IRA Cultural Resources at Risk Cemeteries and Burials Project
Project ID: P24AC02327
Federal Agency: National Park Service
Partner Institution: University of Alaska Anchorage
Fiscal Year: 2024
Initial Funding: $123,361
Total Funding: $123,361
Principal Investigator: Harrod, Ryan
Agreement Technical Representative: Junge, Justin
Abstract:
Performance Goals The goal of this project is to provide recommendations for monitoring and condition assessment, adaptation planning, and technical assistance associated with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) for burial and cemetery sites within NPS parks, related programs, and associated partner communities. The project will involve completing identification, offering recommendations, planning, monitoring, and providing technical assistance associated with burial and cemetery sites critically threatened by climate change and other stressors.
Project Objectives – UAA Department of Anthropology and Geography and NPS will collaborate to accomplish the following objectives:
- Use multiple techniques to locate and identify burial and cemetery sites for the understanding, interpretation, and preservation of these resources;
- Develop recommendations and strategies for documenting, assessing, monitoring, and mitigating existing impacts or anticipated climate change-related threats to these sites;
- Collaborate with NPS and associated community leaders to develop standard operating procedures, plans of action, and other template documents required under NAGPRA or other NPS policy and guidance;
- Produce detailed reports and/or inventories (in accordance with guidance with affiliated Tribes and affiliated groups for restricting sensitive information) that include maps, figures/images, interpretation of results, and recommendations that can be used to inform decision-making by park or program management and associated communities.
Suggested methods of sharing research results include, but are not limited to, the Alaska Region High Latitude Highlights, Alaska Park Science, special scientific publications or journals, and other National Park Service publication forums. Results should be reviewed for sensitive information (such as site locations, burial information, and any information deemed sensitive by Federally recognized Tribes or other consulting parties during the consulting process) and protected under the Archeological Resource Protection Act (ARPA) or similar legislation. Other avenues for publishing results, both with sensitive or non-sensitive data, is the NPS Integrated Resource Management Application (IRMA) for public access and reference.