The Department of Agriculture (USDA), in concert with the four other signatories of the December 2012 MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING REGARDING INTERAGENCY COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION FOR THE PROTECTION OF INDIAN SACRED SITES (MOU), has developed and is seeking feedback on three draft documents:
• A proposal for development of a federal training curriculum
• A federal policy statement on confidentiality of sacred sites information
• An information paper on sacred sites for education and outreach
The draft documents are also available on the website of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation at http://www.achp.gov/sacredsiteprotection.html. Feedback on these discussion drafts may be sent to: kathryn_isom-clause@ios.doi.gov.
October 27, 2014, In-person Discussion. USDA and the other MOU signatories: the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) and the Departments of Defense, Energy, and Interior will also hold an in-person discussion on October 27, 2014, during the breakout session at the National Congress of American Indians Annual Convention in Atlanta, GA, titled: Protecting Our Sacred Places: An Overview and Discussion of Current Efforts. The discussion will be held from 6:15-8:00 P.M. in room Hanover C of the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with members of the MOU Core Working Group regarding the scope of work and future initiatives.
The stated purpose of the MOU is “to improve the protection of and tribal access to Indian sacred sites through enhanced and improved interdepartmental coordination and collaboration.” See our General Memorandum 12-133 of December 14, 2012. The MOU sets forth a list of 11 action items. In March 2013, the signatory agencies released an Action Plan to implement the MOU. See our General Memorandum 13-025 of March 8, 2013.
Please let us know if we may provide additional information on the implementation of the MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING REGARDING INTERAGENCY COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION FOR THE PROTECTION OF INDIAN SACRED SITES.
