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Mission 66 Program Comment
National Park Service - Washington Office » Mission 66 Program Comment » Document List
An Agency Request for a Program Comment for Stewardship and Management of National Park Service Mission 66-Era Facilities (1945-1972)
The National Park Service (NPS) Cultural Resources Stewardship, Partnerships, and Science (CRPS) Directorate assists America's national parks efforts to preserve, protect, and share the history of this land and its people. Projects that are carried out in parks are often considered undertakings (36 CFR § 800.16(y)) requiring compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. § 306108). The regulations set forth at 36 CFR Part 800, Protection of Historic Properties, were issued by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) in 2004 and implement Section 106.
Through various program alternatives, the standard Section 106 review process may be tailored for a group of undertakings or an entire program that may affect historic properties. Program comments are intended to give the ACHP flexibility to issue comments on a federal program or class of undertakings in lieu of commenting on such undertakings on a case-by-case basis, and to allow a federal agency to comply with Section 106 in a consistent way for a class of undertakings rather than addressing each undertaking individually.
The NPS CRPS Directorate developed an agency request for the subject Program Comment for certain undertakings focused on NPS facilities built between 1945 and 1972 (Mission 66-era). The purpose of the Program Comment is to facilitate the reuse and preservation of historic facilities from this era by allowing park superintendents to consider them as eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and by expediting undertaking reviews. In 2015, NPS completed a NRHP Multiple Property Documentation Form (NRIS #64501248) (MPDF) to provide a framework for park identification of Mission 66-era historic properties. In 2000, NPS also published an online book, MISSION 66 VISITOR CENTERS: The History of a Building Type, by Sarah Allaback, Ph.D., which provides additional context.
To inform development of the request, the NPS hosted numerous virtual consultation meetings and accepted on a conceptual overview with Indian or Alaska Native Tribes, the Native Hawaiian Community, and other consulting parties, as well as a public general overview in late 2023. Comments were received through early 2024, at which point an outline/plan was provided and consulted upon through June 2024. Both documents are available via the Document List link on this PEPC site.
All comments received during consultation informed the nature and scope of the NPS agency request to the ACHP, which NPS submitted to the ACHP in August 2024. It specified: the types of undertakings to be covered; the likely effects on historic properties and the steps the agency official will take to ensure that the effects are taken into account; the time period for which the Program Comment is requested; and provided summaries of comments received, including copies of any written comments provided by affected Indian or Alaska Native Tribes or Native Hawaiians.
Upon receipt of the agency request, ACHP commenced its own consultation on the draft Program Comment, which can also be found in the Document List. Information on their consultation effort can be found here: https://www.achp.gov/nps. The NPS anticipates that ACHP will take action on the request in November 2024.
Information on the Program Comment can also be found here: https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1966/program-comment.gov.
The National Park Service (NPS) Cultural Resources Stewardship, Partnerships, and Science (CRPS) Directorate assists America's national parks efforts to preserve, protect, and share the history of this land and its people. Projects that are carried out in parks are often considered undertakings (36 CFR § 800.16(y)) requiring compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. § 306108). The regulations set forth at 36 CFR Part 800, Protection of Historic Properties, were issued by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) in 2004 and implement Section 106.
Through various program alternatives, the standard Section 106 review process may be tailored for a group of undertakings or an entire program that may affect historic properties. Program comments are intended to give the ACHP flexibility to issue comments on a federal program or class of undertakings in lieu of commenting on such undertakings on a case-by-case basis, and to allow a federal agency to comply with Section 106 in a consistent way for a class of undertakings rather than addressing each undertaking individually.
The NPS CRPS Directorate developed an agency request for the subject Program Comment for certain undertakings focused on NPS facilities built between 1945 and 1972 (Mission 66-era). The purpose of the Program Comment is to facilitate the reuse and preservation of historic facilities from this era by allowing park superintendents to consider them as eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and by expediting undertaking reviews. In 2015, NPS completed a NRHP Multiple Property Documentation Form (NRIS #64501248) (MPDF) to provide a framework for park identification of Mission 66-era historic properties. In 2000, NPS also published an online book, MISSION 66 VISITOR CENTERS: The History of a Building Type, by Sarah Allaback, Ph.D., which provides additional context.
To inform development of the request, the NPS hosted numerous virtual consultation meetings and accepted on a conceptual overview with Indian or Alaska Native Tribes, the Native Hawaiian Community, and other consulting parties, as well as a public general overview in late 2023. Comments were received through early 2024, at which point an outline/plan was provided and consulted upon through June 2024. Both documents are available via the Document List link on this PEPC site.
All comments received during consultation informed the nature and scope of the NPS agency request to the ACHP, which NPS submitted to the ACHP in August 2024. It specified: the types of undertakings to be covered; the likely effects on historic properties and the steps the agency official will take to ensure that the effects are taken into account; the time period for which the Program Comment is requested; and provided summaries of comments received, including copies of any written comments provided by affected Indian or Alaska Native Tribes or Native Hawaiians.
Upon receipt of the agency request, ACHP commenced its own consultation on the draft Program Comment, which can also be found in the Document List. Information on their consultation effort can be found here: https://www.achp.gov/nps. The NPS anticipates that ACHP will take action on the request in November 2024.
Information on the Program Comment can also be found here: https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1966/program-comment.gov.