic relationship between the Navy and the Marines.
Mr. Hayes. That's the type of relationship.
Senator Udall. That's a great--yes. I like that metaphor.
Let me turn to Jim on that note.
On the drive in here I noticed that both the new visitor's
center, it's under construction, and the current `Far View',
which I like your term of phrase, that it was too far. I know
the Foundation has been involved with the transition of the old
visitor's center. Will you tell us more about what's going to
happen to the Far View Visitor Center?
Senator Dyer. It's going to become a tribal center with
each of the 24 tribes having a slice of the pie in there. It's
a cultural center as opposed to a tourist center. We're--we've
shifted since the 20 million came from the, I don't want to use
the word stimulus.
Senator Udall. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Senator Dyer. That's what it is. Thank you.
So that took care of that. We've shifted our focus into
rebuilding Far View into the Tribal Cultural Center.
Senator Udall. That's an exciting development. I look
forward to having a chance to visit that center when it's
completed.
Will that be done in the next couple years? I imagine it's
not easy.
Senator Dyer. This place doesn't open until next October,
the one that's down by the highway. So we'll shift using the
shift targets. We've already shifted at the Foundation into
kind of looking for funding for that.
Senator Udall. Jim, thank you for that, for your leadership
and your love of this special place.
Let me turn if I might to Ms. Krauss. I'd give you an
opportunity to share a few more of your thoughts on ways to
improve preservation of and education about our cultural
resources.
Ms. Krauss. Thank you very much.
One way that I don't think it would cost a lot of money is
for the Park Service to work with Indian tribes and updating
and promulgating regulations on the gathering of traditional,
kind of, mineral materials on lands that are now managed by the
National Park Service. Native people have been the only
cultures that have been on U.S. soil for thousands of years.
Some might say time immemorial, but, you know, scientifically
thousands of years.
So there's no denying the fact that Native people have been
managing the land for thousands of years. Doing so quite well
in terms of making sure that in the past, you know, lands that
have been suffered from sea areas, wildfires because of lack of
management over the years. So right now there is some proposal
to upgrade the regulation so that Native people could gather
plant materials for food, medicine, ceremonial objects, the
need for ceremonial canoes would require a large redwood tree.
I mean that type of experience. I think that is a crucial
element of Native American cultures today.
It actually inspired some kind of--with Native people that
they don't need to, you know, ask for any special permission.
That it was always their right to gather these materials. It's
only been recently that they were told they can't. So try and
bridge that gap in terms of making sure that the respect that
should be afforded Native people to gather, to use plant
materials, instead of having to go through any enormous
challenges.
So that's one thing that's on the table. I just want to go
back to Tribal parks. I think that's a great economic model. I
think for the Subcommittee on National Parks, the Tribal parks
have a great opportunity to prove their additional land from
any major development. I know that they've done quite well here
in Colorado.
The Agua Caliente Tribe in Palm Springs has a significant
park. They're a great success story. They train tribal rangers.
They have tribal employees who are responsible for enforcing
the tribe's quality and codes there.
It would be great, for example, for there to be an exchange
of tribal rangers with National Park Service rangers to share
their cultural understandings and learn a lot from each other.
Just some examples.
Senator Udall. Thank you for those examples.
I'd like to build on that in a related way and give each of
you a chance to talk about what your organizations are doing to
encourage young people to be involved with our National Parks.
It's not only something that makes us feel good but it's a
responsibility that we have to future generations. We didn't
inherit the Earth from our parents. We're actually borrowing it
from our children.
But we need to share with them what it is that we borrowed
from them so that they can then keep faith with their children,
which we hope that they continue on.
Mr. Hayes. I think as we talk about the partnership. I
remember in the 1970s we used to have tribal members come to
the park and police here, the gate that was here. That hasn't
happened for quite a long time. That whole region was on a
summer program we called the Bushwhacker program for young
children to give them an opportunity to go to a tribal park and
visit and just have an understanding.
One of the things that we've been talking with the district
is our educational curriculum, this thing about cultural
language. To be able to maybe come up with a curriculum or who
would identify Mesa Verde as historical and the value that's
here. Meaning the people we would--and I think a lot of times
educating both tribal members and non-tribal members, it would,
at that generation at their level. We will build a stronger
relationship than we have in the past.
I think that's something that needs to be talked across the
board and probably in the State of Colorado because that's one
of the things that we've been always advocating is to look at
the, not only the use of the Native Americans in the school
curriculum but what they offer. I think this is another avenue
to mention about the center down here of educating the general
population and the world. I mean, we get many, many foreigners
coming into our Tribal Park. We don't advertise. We just
maintain in a respectful way.
As was mentioned by Ms. Krauss, you know, we do know how to
take care of our resources. By helping us do that and
identifying and working with Terry and many of our tribal
leaders we can have preservation of our culture. I think that
would be a win/win situation across the board for the Park
Service.
Senator Udall. I would welcome any additional ideas as
well. I know Historic Officer Knight probably has a lot of
ideas we'd love to see included in the record that we could
consider.
Jim, I know you've been really focused on the capital needs
of the park. Do you do any work in this area of working with
the park to encourage young people to enjoy and learn from
these resources?
Senator Dyer. I have not. I will put that on my to do list.
[Laughter.]
Senator Udall. We know the Visitor's Center has to get
done.
Senator Dyer. Yes.
Senator Udall. The conversion of----
Senator Dyer. Yes, first things first.
Senator Udall. Dr. Dethloff, do you have any insights into
what you do, or you think we could do, when it comes to?
Ms. Dethloff. NPCA has supported in the past a youth
service program--the other thing that we direct later on with
funding of that sort of legislation is we have corporate
partners that we work with on volunteer opportunities. We've
had opportunities for school aged children in the parks working
on things like marking field migration paths. We have our
California Desert Park field office has done a lot of work with
bringing out volunteers including children working with the
Marine Corps, actually, on Camp Pendleton on Native plant
reseeding and re-storing those.
We also, as an organization, have family days where we,
particularly our Central Valley office, which is one where we
reached out to the non-traditional park visitors and try to
bring more Latino families, not necessarily to Yosemite
National Park, but down in the Fresno area. We think it is done
a bit more about trying to connect them with those places. Our
other regional offices also do family days that have similar
events.
Senator Udall. I wanted to note too since we have the
regional directors here that I've been impressed with this last
year, the activities at the Colorado National Monument that
Michelle Wheatly in particular have put in place.
Then I had the opportunity to be in the Great Sand Dunes
National Park. There's a wonderful outreach into local
communities to high school and younger youth to experience that
park. So those are two local models of success.
I wanted to ask you if you had any response to Ms. Krauss'
comment about tribal park ranger cross training opportunities
potentially. There may be some of that happening I don't know
about. I was wondering if you either a reaction now or a
reaction for the record later.
Ms. Joss. Just a personal reaction. I think it sounds like
a great idea.
Senator Udall. We can build on the sailors and the marines.
[Laughter.]
Senator Udall. Their engines create a force.
Ms. Krauss, let me move back to you, if I might. I had a
question I prepared. I think you spoke to this, but you said
over 120 tribes have their own historic preservation programs,
most of those set up in just the last decade.
When a tribe develops that interest what's the cost to make
that idea real and how much of the funding comes from the
Federal Historic Preservation Program steady, verses other ways
of funding?
Ms. Krauss. So, I understand, how much it cost the
government or the tribes to establish a tribal historic
preservation program?
Senator Udall. I think starting with the tribe and then how
much are we able to help.
Ms. Krauss. The answer is, in as distinct a way as
possible, the tribal level requires that the government
institute its own process on how the officer will interact with
the tribal government. So they've become the front person for
Federal agencies. So that's the level of responsibility that
the THPO has at the tribal level.
So that requires a tribal component to all get on board and
support it. So however much it costs the tribe to get through
the tribal council process probably. So that's a separate
issue.
But the Federal Government supports the tribal historic
preservation officers and the State historic preservation
officers from the Historic Preservation Fund that has recently
come under some attack, unfortunately, but you know, it's one
of the crucial pieces of the funding total for historic
preservation in our country. So----
Senator Udall. Thank you. Sorry. We're getting an update.
We've got a plow maybe that's going to run through at 12:35,
12:40, 12:45. So we're going to begin to wind down the hearing
over the next 10 minutes or so. So that's the update I was
getting.
Because Terry gave a very powerful prayer.
I didn't hear all of what you had to say, but your comments
will go in the record.
But I thought as we--because it's been very helpful to me
that before I end the hearing I'd like to turn to each and
every one of you and give you a chance to make some final
comments. In that comment, if you would, it's your view. I'd
love to ask you what you think the No. 1 priority for ensuring
the protection of our cultural treasures for our children
should be.
I'll start with the Chairman. Laura had a chance to share
her thoughts with us. So I'm going to start with you, Chairman
Hayes.
Mr. Hayes. I think one of the, from a tribal perspective,
is to be able to engage the tribe in that conservation process
and having them at the table--always been on a menu. I think
with everything that's happening with TPHO and with the talk on
the tribal side. You know we feel that it's very important.
That's why Terry wears many hats.
When you talk about limited resources that's what we have
to utilize. We have tribal members, such as Terry stepping up
to the plate with limited resources on the tribal side instead
of--help us in the preservation of our cultural--and heritage.
But that would be really the No. 1. Any programs or any
policies that are being considered need to have the tribal
perspective especially when it's within Indian Country. I think
by that we can be able to be a part, to participate in the
implementation of laws or statutes that we can create.
Senator Udall. Thank you. I think that's a very timely,
very important and has, I think I can say, been overlooked in
the past. We should go the extra mile to ensure that it doesn't
happen moving forward. I look forward to working with you in
that regard.
Mr. Hayes. Thank you.
Senator Udall. Chairman Dyer, got a lot of titles for you.
Senator Dyer. Thank you.
Mr. Chairman, Mesa Verde Foundation is acquiring toward
building things, brick and mortar and that's just the way we
found it and that's been the implementation. There is another
organization, the Mesa Verde Museum Association, and they are
more, well they run the bookstore for one thing.
Senator Udall. Sure.
Senator Dyer. So they've got a funding source.
Senator Udall. Right.
Senator Dyer. But they're the educational arm of what the
volunteer effort goes to.
We do coordinate with one another. I'm the designated Mesa
Verde guy to sit as the museum association does its magic. So
we're in sync.
But I think after being here today I think that Mesa Verde
Foundation needs to take another look at the educational
component of what we can do.
Senator Udall. OK. Thank you for that insight.
Ms. Krauss.
Ms. Krauss. I want to state that in terms of the working
relationship with Indian tribes and the Park Service, I don't
think it's ever been at a more positive point. Under Director
John Jarvis, you know, he's had a long history of working with
tribal government.
But I know that NATHPO is encouraged and looks forward to
continuing to work with the Park Service. In the written
statement, it actually states that, ``Perhaps the next
generation of Native people will be allowed to express their
history from their own point of view and be a present part of
the story for park visitors who want to hear the authentic
story of tribal connections to natural and cultural
resources.'' I think that summarized our point of view very
well.
Senator Udall. de Tocqueville, the great French observer of
America in the 1830s, among many insights that still hold
today--Jim, I know you and I talked about this in fact--
America's strength is her capacity to undo her mistakes.
Sometimes you wonder.
Churchill also said that you can always count on the
Americans to do the right thing after they've tried everything
else.
[Laughter.]
Senator Udall. We have more work to do to build, and I say,
we, the majority culture in America, to rebuild the best and
the relationship and the friendship with Indian country. I'm
deeply committed because it has been my family to do so.
Having said that, it's easy to say that. It's challenging
to do that. But the comment you just made gets right to the
heart of that. I know there are other countries in other parts
of the world that also struggle with that challenge and that
responsibility. But we need to continue to struggle. I
appreciate the way that you outlined what I see as a real
opportunity.
Ms. Krauss. Thank you.
Senator Udall. Thank you for that.
Ms. Dethloff.
Ms. Dethloff. I would say from the report we did with the
77 parks that the issues are very inter related. But--some of
the linear fashion that do exist that they just don't have the
means to document what they have. That's not very effective,
but it's what you build on and what you build up all the way
through to target our interpretation.
Interpretation needs to be a strong flat foundation for
interpretation--that's what gets people to connect. It gets
people to care. It gets people to learn from these places.
So we would stress that as an important component of
recruiting cultural resources is doing it at a level that will
work and then you'll have people wanting to preserve the
components of our culture and lives.
Senator Udall. Powerfully stated and completely on point.
Thank you for that.
The set of insights in your testimony really covered all
the ways in which we could do that. So again, thank you.
I want to bring the hearing to a close. I'm going to make a
couple of additional comments. Then again it will give a
chance, I think, to visit a little bit before. The plow
literally, I think, is going to lead a convoy down the hill.
[Laughter.]
Senator Udall. It could be a wonderful afternoon when it
clears.
Right, Historic Officer Knight, we're going to see a
clearing at some point and God's creation will be in front of
us in all its glory and long vistas.
I'm someone who believes strongly that you not only need an
economically diverse society and that your natural systems need
to be diverse, but cultural diversity, although in some
quarters, debated, is crucial for our species. There's no one
way of being human.
There are cultures all over our world that were strong,
that were fascinating that lived in harmony with Mother Nature.
I think a great risk is we let cultures become extinct as well
as ecosystems or economies. In a sense we've got that question
in a broader way here today in a way that was moving for me,
particularly Chairman Hayes, your comments, really hit home. I
think we also acknowledge the important role that our Parks
play in our economy. Given the tough times that we face we
should take note.
I am a long time mountain guide. My friends, like Jim
Beaubukery, wonder what got into me to become a politician. But
there's been very good news out of the outdoor recreation
industry these last few years. Their sales are up, whether they
be equipment or the guided trips or whatever it may be. People
in our country are staying at home a little bit more and taking
advantage of these marvelous natural resources. We have and
continue to see people from other countries travel to America.
So I think it's important to underline that even in our economy
the role that our parks play.
Then finally our National Parks do continue to be one of
our best ideas or America's best idea. To speak to Ms. Krauss
and others that if our parks can bring us closer together as
Americans in all our various shapes, backgrounds, religions,
cultural outlooks, all the better for the National Parks and,
truly, we moniker America's best idea will hold fast and we can
expand on it.
Jim, do you want to comment?
Senator Dyer. Just your last name is Udall. I think
politics is in the DNA.
Senator Udall. It's a defective gene.
[Laughter.]
Senator Udall. It's why I'm a big supporter of genetic
research, Jim. See if we can strip it up.
But again let me thank, Cliff, your great staff, the work
that you do, the flat hats are special. The people who took the
time, the citizens who are here. It's really great to share
this important hearing with you.
We'll keep the record open for additional questions and
statements.
I hope everybody gets home safely. As I mentioned the snow
plow will be here approximately 12:45 to lead a group.
If people want to stay, we'll supply cots and blankets for
the night and your ranger team is ready to lead some walks in
cold conditions.
[Laughter.]
Senator Udall. So thanks for coming. It's been a wonderful
hearing. Thank you all. With that this hearing of the National
Park Subcommittee of the Energy Natural Resources Committee is
concluded.
[Whereupon, at 12:45 p.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
[The following statement was received for the record.]
Statement of Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, Cortez, CO
This statement provides written comments to the Committee on Energy
and Natural Resources-Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and
Public Lands; the comments are in response to the recent hearing on
November 5, 2011 at Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado that was chaired
by Senator Mark Udall, Colorado. The theme of the hearing was
preserving history, culture, and jobs for America's future.
The Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, of Cortez, Colorado is a
nonprofit institution with a threefold mission: To conduct innovative
archaeological research, to deliver public education programs informed
by that research, and to involve American Indians in the Center's
research and education programs. Deborah Gangloff, President and CEO of
Crow Canyon, and Mark Varien, the Center's Research and Education
Chair, attended the subcommittee hearing.
We begin by applauding Senator Udall and the expert witnesses who
testified at this hearing. Each of the participants provided excellent
testimony regarding the treatment of cultural resources in America's
national parks. The hearing emphasized three primary issues: 1) how to
best protect and preserve cultural resources; 2) what partnerships are
needed to achieve the goals of protection and preservation; and 3) how
the management of cultural resources can benefit the U.S. and local
economies.
The hearing was exemplary, but an important perspective missing:
virtually no attention was given to the ``Why'' question. Why--beyond
the economic benefits of associated tourism in the parks--is the
preservation of irreplaceable cultural resources is so important? We
believe a principal reason for preserving these resources is so they
may be studied and interpreted for the benefit of the American (and
world) publics. The study of cultural resources is the primary means by
which we learn about the distant human past. The national parks are a
treasure trove of archaeological sites that can contribute invaluable
knowledge about human history, if properly studied. The National Park
Service (NPS) has both the opportunity and the responsibility to
further knowledge about the past by facilitating carefully designed
archaeological research on the resources it manages on behalf of the
nation. We address this omission and the issue of archaeological
research in national parks in these comments.
Acquiring reliable knowledge about the past is essential if we are
to understand the cultural development of human society and gain an
appreciation for cultural diversity. Our society spends billions of
dollars each year on scientific research aimed at important questions
such as finding a cure for cancer or the nature of the planet Mars.
Little by comparison is spent on research into the human past. Yet it
can be argued it is our lack of understanding of ourselves as social
and cultural beings that is the biggest obstacle we encounter as we
attempt to solve the problems facing society today. In this light,
study of the human past is more than the exploration of a distant time.
Instead it is an intellectual endeavor that is critical to meeting the
challenges of today's world.
We believe that society benefits most from the management of
cultural resources in America's national parks when the following three
areas intersect: 1) the preservation of cultural resources through
careful management; 2) problem-oriented research that amplifies our
understanding of the human past; and 3) the dissemination of the
results of that research to the public through interpretive programs.
There was testimony about research at the hearing delivered by Dr.
Gail Dethloff, Senior Director, the Center for Park Research, National
Parks Conservation Association. Dr. Dethloff's articulate testimony
focused on the fact that there has not been adequate inventory of
cultural resources in most parks: The Park Service cannot manage these
resources if they don't have this baseline information. We support this
perspective, but inventorying resources so they can be better protected
and managed does not address the issue of conducting research to learn
about the past. Preservation and management are means to an end--they
make it possible to use cultural resources to learn about the human
past--but they do not in themselves contribute new understandings of
the past. This requires research specifically designed to produce those
new understandings--in other words, ``problem-oriented research.''
Crow Canyon conducts long-term, multidisciplinary, problem-oriented
research into the human past. A guiding principle of Crow Canyon's
mission is that there are multiple ways of knowing the past. We focus
on two important ways of knowing: 1) archaeological research that
employs scientific methods, and 2) the traditional knowledge that
American Indian people have about their past. The integration of these
two ways of knowing produces an inclusive and multivocal understanding
of the past.
A book could be written on the topic of implementing problem-
oriented research in national parks; however, our comments will focus
on four issues we believe are most important. The first is the
intellectual context in which problem-oriented archaeological research
is conducted. The second is the importance of including American Indian
concerns and traditional knowledge about the past. The third is that
archaeological excavation--conducted in a judicious manner that
conserves the resource and addresses American Indian concerns--is a
critical component of problem-oriented research. The fourth is that the
results of problem-oriented research need to be disseminated to the
public through a variety of channels, including but not limited to
interpretive programs in the parks themselves.
We believe that problem-oriented research needs to be part of the
mission of the NPS; research cannot be confined to activities aimed
solely at the management of cultural resources to ensure their future
availability. Further, archaeological research, like scientific
research in general, involves participating in a community of
researchers that includes but is not limited to NPS staff.
Problem-oriented research is different than research designed to
acquire basic information needed to manage cultural resources. Problem-
oriented research begins with questions about the human past and
identifies methods to answer those questions. America's national parks
contain some of humanity's most important historic resources, and if we
are to understand human cultural change those resources need to be open
for archaeological research.
A challenge faced by the NPS is that making progress in
understanding the human past through problem-oriented research requires
a process that exists outside of the NPS bureaucracy. This is the peer-
review process. Peer review governs the administration of research
funding and the publication of research results. NPS archaeological
staff should see themselves as playing a role in the peer community,
but they cannot fully constitute a peer community for most types of
research problems.
The NPS has made great strides toward including American Indian
perspectives in the management of cultural resources since the
enactment of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
in 1990. The same cannot be said for considering the perspectives of a
community of scholars when developing and initiating a research program
on cultural resources within national parks. We recognize that the NPS
has to make the final decisions on how research within the parks is
implemented, but we believe the NPS staff needs involve the larger
research community in this process. Outside researchers should be able
to conduct research projects within the parks--of course with NPS
approval and oversight. And the review of both externally and internal
initiated research proposals should include a range of informed experts
and not be limited just to NPS staff. Nowhere in the conduct of modern
problem-oriented scientific research are such administrative
limitations considered appropriate.
There are some cases where problem-oriented archaeological research
is currently being conducted in the national parks. For example, NPS
staff members at Mesa Verde National Park and Bandelier National
Monument are part of a large and multidisciplinary research team that
is conducting the Village Ecodynamics Project (funded by the National
Science Foundation). This provides a model for how a externally-
generated program for problem-oriented research can be implemented by
the NPS.
It is also imperative that American Indian perspectives be
considered when managing cultural resources and designing research in
national parks. Mr. Gary Hayes, chairman of the Ute Mountain Ute
nation, did an excellent job of addressing this issue in his expert
testimony at the hearing. We would emphasize that American Indians
should not only be consulted for issues of cultural sensitivity and in
the interpretation cultural resources, as is currently the case, but
they should also be included in the development of the research
initiatives established by the park.
The expert testimony of Ms. D. Bambi Kraus, President of the
National Association of Tribal Preservation Officers, emphasized the
important role that Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (THPO) play
in the process of involving the tribes on issues concerning cultural
resources in the national parks. Our experience supports her testimony.
Tribes that have a THPO and/or a cultural preservation office are much
more likely to be involved in consultations regarding cultural
resources. As an example, Crow Canyon archaeologists recently worked
with the Ute Mountain Ute THPO and other consulting archaeologists to
conduct field work and develop a preservation plan for an important
site on Ute Mountain Ute lands. This project would was possible because
the Ute Mountain THPO could authorize and oversee the project. We
believe the federal government should do all that it can to promote the
development of THPO programs and cultural preservation offices among
the Indian tribes.
A legitimate issue for tribes is whether excavations can be
conducted at archaeological sites in ways that do not intrude on
culturally sensitive areas or artifacts. Here again, examples
illustrate how these issues can be resolved: Crow Canyon Crow Canyon
recently collaborated with the NPS, the Hopi tribe, and the Jemez tribe
to conduct a six-year limited excavation project at the Goodman Point
Unit of Hovenweep National Monument. The research design for this
project resulted from extensive consultation between representatives of
these tribes, NPS staff, Crow Canyon researchers, and members of the
Pueblo communities having traditional ties to the area.
Despite this example, problem-oriented archaeological projects--and
especially those that rely in part on excavations--are increasingly
rare in national parks. Several factors account for this, including the
cost of artifact curation and the fact that excavation physically
impacts the archaeological record. Despite these issues, we believe
judicious excavation is critical to the dynamic of problem-oriented
archaeological research. Crow Canyon supports an ongoing excavation
program, and our excavations have fundamentally altered and improved
the interpretations of archaeological sites where we have worked.
Excavations are the only means by which archaeologists can obtain
certain kinds of specimens necessary to address specific questions.
Archaeologists conducting excavation-based research need to design
sampling strategies that leave the great majority of the archaeological
record intact for future generations and they need to consult with
tribes to make sure that the concerns of American Indians are taken
into account. But it is critical that excavations remain in the tool
kit as we seek to answer questions about the human past. Again, to use
the Goodman Point Project as an example, the excavation component of
the project intruded on far less than one percent of Goodman Point
Pueblo and the smaller sites that comprise the cluster of associated
sites in the Goodman Point Unit.
Finally, it is critical that problem-oriented archaeological
research be disseminated to a broad public audience through a wide
range of products. These include peer-reviewed publications for a
professional audience, publications for nonprofessionals, public
lectures, educational materials for school children that are designed
for use in the classroom and on the Internet, museum displays, tours,
etc. The public benefit of preservation is fully realized only when
problem-oriented research is conducted and then disseminated to a large
audience. The dissemination of research results is another area where
the NPS needs to develop partnerships in order to tap the full
potential for public benefit of their management of cultural resources.
Research, published though the peer review process, provides an
important foundation for all educational and interpretive efforts
because it provides the content for the development of these materials.
The greatest public benefit of the cultural resources in national
parks is their ability to teach us who we are as social and cultural
beings so that we can use this knowledge to create a healthy society.
This public benefit can only achieved through the intersection of
preservation, education, and problem-oriented research. This research
includes integrating archaeological research conducted using scientific
methods and the traditional knowledge of American Indian people.
Achieving this public benefit can only be achieved through partnerships
between the NPS, the archaeological research community, American
Indians, and others involved in these efforts.