National Park Service

Cultural Resource Challenge

PRESERVING AMERICA’S SHARED HERITAGE IN THE 21ST CENTURY

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Cultural Resources Stewardship, Partnerships, and Science
Cover photo: High school students participate in an archeological excavation at 

Tumacacori National Historical Park. NPS PHOTO

Right: Civil War era Union Army belt buckle. WOODSTOCK HISTORICAL SOCIETY / ROB WOOD PHOTO
National Park Service

Cultural Resource Challenge

PRESERVING AMERICA’S SHARED HERITAGE

IN THE 21ST CENTURY

OCTOBER 2013
To fulfill our responsibilities under the Organic Act and the 

National Historic Preservation Act, the National Park Service 

must address the identification, documentation, and preservation 

of the irreplaceable resources that commemorate and illuminate 

the stories of our nation.

ICE PATCH ARCHEOLOGY AND PALEOECOLOGY GLACIER NATIONAL PARK NPS PHOTO
National Park Service Cultural Resource Challenge 1

The service thus established shall promote and regulate the use 

of the Federal areas known as national parks, monuments, and 

reservations hereinafter specified by such means and measures 

as conform to the fundamental purpose of the said parks, 

monuments, and reservations, which purpose is to conserve the 

scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life 

therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such 

manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the 

enjoyment of future generations.

—1916 Organic Act

The spirit and direction of the Nation are founded upon and 

reflected in its historic heritage; the historical and cultural 

foundations of the Nation should be preserved as a living part 

of our community life and development in order to give a sense 

of orientation to the American people... the preservation of 

this irreplaceable heritage is in the public interest so that its vital 

legacy of cultural, educational, aesthetic, inspirational, economic, 

and energy benefits will be maintained and enriched for future 

generations of Americans.

—1966 National Historic Preservation Act

As we approach the 100th anniversary of the creation of the National Park Service 

(NPS) and the 50th anniversary of the passage of the National Historic Preservation 

Act (NHPA), both the inherent promises and the threats to our cultural resources that 

inspired the Acts are still with us. The NHPA envisioned enabling “future generations 

a genuine opportunity to appreciate and enjoy the rich heritage of our Nation,” while 

observing that “historic properties significant to the Nation’s heritage are being lost or 

substantially altered, often inadvertently, with increasing frequency.” 

Then, as now, the NHPA encourages “the Federal Government to accelerate its historic 

preservation programs and activities” and support the efforts of its partners in the 

National Preservation Program “to expand and accelerate their historic preservation 

programs and activities.” 

Preamble
ELLIS ISLAND HOSPITAL STATUE OF LIBERTY NATIONAL MONUMENT

The National Park Service Cultural Resource Challenge will 

support our parks and partnership programs and chart a course 

for addressing our most urgent needs and key challenges.

NPS PHOTO
National Park Service Cultural Resource Challenge 3

Introduction

In fulfilling our mission to preserve the 

nation’s cultural heritage, the National 

Park Service is the steward and manager of 

cultural resources within the units of the 

National Park System, as well as a leader 

in promoting historic preservation in 

communities large and small nationwide. 

In the 21st century, the Cultural Resources 

Stewardship, Partnerships, and Science 

Programs of the National Park Service 

must

Provide leadership for the protection and interpretation 

of the nation’s heritage, guide a national historic 

preservation program that embraces national parks and 

heritage resources, engage all American peoples with the 

places and stories that make up their national identity, 

and serve as a model for the stewardship of cultural 

resources throughout the world.

The magnitude of NPS stewardship 

responsibilities for the nation’s heritage 

resources is both inspiring and daunting. 

The National Park System includes over 

27,000 historic and precontact structures, 

3,500 statues, monuments and memorials, 

an estimated two million archeological sites, 

and more than 159 million museum objects 

and archival documents. The National 

Historic Preservation Program encompasses 

all federal agencies, 59 states and territories, 

1,863 certified local governments, 565

American Indian tribes, 49 National 

Heritage Areas (NHAs), dozens of nonprofit preservation organizations, and the 

general public. 

Through NPS-supported partnerships, 

more than 88,000 listings on the National 

Register of Historic Places include almost 

1.7 million historic buildings; over 38,700

historic properties have been rehabilitated 

through the Federal Historic Preservation 

Tax Incentives Program, leveraging over 

$66 billion in private investment and 

creating 2.4 million jobs; and 41,570 places 

have been documented by the Historic 

American Buildings Survey, the Historic 

American Engineering Record, and the 

Historic American Landscape Survey. 

The cultural resources programs and 

responsibilities of the NPS reach into every 

park and virtually every community in the 

nation, yet staffing and funding have not 

kept pace with their growth, let alone to 

meet the new and significant challenges we 

now face. 

Since 1997 there has been a loss of almost 

30 percent of cultural resource management 

positions in our national parks, and the 

losses continue as parks and regional offices 

continue to tighten their belts. The Historic 

Preservation Fund (HPF), which provides 

the primary support for the partnership 

programs with state historic preservation 

offices (SHPOs), has remained largely 

flat since 1980, resulting in a substantial 

decline in adjusted dollars. Funding for 

tribal programs through the HPF has not 

kept pace with the dramatic increase in 

participating tribes, from 12 in 1996 to 143 

today. The elimination of the Save America’s 

Treasures and Preserve America funding 

has significantly reduced the support 

for survey and treatment of our heritage 

resources both in national parks and in local 

communities across the country. 

Nationally recognized reports have repeatedly documented these challenges over the 

past decade, most recently in the 2007 and 

2008 reports by the National Academy of 

Public Administration (NAPA), the 2009 

findings of the National Parks Second 

Century Commission, and in the aptly titled 

“Imperiled Promise” report from the Organization of American Historians in 2011. 

In addition to age-old threats such as wind, 

fire, and floods, recent years have seen the 

rapid advancement of new threats and 

challenges to the long-term preservation 

of cultural resources—climate change; 

national initiatives for sustainability, energy 

conservation, and improved disaster 

National Park Service Cultural Resource Challenge 5

response; and calls for continued relevancy 

to current and future constituents through 

our support for education, youth, and 

diversity programs—threats and demands 

that were unknown or not considered by the 

visionaries of 1916 and 1966.

The Second Century Commission and 

2008 NAPA reports both called for a 

“Cultural Resource Challenge,” a major 

funding initiative similar to the Natural 

Resource Challenge that brought $70 million 

in increased support for the improved 

management of national park natural 

resources between 2001 and 2008. The NPS 

and its preservation partners have also long 

advocated for full funding of the Historic 

Preservation Fund, which is funded through 

offshore oil and gas lease revenue from the 

outer-continental shelf, and whose annual 

appropriation has rarely exceeded even half 

of the authorized amount ($150 million). 

In an era of ever-tightening budgets, 

however, the prospects for major increases 

on the same order of the Natural Resource 

Challenge appear unlikely for the foreseeable 

future. Although nothing less than additional 

funding will help fully preserve America’s 

heritage for future generations, waiting for a 

comparable level of much-needed increases 

to address the issues that confront us now 

is NOT an option as we strive to meet our 

stewardship and partnership responsibilities 

to preserve the nation’s shared heritage for 

future generations. 

Instead, as the NPS looks ahead to the 2016 

centennial of the National Park Service and 

the fiftieth anniversary of the NHPA, it is 

critical that the NPS take this opportunity 

to look forward and recommit to preserving 

the nation’s historic resources. The Cultural 

Resource Challenge provides focus for NPS 

stewardship and partnership responsibilities 

for America’s cultural heritage, builds on 

key programs, prioritizes the use of existing 

resources, and identifies critical actions 

that will best meet the needs and challenges 

confronting us in the 21st century.

The Cultural Resource Challenge commits 

the NPS to stronger advocacy for both 

parks and partnership programs and charts 

a course for addressing the most urgent 

needs and key challenges. This strategic 

plan identifies five goals that represent our 

most critical priorities while acknowledging 

that additional resources are not likely to be 

available to the NPS at this time. These goals 

and priorities are drawn from conversations 

with NPS leadership, field staff, and 

partners, as well as many past reports. The 

Challenge provides a strategy for moving 

forward in difficult times, but it is not 

intended to set aside or ignore the very real 

need for increased and sustained financial 

and programmatic support for the National 

Historic Preservation Program.

The goals and actions of the Challenge focus 

on opportunities the NPS does have to move 

forward within our existing levels or modest 

increases of support; they are designed to 

be aspirational, scalable, and collaborative. 

They are anchored in the NPS core values 

of stewardship, relevancy, education, and 

workforce, and support the NPS A Call to 

Action. As 2016 approaches, they reflect the 

need for the NPS to be more creative with 

existing resources and to align our efforts at 

all levels within the Service, to strengthen 

our relationships with current partners 

and identify new ones, and to ensure the 

NPS continues to be viewed as relevant to 

the major issues attracting resources and 

funding today. Only then can the NPS strive 

to meet the hopes and expectations of 1916 

and 1966 for future generations.

Student Conservation 

Corps participants repoint 

the west wall of the 1870s 

Depot Tank Stagecoach 

Station at Petrified Forest 

National Park (above).

NPS PHOTO

Headstones and markers 

receive a cleaning 

on Volunteer Day at 

Vicksburg National 

Cemetery (opposite).

NPS PHOTO
The Cultural Resource Challenge will help the National Park Service 

to encourage, support, and share innovative ideas for research, 

interpretation, education, and preservation of heritage resources.

INTERPRETING ARCHEOLOGY HAWAI‘I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK NPS PHOTO
National Park Service Cultural Resource Challenge 7

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The NPS Cultural Resource Challenge

The nation’s historic and cultural resources 

are the spiritual and physical reminders of 

the decisive times, people, and places in 

American history and culture. The National 

Park Service mission is to help preserve 

these places—both within the parks and in 

communities across the nation—as tangible, 

living contacts with previous and future 

generations. 

Through the Cultural Resource Challenge 

goals and actions, the National Park Service 

seeks to

Achieve a standard of excellence for the stewardship 

of the resources that form the historical and cultural 

foundations of the nation, commit at all levels to a 

common sets of goals, and articulate a common vision 

for the next century. 

To meet this challenge, collaboration with 

all of our partners—within and outside of 

the Service—is critical to build a shared 

vision that embraces the full range of our 

responsibilities under the Organic Act and 

the National Historic Preservation Act. The 

NPS must reshape and rebuild its cultural 

resources staffing, share NPS expertise with 

others, and emphasize an interdisciplinary 

approach to managing resources. Strong 

leadership, vision, and communication 

is required from all involved—parks and 

partners as well as national and regional 

program leadership—to build and lead a 

reinvigorated, more effective, and unified 

nationwide system of heritage preservation. 

Iron projectile point, 

Grand Portage National 

Monument. NPS PHOTO

The individual GOALS required to implement the Cultural Resource Challenge are:

Provide leadership, support, and 

advocacy for the stewardship, 

protection, interpretation, and 

management of the nation’s heritage 

through scholarly research, science, 

and effective management.

Recommit to the spirit and letter of 

the landmark legislation underpinning 

the NPS mission, as expressed in the 

Organic Act, the Antiquities Act, the 

Historic Sites Act, and the National 

Historic Preservation Act, through 

which the American people have made 

clear their desire for the protection 

and preservation of our historic and 

cultural resources. 

Connect all Americans to their heritage 

resources in a manner that resonates 

with their lives, legacies, and dreams, 

and tells the stories that make up 

America’s diverse national identity. 

Integrate the values of heritage 

stewardship into major initiatives and 

issues such as renewable energy, climate 

change, community assistance and 

revitalization, and sustainability, while 

cultivating excellence in science and 

technical preservation as a foundation 

for resource protection, management, 

and rehabilitation. 

Attract, support, and retain a highly 

skilled and diverse workforce, and 

support the development of leadership 

and expertise within the National Park 

Service.

The following pages describe strategic 

approaches within each goal that will guide 

the process.
8 National Park Service Cultural Resources Stewardship, Partnerships, and Science

Goal #1: Provide leadership, support, and advocacy for the 

stewardship, protection, interpretation, and management 

of the nation’s heritage through scholarly research, 

science, and effective management.

Archeological collections 

are rehoused at George 

Washington Birthplace 

National Monument 

through technical 

assistance provided by the 

NPS Northeast Museum 

Services Center. NPS PHOTO

Stewardship

The preservation of America’s special places 

is the focus of NPS responsibilities under 

the Organic Act and the National Historic 

Preservation Act. National Park Service 

efforts must address the identification, 

documentation, and preservation of 

irreplaceable resources that commemorate 

and illuminate the stories of our nation, 

including both cultural resources within 

the National Park System and hundreds 

of thousands of state, tribal, community, 

and privately owned historic and cultural 

resources throughout the nation. These 

efforts, and the staff and funding resources 

that support them, must be guided by 

consensus with the NPS and among our 

partners on our most critical priorities.

Of the 401 current national park units, 

nearly two-thirds are historical parks, sites, 

monuments, or memorials. In addition, 

all parks, recreation areas, seashores, and 

other NPS units include historic sites, 

structures, landscapes, archeological sites, 

and museum artifacts. However, too many of 

the cultural resources of these sites are not 

well understood or protected. The same can 

be said of those historic resources worthy 

of preservation beyond park boundaries for 

which the NHPA established the National 

Register of Historic Places and the National 

Historic Landmarks programs, managed by 

NPS, to document and provide a measure 

of protection from adverse federal actions. 

Recent independent studies of NPS cultural 

resource management and partnership 

programs reveal significant deficits in the 

funding and staffing needed for both the 

NPS and our partners to support these basic 

stewardship responsibilities.

Our parks and partners need accurate, 

high-quality information and access to 

the expertise needed to make informed 

cultural resource management decisions. 
National Park Service Cultural Resource Challenge 9

Yet, 70 percent of our parks lack a full set 

of baseline cultural resource documents; 

many also lack cultural resource Geographic 

Information Systems (GIS) data layers. 

Baseline data include the identification 

and evaluation of historic properties to 

determine their significance and treatment 

needs. The same is true for archeological 

sites; many have been identified, but very 

few have been fully assessed. And, far too 

many museum collections and artifacts 

located in parks have yet to be cataloged 

so they can be of use to researchers and 

accessible to the public. 

Beyond our boundaries, many important 

cultural resources are likewise not 

documented or protected by National 

Register or National Historic Landmark 

listings. National Register files have not 

been fully digitized to make them accessible 

to researchers, planners, and the general 

public. National 

Park Service 

guidance for the 

documentation and 

treatment of cultural 

resources needs to 

be updated to reflect 

new scientific research 

and technologies. 

Enhanced collaboration with 

academic and professional programs and 

organizations is essential to support our 

research, documentation, and interpretation 

programs. And, if the NPS is to reestablish 

and maintain an international leadership 

role in the stewardship of cultural resources, 

the agency must also strengthen current 

relationships with heritage organizations 

and government programs abroad.

Strategic Approaches

n Build cultural resource management 

capacity throughout the NPS to ensure 

that essential research, conservation, and 

treatment expertise is available to parks 

and partners to guide the protection and 

preservation of our shared heritage.

n Create integrated data systems that 

maximize the accessibility of our inventory, 

evaluation, documentation, and treatment 

information to support decision making by 

planners, managers, and other stewards of 

our cultural resources.

n Prioritize funding to support baseline 

research to identify, evaluate, document, 

catalog, interpret, and manage historic sites, 

structures, landscapes, archeological sites, 

museum collections, and traditional cultural 

properties.

Parks and partnership programs need accurate, high-quality 

information and access to the expertise needed to make 

informed cultural resource management decisions.

n Review and update NPS guidance 

for cultural resource identification, 

management, treatment, documentation, 

and mitigation.

n Improve collaboration with academia 

and professional organizations and other 

partners to ensure that NPS research and 

methodology reflect the most current 

scholarship and science.

n Improve and establish relationships 

with international heritage groups and 

world government organizations to support 

international cooperation for heritage 

preservation.

San Ildefonso pottery, 

Bandelier National 

Monument. NPS PHOTO
10 National Park Service Cultural Resources Stewardship, Partnerships, and Science

Goal #2: Recommit to the spirit and letter of the landmark 

legislation underpinning the National Park Service mission, 

as expressed in the Organic Act, the Antiquities Act, the 

Historic Sites Act, and the National Historic Preservation 

Act, through which the American people have made clear 

their desire for the protection and preservation of our 

historic and cultural resources.

Honoring our Mandates

With the passage of the National Historic 

Preservation Act in 1966, Congress 

mandated the identification and protection 

of historic resources so that they could be 

preserved as “a living part of our community 

life and development in order to give a sense 

of orientation to the American people.” 

The NPS provides critical leadership 

and support to the National Historic 

Preservation Program. 

Under the NHPA, a national network 

was established in the form of federal 

preservation officers for federal agencies, 

state historic preservation offices in each 

state, tribal historic preservation offices 

in participating tribes, and certified local 

governments (CLGs). 

With NPS assistance, 

guidance, and 

funding, these 

partners in the 

National Historic 

Preservation 

Program undertake 

survey, registration, and 

documentation in order to recognize 

and protect their cultural resources. 

Funding also can be provided to private 

sector historic preservation organizations 

who also are struggling to protect the 

nation’s resources, while tax incentives 

for income-producing properties promote 

historic rehabilitation and community 

revitalization of historic buildings in cities, 

towns, and rural areas. Such activities 

help to rebuild communities and provide 

sustainable alternatives to demolition. 

Promised funding to assist the SHPOs, 

THPOs, CLGs, and private-sector 

organizations came with the NHPA, yet 

actual funding levels have never approached 

what was promised. The work of NPS 

preservation partners is supported through 

the Historic Preservation Fund, which 

is funded through offshore oil and gas 

lease revenue from the outer-continental 

shelf. The annual appropriation has rarely 

exceeded even half of the authorized 

amount of $150 million per year, and the 

NPS and its preservation partners have long 

advocated for full funding of the HPF. 

The National Park Service is tasked with 

providing more than just funding in support 

of the National Historic Preservation 

Program, but also the leadership, guidance, 

and staffing assistance required to train, 

coordinate, and provide assistance to its 

many preservation partners. The existing 

levels of financial and programmatic 

support have eroded NPS ability to meet its 

responsibilities and address new challenges 

and threats. 

As just one example, the NPS has the 

responsibility to document and record 

historic properties to the Secretary of the 

Interior’s Standards for Architectural and 

Engineering Documentation and to oversee 

the national documentation program. Over 

the past decade or two, such documentation 

has been sadly neglected due to the lack of 

staffing and financial resources needed to 

carry out our responsibilities. The effect on 

the general public is the loss of hundreds of 

historic properties each year without any 

record of their existence. 

The NPS provides guidelines and 

informational briefs that outline the 

documentation methodologies necessary 

for recording historic resources, as well 

as policies, guidance, technical assistance, 

education, and training on rehabilitation, 

materials conservation, and many other 

Eyeglasses, 

Frederick 

Douglass National 

Historic Site. NPS PHOTO
National Park Service Cultural Resource Challenge 11

topics critical to the national preservation 

program. In challenging economic times, 

it is critical to continue to support the 

nation’s historic preservation programs that 

preserve our shared heritage and to support 

community engagement and revitalization, 

jobs and training opportunities, 

sustainability, and energy conservation.

Strategic Approaches

n Support historic preservation legislation 

that embraces the heritage resources of our 

national parks and communities, and work 

with our partners to increase the resources 

and guidance required for preservation and 

improved public access to information.

n Document the need and critical priorities 

for advocating for full funding for the 

Historic Preservation Fund as established by 

the NHPA. 

n Provide state historic preservation offices 

(SHPOs), tribal historic preservation offices 

(THPOs), certified local governments 

(CLGs), federal preservation officers 

(FPOs), government agencies, and others, 

training and technical guidance that 

connects them with the best practices 

available in preservation, documentation, 

and conservation.

n Improve and update NPS preservation 

guidance and access to information via 

websites and social media networks.

n Work with partners to develop a focused 

public education campaign to communicate 

and advance historic preservation values and 

the NPS role within the National Historic 

Preservation Program.

Limewash is applied to 

a slave overseer’s house 

(with slave cabins in the 

background) at Kingsley 

Plantation, Timucuan 

Ecological and Historic 

Preserve. NPS PHOTO
12 National Park Service Cultural Resources Stewardship, Partnerships, and Science

Goal #3: Connect all Americans to their heritage resources in a 

manner that resonates with their lives, legacies, and 

dreams, and tells the stories that make up America’s 

diverse national identity. 

A Society Connected to Its Past

Education is a primary responsibility of 

the NPS, but that responsibility cannot be 

fulfilled unless and until NPS parks and 

programs tell the stories that reflect the 

diverse and complex contributions of all 

Americans. Understanding our shared 

history connects our personal experiences 

to our communities, to past events, and to 

current and future challenges. While the 

NPS mission is the preservation of places 

and objects of significant national, state, 

local, tribal, community, and human history, 

it must stay firmly rooted in the critical 

needs of the present—a relevant NPS must 

speak with the American people today, and 

walk with them into the future. 

The United States has always been home 

to a diverse population. Each locality 

within our vast nation can be identified by 

specific regional and ethnic cultural and 

material expressions that make it distinct. 

While many NPS units are dedicated to the 

preservation and interpretation of these 

sites, more work is required to identify and 

record information about them that fully 

reflects the diversity of the American story. 

It is especially important to incorporate 

the stories of communities that have been 

underrepresented in the national dialog.

Equally compelling and often overlooked 

are the difficult stories that, once told, 

can serve to promote understanding and 

sensitivity to issues of a contested past. 

Much of our existing interpretation requires 

reexamination to reflect more current 

scholarship and foster an understanding 

of the contributions of individuals and 

groups. The exploration of new historical 

sites and interpretive plans should include 

representatives from communities and 

people with a broad range of perspectives. 

The National Park Service can set a 

balanced course for the future by engaging 

Visitors join in a dance 

at the Indian Village at 

Jefferson Patterson Park, 

a partner with Captain 

John Smith Chesapeake 

National Historic Trail. 

M. SHISLER PHOTO
National Park Service Cultural Resource Challenge 13

underrepresented groups to ensure their 

stories are documented and told. 

The National Park Service must provide 

guidance and better access to its own 

information to help the private 

sector realize these goals. 

Partnerships with 

the private sector, 

as exemplified 

by the National 

Heritage Areas 

program, can provide 

support to regions and 

communities that share a common heritage 

and seek to preserve and promote their 

historic resources and help revitalize their 

communities. 

Strategic Approaches

n Assess gaps in the National Park System 

and the National Historic Landmarks 

and National Register of Historic Places 

programs regarding sites related to 

underrepresented groups and resource 

types, and identify and implement strategies 

and initiatives for their inclusion.

n Expand and improve NPS support 

to Native American, minority, and other 

Hands-on educational 

programs familiarize 

students with park 

archeological practices at 

Fort Vancouver National 

Historic Site. NPS PHOTO

Moccasins,

Nez Perce National 

Historical Park. NPS PHOTO

underrepresented cultures involved in the 

national historic preservation programs and 

the preservation of their cultures.

n Support the passage of National Heritage 

Area program legislation and continued 

funding for NHAs, and provide them with 

increased assistance, evaluation, monitoring, 

and technical support.

n Disseminate NPS-supported research, 

discoveries, and information to the widest 

possible audience—NPS employees, 

educators, visitors, partners, communities, 

and the public—utilizing multiple formats 

and the most current delivery systems and 

technologies to provide the best access.

n Develop and promote programs that 

engage the next generation in historic 

preservation, history, and archeology 

programs that involve them in handson documentation and preservation of 

community stories and resources, providing 

jobs and developing leadership and life 

skills.

n Advance the NPS commitment to tell the 

stories of the difficult and tragic moments 

of our nation’s past, as well as celebrating 

American achievements.
14 National Park Service Cultural Resources Stewardship, Partnerships, and Science

Goal #4: Integrate the values of heritage stewardship into major 

initiatives and issues such as renewable energy, climate 

change, community assistance and revitalization, and 

sustainability, while cultivating excellence in science 

and technical preservation as a foundation for resource 

protection, management, and rehabilitation.

Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century

Recent large-scale environmental disasters 

such as Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf 

Oil Spill have demonstrated the need to be 

proactive in the development of plans to 

aid in the post-disaster recovery of historic 

properties, districts, and communities. 

These and other disasters have required 

the NPS to experiment with methodologies 

to meet the challenges encountered in the 

field to quickly identify and evaluate the 

condition of affected historic resources. 

The National Park Service led the way 

in the development of GIS standards to 

establish locational data that is crucial in 

such circumstances. However, the NPS lacks 

the funding to implement these standards 

fully in the parks and to continue to develop 

new standards and guidelines to address the 

emerging impacts upon the nation’s historic 

resources. 

Hundreds of thousands of historic properties are located in areas threatened by 

climate change impacts such as sea level rise, 

changes in rainfall, and permafrost melting. 

National Park Service natural resources programs have already begun to utilize scientific 

approaches to deal with such impacts on the 

environment, but equally vulnerable—and 

far less replaceable—cultural resources have 

not fully benefited from these approaches. 

Increased research and cooperation with 

natural resources programs and external 

partners, including federal agencies and 

Crew members remove 

a tree damaged by 

Hurricane Sandy at Saint 

Paul’s Church National 

Historic Site, National 

Parks of New York 

Harbor. NPS PHOTO
National Park Service Cultural Resource Challenge 15

A $22 million rehabilitation of the Atlas Theater 

in Washington, DC, under 

the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives 

Program has helped spark 

economic revitalization of 

the city’s historic H Street 

Corridor neighborhood.

MICHAEL MORAN PHOTO COURTESY OF ATLAS 

PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

state, local, and tribal governments with like 

responsibilities are needed to assess vulnerability and engage in risk assessment and 

disaster planning.

Climate change and environmental disasters 

are not the only threats to historic resources 

and to communities. Urban decay, neglect, 

and unplanned development are even more 

pressing threats. Incentives such as the 

Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives 

Program that encourage the rehabilitation 

of historic structures are invaluable 

in revitalizing older communities and 

providing for sustainable development.

Increased funding and technical assistance 

is needed, as is the exploration of other 

incentives and strategies by which older 

communities can be made more vibrant, 

while at the same time creating much needed 

jobs in skilled construction and historic 

preservation. Rehabilitation and historic 

preservation can also engender pride that 

connects people to their communities and 

encourages heritage tourism, which in turn 

helps to drive economic prosperity. 

Strategic Approaches

n Cultivate excellence in technology, 

science, and scholarship as a foundation for 

management and preservation of cultural 

resources throughout the parks and the 

nation.

n Promote an interdisciplinary research 

approach to addressing critical resource 

management issues, including climate 

change, sustainability, ecosystem 

management,and GIS standards, through 

increased coordination between cultural 

and natural resource research and science 

programs. 

n Update the guidance and bulletins 

that assist in applying the Secretary of the 

Interior’s Standards and provide policy and 

technical guidance to parks and partners to 

reflect current issues, needs, and research.

n Work with the national preservation 

community, including other federal 

programs, to develop a proposal for the 

Historic Preservation Fund that would 

provide greater assistance to economically 

distressed areas, and those undergoing rapid 

urbanization.

n Continue support for the Federal Historic 

Preservation Tax Incentives Program as the 

largest and most successful federal program 

specifically supporting historic preservation, 

community revitalization, and job creation 

through historic rehabilitation.

n Promote the economic value of NPS 

parks, sites, and programs to communities 

through community revitalization, tourism, 

and job creation.

Incentives such as the Federal 

Historic Preservation Tax Incentives 

Program that encourage the 

rehabilitation of historic structures 

are invaluable in revitalizing older 

communities and providing for 

sustainable development. 

Red Cross button, 

Maggie L. Walker 

National Historic Site.

NPS PHOTO
16 National Park Service Cultural Resources Stewardship, Partnerships, and Science

Boy Scouts assist the NPS 

in redaubing the historic 

Old Ranger Cabin at 

Walnut Canyon National 

Monument. NPS PHOTO

Achieve a standard of excellence for the stewardship of the 

resources that form the historical and cultural foundations of 

the nation, commit at all levels to a common sets of goals, and 

articulate a common vision for the next century. 
National Park Service Cultural Resource Challenge 17

Goal #5: Attract, support, and retain a highly skilled and diverse 

workforce, and support the development of leadership 

and expertise within the National Park Service.

A Workforce to Help Us Succeed

The National Park Service must provide 

the funding, training, succession planning, 

recognition, facilities, and policies 

employees need to sustain their professional 

credentials and carry out their work with 

effectiveness and efficiency. 

Lack of staffing throughout NPS cultural 

resource programs has reached critical levels 

such that the Washington headquarters 

(WASO), parks, and regions are unable 

to fulfill their obligations as mandated 

by regulation and law, leaving the nation 

vulnerable to the loss of historic resources 

and, ultimately, our cultural heritage. The 

NPS is the steward of many of the nation’s 

most significant cultural resources, with 

additional responsibilities to guide the 

national historic preservation program, but 

it does not have the resources to accomplish 

fully these mandates. 

Too often, as cultural resource professionals 

leave the NPS, their positions are not backfilled. Too many senior staff are retiring, with 

no plan in place for their replacement. In 

the meantime, too few frontline supervisors 

in parks and staff with cultural resources 

responsibilities as collateral duties receive 

adequate training in the preservation and 

management of cultural resources and the 

integration of natural and cultural resource 

management. 

The National Park Service is often 

unable to retain workers representing 

the next generation who are often hired 

temporarily or through contract, despite 

the substantial investment in their training 

and their enthusiasm for the job. Lack of 

funding severely limits NPS investment 

in the current workforce through training 

and other initiatives intended to keep 

them current with the latest in historical 

research, recordation, and conservation 

technologies. Learning opportunities and 

engagement with academia and private 

sector and professional organizations must 

also be supported if the NPS is to meet its 

federal obligations and stay up-to-date on 

current practices. The sharing of ideas and 

innovations between cultural resources 

programs, as well as between WASO, 

the regions, and the parks is crucial to a 

successful historic preservation program.

Strategic Approaches

n Identify and fill critical vacancies within 

parks, the regions, and WASO to ensure an 

effective and efficient program of cultural 

resource management.

n Develop a comprehensive Cultural 

Resource Career Academy curriculum to 

provide cultural resource management 

training to all park managers and staff with 

responsibilities for managing and preserving 

cultural resources.

n Develop a succession plan to fill needed 

vacancies that seeks to attract and retain 

a highly skilled and diverse workforce, 

while providing training and advancement 

opportunities for existing staff to ensure the 

success of cultural resources management 

now and in the future. 

n Develop a strong intake program as part 

of our short- and long-term succession 

planning to attract and retain highly skilled 

and diverse talent, with a focus on youth as 

the future stewards of the nation’s past.

n Support NPS professional networks 

within the Service and with academic, 

professional, and preservation partners 

and encourage engagement, including 

attendance at professional meetings. 

n Encourage, support, and share innovative 

ideas for research, interpretation, education, 

and preservation of heritage resources.

n Advance efforts to create an NPS workforce that reflects the diversity of the nation 

from entry level employees to senior leaders. 

Carved bird pin, 

Manzanar National 

Historic Site.

NPS PHOTO
The Cultural Resource Challenge is an opportunity to refocus on 

and prioritize National Park Service stewardship responsibilities for 

historic resources, to build upon and expand key existing programs, 

and to add critical new capabilities that will best meet the needs for 

preserving our treasured cultural resources.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION FORT POINT NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE NPS PHOTO
For more information about the National Park Service 

Cultural Resource Challenge go to:

www.nps.gov/history

Thanks to the many people from the National Park Service and its 

partner organizations who contributed to the Cultural Resource 

Challenge through timely, extensive, and insightful feedback during its 

creation and review.  

The Cultural Resource Challenge takes both its vision and challenge 

from several previous studies which contained thoughtful 

recommendations for the improvement of our efforts and ability to 

identify and preserve the precious cultural resources which record 

and illustrate the history of our nation, its peoples, and our growing 

understanding of one another:

n Back to the Future: A Review of the National Historic Preservation 

Program, National Academy of Public Administration, 2007

n Saving our History: A Review of National Park Cultural Resource 

Programs, National Academy of Public Administration, 2008

n Advancing the National Park Idea, National Parks Second Century 

Commission report, 2009

n A Call to Action: Preparing for a Second Century of Stewardship 

and Engagement, National Park Service, 2011

n Imperiled Promise: The State of History in the National Park 

Service, Organization of American Historians, 2011
National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Cultural Resources Stewardship, Partnerships, and Science

www.nps.gov/history