Cultural Resource Management Partnerships

The Army’s cultural resources management program is strengthened and enhanced by formal partnerships with other Federal agencies, including the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and U.S. Forest Service, all of which provide preservation expertise.

Under an Interagency Agreement, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation assists USAEC with many of the Army's guidance documents. The aim is to provide installations the cultural resource information and guidance that USAEC has been developing and to ensure consistency in the manner in which Army installations manage cultural resources.

In 1999, the Army entered into a cooperative agreement with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a private, nonprofit organization chartered by Congress. The partnership focuses on developing and executing strategies for the redevelopment of Army historic properties.

In addition, an Interagency Agreement between USAEC and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) allows installations to use USFS staff to directly conduct required cultural resources programs. Another valuable source for cultural resource information is the National Park Service (NPS) and their affiliated National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT).

For additional support, USAEC has utilized the services of Center of Expertise for the Preservation of Structures and Buildings at the Seattle District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

For Cultural Resources Technology development and transfer, the USAEC has also partnered with the USACE Construction Engineering Research Laboratory of the Engineer Research and Development Center in Champaign, Illinois.

For Army NAGPRA compliance assistance, artifact curation and records management support, USAEC partnered with the Mandatory Center of Expertise for the Curation and Management of Archaeological Collections at St. Louis District, USACE.

The Army will continue to partner with other Federal agencies and share information using the Community of Practice, a forum through which installation Cultural Resource staffs can share information and lessons learned.

These partnerships bring in liaisons from the individual agencies to work with the Army and share agency programs and technical expertise.