Preservation Planning

NHPA and NEPA Compliance

The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) ensure that federally-owned cultural and natural resources are protected from inadvertent damage that may result from management activities. Accordingly, NHPA and NEPA regulations specify procedures that national park managers must follow while planning or implementing projects such as construction, rehabilitation, or restoration that may alter existing conditions of resources. Director's Order 12 (see link) outlines current NPS policies and procedures associated with NHPA and NEPA.

Olmsted Center staff helps parks fulfill their NHPA and NEPA responsibilities by assessing how proposed projects may affect their cultural landscapes. By assisting in an advisory capacity early in the project development process, the Olmsted Center helps park managers predict potential impacts and provides options for protecting and preserving cultural landscapes.

Advisory assistance is provided by the Olmsted Center at the request of park managers responsible for compliance with NHPA and NEPA regulations, commonly referred to as a Section 106 review. The projects utilizing assistance from the Olmsted Center range in size from large scale undertakings like the restoration or rehabilitation of historic designed landscapes or the siting of a new parking area at a historic property to smaller activities like the installation of interpretive signage in a garden or the removal of trees.

links

Directors Order 12

Guidance on NEPA and Section 106
(NPS access only)