Cultural Resources

Our Cultural Resources Fact Sheet page describes the important role cultural resources plays in support of the Natural Resources Conservation Service mission.

• NRCS General Manual Chapter: Cultural Resources (Archaeological and Historic Properties) (GM 420, Part 401)

• NRCS National Cultural Resources Procedures Handbook

• The Cultural Resources Training Series

• Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
  Link to the independent agency charged with overseeing the Federal preservation programs and providing access for private citizens to the review process

• Directory of State Historic Preservation Officers

• Directory of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers

• Protecting Historic Properties
  A Citizen's Guide to Section 106 Review-link to grass-roots guidance for private property owners interested in understanding federal historic preservation

• Links to the Past
  Link to technical guidance documents for treatment of historic and cultural properties, developed by the National Park Service's Technical Preservation Services, the current list of National Register of Historic Places properties and guidances on care and treatment

• The National Trust for Historic Preservation
  Link to the nation's largest private, locally-based historic preservation non-profit organization and dozens of technical guidances and briefs on care and maintenance of historic properties

• Society for American Archaeology

• Society for Historical Archaeology

These documents require Adobe Acrobat.

Directory of USDA/NRCS Cultural Resources Coordinators and Specialists (339 KB)
Contact information for NRCS' cultural resources coordinators and specialists in State and Regional Offices, Centers, and other offices

NRCS' Nationwide Programmatic Agreement with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (439 KB)
NRCS' umbrella document for streamlining procedures to protect historicproperties.

25 Simple Things You Can Do to Promote the Public Benefits of Archaeology (18 KB)

Compilation of State Repatriation, Reburial and Grave Protection Laws (255 KB)
State laws often require treatment of burial sites and associated resources, and most carry penalties for failure to comply. In an effort to provide guidance to field personnel, NRCS National Headquarters contracted for a review of state laws pertaining to unmarked burials. This report provides a state-by-state analysis of statutes dealing with reburial of human skeletal remains, repatriation of human skeletal remains and grave goods and/or unmarked grave protection. A comparative matrix accompanies the report.

When to Call Your Cultural Resources Specialist or Coordinator (28 KB)

These National Statement of Work Templates requires Microsoft Word:

Cultural Resources Evaluations (35 KB)

Cultural Resources Archival Research (36 KB)

Cultural Resources Identification Surveys (50 KB)