COMMENT DUE TODAY, 7/22/24 | Draft DHS Environmental Justice Strategic Plan: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is revising its Environmental Justice (EJ) Strategy (Fiscal Year 2021-2025). You can find more details about DHS's announcement on NATHPO's Events Page HERE. DHS is also accepting written comments by TODAY, July 22, 2024. You can submit those comments to DHSEnvironmentalJustice@hq.dhs.gov. NATHPO has submitted its own comment letter, which you can access HERE and is also attached.

HAPPENING JULY 23 & 24: NPS Draft Consultation Policy: The National Park Service (NPS) is soliciting feedback from Tribal representatives as to proposed edits/recommendations on how the NPS Tribal Consultation policy will best serve the needs of Indian Country.  The draft policy includes the requirements within President Biden's Memorandum on Uniform Standards for Tribal Consultation released at the 2022 Tribal Summit. The draft also covers various divisions within NPS that work closely with Tribal Nations. NPS will be holding two Tribal consultations - one on July 23, 2024, and another on July 24, 2024, both at 3:00 PM Eastern. For more information about this proposed policy update and information about how to register for the consultation, please visit NATHPO's Events Page HERE.

FEMA Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide Update - Tribal Consultation August 7 & 8, 2024. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is inviting Tribal Nations to attend virtual consultations on FEMA's Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide Update. The agency is soliciting feedback on proposed updates to Version 5 of the Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide (PAPPG). Check out the NATHPO Events page for information on the proposed upgrades, as well as how to register for the consultations on August 7 and August 8. The 60-day comment period ends August 19, 2024. NATHPO will be submitting comment, which we will post HERE when it is finalized.

EPA Tribal Oil Spill Prevention Webinar - August 21 & September 17: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is hosting two more 90-minute sessions that provide a basic overview of the Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) oil spill prevention program, regulatory requirements, program implementation, and federal oil spill reporting requirements. The session will also include a question-and-answer segment where participants can interact with the SPCC national program manager. For more information about the SPCC program and the two remaining webinars, please visit the NATHPO Events Page HERE.

NATHPO regularly submits comment letters to federal agencies advocating on behalf of Tribal communities and their THPOs. You can find several of our most recent letters HERE, and if you know of an upcoming deadline and want NATHPO to consider submitting comment, please contact Melissa Madrigal at melissa@nathpo.org.

The 24th Annual NATHPO Conference and Sacred Places summit is right around the corner! Team NATHPO is busy finalizing the details and looking forward to seeing friends and colleagues, old and new, from around the country as we gather at the Ho-Chunk Gaming Resort in the Wisconsin Dells.

Click HERE for a sneak peak at the latest draft agenda! It's packed full of sessions we hope you'll find impactful, educational, and fun!

If you haven't registered yet, please do so soon! The rates will increase after August 1. You can register right HERE.

Happening This Week! Indigenous Journalists Association Conference: Members of Team NATHPO will be traveling to Oklahoma City to participate in the Indigenous Journalists Association National Conference. We're excited to bring a small group of THPOs to conduct a panel to have a conversation with the assembled journalists about issues important to THPOs and the Tribes they serve. The panel will include Valerie Grussing, PhD, NATHPO Executive Director; Jon Eagle, Sr. (Hunkpapa Lakota); Nicholas Laluk, PhD (White Mountain Apache Tribe); and Stacy Laravie (Ponca), NATHPO Indigenization Director.

Last Week - ACHP Business Meeting: On July 18, 2024, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) held a regular business meeting. Executive Director Valerie Grussing attended on NATHPO's behalf. You can see the agenda for the meeting HERE.

NATHPO At The Pentagon: Last week, several members of Team NATHPO, including Executive Director Valerie Grussing, Repatriation Advisor Timothy McKeown, and Government Affairs Coordinator Ted Monoson, visited the Pentagon at the request of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Real Property Ron Tickle. Sec. Tickle requested the meeting at a recent ACHP meeting, and the team was happy to meet with him and bring him up to speed on Tribal issues and how the partnership between Tribes and the Department of Defense can work better.

ATTENTION THPOS! The time has come to elect a new NATHPO Board of Directors! Voting opened one week ago today, and closes this Friday, July 26 at Midnight, Eastern Time. To find voting information, please refer to the email you received last Monday with the subject line, "NATHPO Members: Vote Now for Board of Directors!"

Voting is open to all NATHPO members in good standing. To check your standing or to pay dues, please contact Amy Garcia at accounting@nathpo.org. If you are not yet a member of NATHPO, please consider joining at this time via the online form (Membership Information & Benefits) or contact Melissa Madrigal at melissa@nathpo.org.

Stay current on important happenings using our new Calendar of Events, and post your own to share! And let us know if you have a job posting you would like to share and we'll post it on our Community Job Board. AND don't forget to browse our listing of relevant Grant Opportunities.

The 24th Annual NATHPO Conference & Sacred Places Summit will take place August 12-16, 2024, at the Ho-Chunk Gaming Resort in the Wisconsin Dells. Register here before rates go up on August 1, and stay tuned for more details, and be sure to mark these days on your calendars!

If you would like to become one of our conference sponsors, please contact please contact Melissa Madrigal at melissa@nathpo.org. Information about sponsorship rates is available HERE.

Valerie J. Grussing, PhD
NATHPO Executive Director
valerie@nathpo.org | 202-628-8476