Utah Heritage Foundation

The National Preservation Institute, a nonprofit organization founded in 1980, educates those involved in the management, preservation, and stewardship of our cultural heritage. The 2011 National Preservation Institute seminar schedule is available online at www.npi.org. The 2011 NPI News Release includes the calendar and seminar descriptions - www.npi.org/NewsRelease2011.pdf.

 

Advanced registration available through April 28, 2011

Written by Ross M. Bradford

Easement-holding organizations along with past and potential donors of easements should take note of the recent tax court case Kaufman v. Commissioner 134 T.C. 9 (2010) because it has the potential to have disastrous consequences for past and future preservation and conservation easement donations. In response to this flawed decision, the National Trust for Historic Preservation filed an amicus brief in support of the taxpayer’s motion requesting reconsideration of the court’s ruling.

As

With ever more increasing tourism in Utah's backcountry being accessed by foot, bicycle, and atv, this timely article from July 28^th gives the native American perspective of modern archaeology.  It was written by our colleague Rebecca Schwendler, Ph.D., the public lands advocate in the Mountains/Plains Regional Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

View the video and read the full story here.

The big news in the national preservation world has been in Utah.  As reported in both the Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune, 24 people were arrested in Southeastern Utah and Colorado for vandalizing historic Native American sites by taking archaeological artifacts and selling them.  In general, the confiscation of artifacts and selling of that property are federal offenses of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA), which many of the alleged are accused of participating.

Richard Moe, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation stated in the Tribune, "This law enforcement action is a clear indication of the seriousness with which the Obama administration treats its responsibility as steward of our public lands."  I would add that archaeology doesn't always have to be this serious, it doesn't have to sting in the end, and can be a lot of fun to find and explore.

Yet despite many of the efforts by our public lands partners such as the National Trust, Bureau of Land Management, and Archaeology Division at the Utah State Historical Society to educate, it is unfortunate that many residents and visitors do not understand that archaeological resources are not for the taking. Please teach your children not to take remnants of Native American sites.  Not only because it's against state and federal law, but because without those pieces of history, interpretation of a site are lost forever.

Opportunities to explore these wonderful places and legally document and preserve archaeological sites are available by volunteering through the Utah Statewide Archaeological Society (USAS).