Performance Details

Department of Natural Resources - Office of History and Archaeology

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Mission

The Office of History and Archaeology provides an historic preservation program to encourage the preservation and protection of the historic, prehistoric and archaeological resources of Alaska.

Core Services

• Identify, document, evaluate, and protect historic sites and buildings through application of historic preservation guidelines, standards and regulations to ensure state and federal actions take into account impacts to historic properties.
• Maintain statewide inventory of historic, archaeological and prehistoric sites (Alaska Heritage Resource Survey) and provide guidance, training and access to site information.

Mission Results

Core Services

A: Historic properties are protected through historic preservation programs that identify, document, protect, and restore historic sites and buildings.  Details >

A1: Identify, document, evaluate, and protect historic sites and buildings through application of historic preservation guidelines, standards and regulations to ensure state and federal actions take into account impacts to historic properties.  Details > TARGET #1: Review and comment on projects within 30 days of receipt of projects ready for review. TARGET #2: Enter into four new historic preservation agreements per quarter. Maintain and monitor existing agreements. A2: Maintain statewide inventory of historic, archaeological and prehistoric sites (Alaska Heritage Resource Survey) and provide guidance, training and access to site information.  Details > TARGET #1: Maintain statewide database of site locations, description information, and digital documents for use by agencies, project planners, and researchers.

Performance Detail

Target #1: Review and comment on projects within 30 days of receipt of projects ready for review. Methodology: Total Projects Reviewed within 30 days. The 2021 numbers reflect the first three quarters of the calendar year, through September 30, 2021. Year Total Projects Reviewed within 30 days 2021 1326 2020 1999 2019 2157 2018 1933 2017 1,817 2016 2,234 2015 2,384 2014 2,380 2013 2,137 Projects Reviewed Within 30 Days Year Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4 YTD Total 2021 391 534 401 0 1326 2020 588 505 529 377 1999 2019 545 683 479 450 2157 2018 514 528 456 386 1884 2017 543 574 387 313 1817 2016 691 545 391 523 2150 2015 720 662 375 531 2288 2014 569 620 424 494 2107 2013 705 645 375 363 2088 Analysis of results and challenges: The Office of History and Archaeology (OHA) tracks response times for projects submitted for review under federal National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 (54 U.S.C. 306108) authorities and state authorities under AS 41.35 for concurrence with determinations of eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places or Alaska Landmarks Register, findings of effect on historic properties or recommendations for survey and identification. Federal regulation 36 CFR 800 gives the State Historic Preservation Office 30 days to respond to federal requests for concurrence with determinations of eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places and findings of effect of federal undertakings on historic properties. OHA strives to respond to these and other steps in the review process within 30 days. In March 2020, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) invoked the option for SHPOs to utilize tolling in response to COVID-19 and the Alaska State Historic Preservation Office entered tolling which continues into 2021. With tolling, the SHPO 30 day comment requirement is suspended. The ACHP extended FEMA’s use of emergency procedures due to COVID-19 response, which require expedited review. OHA receives urgent requests to respond to the COVID-19 emergency as local and regional organizations develop and expand infrastructure to bolster their health facilities. It is OHA's policy to respond to emergency requests as expeditiously as possible to limit danger to life and property of Alaskans, which can delay review of other projects. While in tolling OHA acknowledges receipt of review requests with a notice regarding tolling that reviews may take longer than 30 days. In 2019 OHA reviewed 2157 projects within 30 days out of a total of 2169 projects, about 99%. In 2020, OHA reviewed 1999 projects within 30 days out of a total 2154 projects, about 92%. In the first 3 quarters of 2021, OHA reviewed 1326 projects in 30 days out of a total of 1546 projects, about 86%.

Target #2: Enter into four new historic preservation agreements per quarter. Maintain and monitor existing agreements. Methodology: New historic preservation agreement documents and substantive amendments to existing agreements during calendar year: Memorandums of Agreement and Programmatic Agreements Historic Preservation Agreement Documents: Programmatic Agreements and Memorandum of Agreements Year Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4 YTD Total 2021 4 7 5 0 16 2020 0 8 8 3 19 2019 4 3 4 2 13 2018 3 1 2 5 11 2017 5 12 2 3 22 2016 2 7 2 1 12 2015 4 6 3 3 16 2014 5 8 5 5 18 2013 6 5 3 3 17 2012 5 5 6 3 19 2011 0 0 6 2 8 Analysis of results and challenges: Agreement documents are an important tool in streamlining the historic preservation environmental compliance process and are used to modify the National Historic Preservation Act, Section 106 project review process for large and complex projects or ongoing agency operations. Agreement documents also address mitigation of adverse effects a project may have on historic properties and allow for a project to move forward once mitigation is agreed to and documented in a memorandum of agreement or a programmatic agreement. Large project Programmatic Agreements signed in 2021 include the Brooks Camp WTP PA, the Kensington Mine PA, and the Aleutian GCI Fiber PA. Major agreement amendments made during the reporting period include the Coastal Plain PA, the HUD PA, the AHFC MOU, and the Alaska Army Garrison O&M PA. Major milestones were reached for several large projects with existing agreements, such as the Ambler Access Road PA, the AK LNG PA, the Sterling Highway MP 45-60 PA, the Pogo Mine PA, and the AK ARNG Divesture PA.

Target #1: Maintain statewide database of site locations, description information, and digital documents for use by agencies, project planners, and researchers. Methodology: Site data entered or updated in Alaska Heritage Resource Survey. Alaska Heritage Resource Survey Data Entered or Updated Year Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4 YTD Total 2021 11,778 21,657 9,673 0 43,108 2020 6,948 9,521 11,643 12,769 40,881 2019 7,779 5,178 5,649 4,526 23,132 2018 3,135 3,901 3,408 4,320 14,764 2017 3,758 2,860 6,660 3,170 16,448 2016 7,618 6,233 4,416 4,713 22,980 2015 7,640 7,555 6,306 5,396 26,897 2014 5,991 6,870 6,715 5,866 25,442 2013 3,083 3,902 3,040 3,398 13,423 2012 1,932 1,328 1,529 5,018 9,807 2011 569 574 619 1,007 2,769 2010 1,931 695 1,449 847 4,922 Analysis of results and challenges: The statewide inventory of historic, prehistoric, and archaeological sites is maintained under state and federal authorities. Data entered in the Alaska Heritage Resource Survey (AHRS) comes from external sources: agencies, land managers, communities, tribes and others submit survey reports to the Office of History and Archaeology. Site data contained within the cultural resource survey reports and other cultural resource documents are entered in the AHRS database. Legacy data is reviewed and updated as new information and time allows. In the third quarter, 2021, there were two new vacancies in the AHRS staff resulting in a lower number of data entries. The database system continues to be developed and is transitioning from Oracle to the Department of Natural Resources' new system, Microsoft SQL. To protect sites against unauthorized disturbance and vandalism, access to AHRS and related information is closed to the general public and controlled through user agreements. Access protocols and guidelines are set in the Office of History and Archaeology's Data Access Policies and Guidelines. In FY2021, there were 356 individual and 40 corporate users. As of June 30, 2021, there were 49,188 AHRS site records. Digitization of documents associated with the sites reached 19,703 records in the Document Repository and there are 18,773 digitized investigation records in the database.

Current as of October 27, 2021