DUE TODAY (October 3) | Reply Comment On New FCC Proposed Rulemaking: On Wednesday, August 14. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released new proposed rulemaking on "modernizing" their National Environmental Policy Act Rules. Reply comments are due TODAY, October 3, 2025. Today, NATHPO will submit reply comments jointly with the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), a copy of which will be made available on our website. Previously, NATHPO submitted a letter to FCC regarding their notification and "consultation" practices, as well as formal comment on the proposed new rulemaking itself, both of which are also attached.

DUE OCTOBER 6 | USDA Tribal Advisory Committee Nominations: "The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is soliciting nominations for four (4) vacancies on the USDA Tribal Advisory Committee. The Committee consists of eleven (11) members serving staggered terms. Three members will be appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture for a three-year term and one by the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Agriculture to serve the remainder of the vacancy term ending December 19, 2025 ... Complete nomination packages for membership on the Committee must be received at Tribal.Relations@usda.gov no later than October 6, 2025. Learn more here."

HAPPENING OCTOBER 14 & 16 | USDA Reorganization Tribal Consultation Sessions: In July 2025, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a department-wide reorganization plan. USDA will be holding two Tribal Consultation sessions, with both in-person and virtual participation options. The first will take place October 14, 2025, in Washington, DC, from 2:00-5:00 PM Eastern Time. You can register to participate in-person HERE and virtually HERE. The second will take place October 16, 2026, in Denver, CO, from 12:00-3:00 PM Mountain Time. You can register to participate in-person HERE and virtually HERE.

HAPPENING OCTOBER 13-15 | NAGPRA Training for Tribal Practitioners: There will be an intensive NAGPRA Summer Training & Education Program (INSTEP) for Tribal Practitioners, October 13-15, 2025, Miami, Oklahoma, hosted by Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. Topics to be discussed include (but are not limited to): What information can/should Tribes request from institutions during NAGPRA consultation? What requirements are new or updated for Tribes in the revised NAGPRA regulations? How do NAGPRA timelines for institutions impact Tribes? What are Tribes' roles in these timelines? Case studies/examples of successful NAGPRA consultations between Tribes and institutions. Discussion of potential tools for Tribes to utilize in the NAGPRA process (e.g., Miami Tribe NAGPRA manual, Human Remains Detection Dogs). Please contact Krystiana Krupa (klkrupa@illinois.edu, University of Illinois) and/or Jayne-Leigh Thomas (thomajay@iu.edu, Indiana University) with questions or to express interest in participating in the program. There is no cost to attend. Further details regarding hotel accommodations and program location will be sent to interested participants directly via email.

DUE OCTOBER 21 | Comment On USFS Alaska Roadless Rule Change: The US Forest Service (USFS) is seeking comment on its proposed changes to the Alaska Roadless Rule. Those comments are due October 21, 2025. You can find more information on the proposed rule changes, as well as how to submit comments, here. Please note that this website linked above says public comments were due September 19, 2025, but recent communication from the Department of Agriculture indicates that deadline is October 21. NATHPO has already submitted comment, a copy of which is attached to this email.

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.

ACHP Operations During Government Shutdown: NATHPO, which holds a permanent seat on the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), has received guidance on the ACHP's operations during the current government shutdown. Most staff at ACHP are furloughed, as is the case across most federal agencies. However, while all other ACHP business is halted and the offices are closed, "some staff may continue working on excepted Section 106 reviews and consultation."

ACHP Membership Updates | Thanking Amelia Marchand: NATHPO has also received notification that, in anticipation of new appointees, several members have been removed from the ACHP, including the Native American/Native Hawaiian member, Amelia Marchand. Appointed in June 2024, Amelia, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, has been a solid advocate for Tribal Nations and THPOs during her time at ACHP. It has been a privilege to get to know her and to serve alongside her on the Council, and we wish to express our heartfelt thanks for her service. The Native American/Native Hawaiian member seat is a vitally important part of ACHP, giving voice to the concerns of Tribal Nations and the Native Hawaiian community. We hope the Administration fills this seat soon, and we look forward to working with its next occupant, as well as the rest of the ACHP, in the months and years ahead.

NATHPO Calls On Agencies To Pause Projects Requiring Consultation During Government Shutdown | On Wednesday evening, NATHPO called on all federal agencies to pause any undertaking or policy proposal with the potential to affect landscapes or resources important to Tribal Nations in the event of a government shutdown, and until the government fully reopens, they should also put on hold any consultation deadlines. You can read our full statement HERE.

Welcome New Board Members Crystal C'Bearing & Warren Graham! Yesterday, the NATHPO Board of Directors convened for its October meeting and welcomes two new members: Rocky Mountain Region Representative Crystal C'Bearing (Northern Arapaho Tribe) and Western Regional Representative Warren Graham (Duckwater Shoshone Tribe). Currently, we have just one vacancy left on our board in the Great Plains Region, If you are interested in joining our Board, or know someone who would make a good Board member, please contact Melissa@NATHPO.org and Valerie@NATHPO.org.

NATHPO In The News:

• On its opening day, local Tribal leaders joined members of NATHPO's leadership to formally kick off our annual conference with a brief news conference. You can watch the full news conference HERE and see KTVN's story about the news conference HERE.
• Valerie also appeared on an episode of DRILLED's SLAPP'D Podcast, where she answered the question, "What is a sacred site," simply: "in real speak, I guess it's anything a Tribe says it is. It's a place that they, identify as sacred for whatever reason."

Thanks again to everyone who helped make our 25th Annual Conference & Sacred Places Summit such a success last month! We will be following up with attendees soon with an email containing links to recorded sessions, slide decks and other resources. But for now, please visit NATHPO's Facebook Page to see photos and other updates from the week, and, if you haven't already, please take a few minutes to complete our post-conference survey.

As you may have heard if you attended our conference last month, researchers at the University of Arizona, including longtime THPO ally Mike Spears, are asking THPOs and staff to share their experiences and perspectives through short, confidential interviews for a national study on the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer program. Your insights will help strengthen understanding of the program’s impact and future needs, and highlight the critical role THPOs have in historic preservation. You can sign up HERE.

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.

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