NPS-28: Cultural Resources Management Guideline, Release No. 2

National Park Service Cultural Resources Division

This Cultural Resources Management Guideline updates Cultural Resource Management Guideline Release No.1, which was the first guidance in the NPS directives system for the management of cultural resources. The guidance encompasses Archeology, Historic Structures and Museum Collections as types of cultural resources. It does not recognize Cultural Landscapes or Ethnographic Resources as types of cultural resources. Cultural Resources Management Guideline, Release No. 2 contains the material in Release No. 1 plus Special and Staff Directives. It has been edited and rearranged from the earlier release. This Guideline is intended to expand, clarify, and apply the principles in Chapter 5 of the NPS Management Policies. It was prepared as a reference and direction for managers, planners, cultural resource specialists, and others involved in the preservation of NPS cultural resources. The procedures outlined in the Guideline set forth the standards for cultural resources specialists and describe to managers the considerations when making decisions affecting cultural resources. Chapter 2 describes the standards that must be met by all NPS and contractual personnel who work with cultural resources. Chapter 3 describes the different types of plans, reports, studies, and lists that are part of the cultural resources management process. Chapter 4 outlines procedures for treatment of cultural resources by trained specialists from regional offices, parks, or centers. Chapter 5 is oriented toward field management, providing information to guide day-to-day operational activities that affect cultural resources. Chapter 6 describes the steps necessary to comply with legislative and executive requirements. Chapter 7 describes the process by which this guideline is to be amended. Each chapter is introduced with information on its purpose and use. The appendixes provide detailed data on preparation of many of the documents described in Chapter 3, along with other relevant information. The core cultural resources management mission of the National Park Service is: to complete the basic inventories of cultural resources on park system lands, to determine which resources are significance enough to qualify for preservation, to preserve to the extent practicable the original authentic resources which qualify for preservation, and to interpret the significance of these resources to the public with professional integrity and candor. The Guideline is preceded by a Guideline Transmittal Sheet.

NPS-28: Cultural Resources Management Guideline, Release No. 2

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