• 06/22/2021 12:48 PM | ACRAsphere Blog Team

    We are pleased to announce that you can now receive Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits with the Register of Professional Archaeologists (RPA) by attending ACRA webinars! 

    How do you get the CPE credits for attending an ACRA webinar? Simply indicate you wish to receive them when you register. ACRA will them submit all of the names of those who attended to the RPA for credit.

    All remaining 2021 ACRA webinars will be eligible to for CPE credits, starting with Reframing Public Outreach: Addressing Historically Underrepresented Communities in CRM on July 22. We expect that future webinars will be eligible as well.

    This has been made possible through our new partnership with the RPA, and expect more exciting partnership benefits to come!

  • 06/21/2021 1:33 PM | ACRAsphere Blog Team

    Thank you to all who voted in the 2021 ACRA election! This year's election was extremely close, and we eagerly anticipate welcoming new members to the Board of Directors in the fall. We greatly appreciate the service of our departing board members and look forward to their continued leadership on essential committee projects.

    Congratulations to the winning candidates below! Their terms will start in the end of September at the fall board meeting. Be sure to add your congratulations in the comments below!

    Officers

    Officers are elected for two-year terms, with those below serving from 2021-2023.

    • President: Cinder Miller (Gray & Pape, Inc.)
    • Secretary: Shelly Davis-King (Davis-King & Associates)
    • Treasurer: Nicki Sauvageau (Dovetail Cultural Resource Group)
    • Vice-President - Membership: Richard Grubb (RGA, Inc.)
    • Vice-President - Diversity: Nesta Anderson (PaleoWest)

    At-Large Board Positions

    At-Large Board Members are elected for three-year terms, with those below serving from 2021-2024.

    • Charissa Durst (Hardlines Design Company)
    • Bonnie Gibson (WSP USA, Inc.)
    • David Klinge (ASC Group, Inc.)


  • 06/17/2021 3:33 PM | ACRAsphere Blog Team

    This month the National Park Service (NPS) released new guidance that will help prepare historic buildings for flooding hazards. From the NPS:

    Flooding risk has long been a challenge for many historic properties. Changing weather patterns, stronger hurricanes and other extreme weather events have increased the risk of flooding, both in frequency and magnitude. The National Park Service developed new flood adaptation guidelines to help property owners make their historic buildings more resilient to flooding risks while preserving their historic character.

    The Guidelines on Flood Adaptation for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings will help preserve historic buildings located in flood-prone areas and make them more resilient to flooding hazards. Historic properties that have never flooded before are now exposed to this risk, and those that flooded infrequently in the past are experiencing more instances of flooding with water reaching higher levels than ever before.

    The new guidelines can be found here. For more information on the guidelines and their development, visit the NPS website.

  • 06/16/2021 1:59 PM | ACRAsphere Blog Team

    From the ACHP:

    President Joe Biden has designated Jordan Tannenbaum as the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) vice chairman. The President also appointed Tannenbaum to a second term, ending in June 2025. Tannenbaum, of Fairfax, VA, was appointed as a general public ACHP member by President Barack Obama in 2016.

    Tannenbaum, a cum laude graduate of Brandeis University and American University’s Washington College of Law, was an ACHP staff member from 1972-82. He currently serves as chief development officer of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. He is responsible for overseeing all of the museum’s fundraising activities and completing its $1 billion comprehensive campaign.

    “Having served on the council staff during its first decade, it is a privilege and an honor to return as its vice chairman,” Tannenbaum said. “I look forward to working with its outstanding staff and dedicated board to meet the preservation challenges and opportunities facing our cultural environment in the 21st century.”

    From 1999-2004, Tannenbaum was vice president for development for Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life in Washington, D.C. A lawyer by training, he also has held senior fundraising positions at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University, B’nai B’rith International, and Brandeis University. Tannenbaum served in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps of the U.S. Army Reserves from 1983-2010. He was awarded the Army’s Legion of Merit medal for his contributions to the Department of the Army’s compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act. Tannenbaum is a member of the Fairfax County History Commission, the Army Historical Foundation Board, and the Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park Campaign.

    On the ACHP, Tannenbaum has served as chairman of the Federal Agency Programs Committee and was chairman of the ACHP’s Digital Information Task Force that last year formulated recommendations to improve the availability of digital and geospatial information about historic properties in an effort to inform federal project planning. Tannenbaum also worked closely with the ACHP Foundation.

    “Jordan is a respected leader in the historic preservation field, an expert on Section 106 review, and has been a highly engaged and active council member these last few years,” ACHP Acting Executive Director Reid Nelson said. “He has a wealth of knowledge and experience, as well as a passion for preservation, which we know he will utilize well in his new leadership role.”

    Currently, the full-time chairman’s position is vacant. Tannenbaum will carry out the functions of the chairman until a new chairman is sworn in after Senate confirmation. Tannenbaum replaces Rick Gonzalez as vice chairman, who has served in that capacity since being appointed to the position by President Donald Trump in July 2020. Gonzalez will continue to serve as an ACHP expert member. His term expires in 2023.

    The National Historic Preservation Act provides that appointed tribal, expert, and general public members shall serve for a term of four years and under that law, may not serve more than two terms.

    This press release is also available on the ACHP website.


  • 06/11/2021 2:24 PM | ACRAsphere Blog Team

    Yesterday's webinar, Section 110(k) and Section 106: Responding to Anticipatory Demolition Concerns, is now available on ACRA Webinars on Demand!

    The webinar is designed by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), which is an independent federal agency that promotes the preservation, enhancement, and productive use of our nation's historic resources, and advises the President and Congress on national historic preservation policy. The presentation will use ACHP expertise and real-life examples to show how Section 110(k), sometimes referred to as the "anticipatory demolition" section, intersects with the overall Section 106 process.

    As with the live session, this webinar is available to ACRA members at a discounted price. Members can get the discount code to access the presentation here.

    Watch the Section 110(k) Webinar Now

  • 06/10/2021 9:33 AM | ACRAsphere Blog Team

    ACRA is a Partner in the Coalition for Archaeological Synthesis (CfAS). The Coalition is seeking participants for a new initiative that was recently recommended for funding by the US National Science Foundation.

    The project is entitled The Creation and Division of Wealth and the Long-term Consequences of Inequality: Views from Archaeology and is led by Tim Kohler (Washington State University) and Amy Bogaard (University of Oxford). It will advance understandings of relationships between inequality and other dimensions of human social dynamics as they are revealed by the archaeological record.

    The project will be pursued by a working group of 10 researchers who have expertise in the study of social inequality and who have and are willing to share data and expertise pertinent to the topic. Researchers regardless of nationality are eligible; CfAS is committed to diversity and professional development and strongly encourages participation by junior and historically underrepresented researchers, by heritage management professionals as well as academics, and by individuals from developing countries and indigenous communities.

    If you are interested in participating, please see the Request for Information. The due date for responses is July 23, 2021.

    Also, did you know that are can sign up as an individual CfAS Associate? It is quick and easy to sign up, and it is free. That way you will receive information directly from CfAS as soon as it is released.


  • 06/07/2021 12:07 PM | ACRAsphere Blog Team

    Your Congress in Action is a series that highlights the Capitol Hill news that affects CRM firms the most. Be sure to subscribe to the ACRAsphere to ensure you don't miss an update.


    Crunch time is fast approaching for many of President Biden’s top policy initiatives – and for proposals that impact cultural resource management.

    At the top of the list is infrastructure. Biden met last Tuesday with Sen. Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV), the top Senate Republican negotiator, to hammer out a compromise on Biden’s American Jobs Plan. Both sides have floated proposals totaling roughly $1 trillion, a far cry from the White House’s original $2.3 trillion plan, but well above the initial Republican offer of $500 billion. But the close numbers do not reveal a sharp divide: the White House wants that $1 trillion to be new spending above what the government is already budgeting for, while the GOP wants to repurpose already authorized spending.

    Biden also took a step towards Republicans on how to pay for the package, but it might not be enough. Initially, Biden’s proposal called for the top corporate tax rate to go from 21 percent to 28 percent, a non-starter for Republicans. Last week, Biden offered to keep the top rate at 21 percent but institute a minimum corporate rate of 15 percent, meaning no corporation would pay less than that. Republicans reacted coolly to the idea, but the talks continue.

    Meanwhile, many Democrats are growing increasingly impatient with efforts to find common ground with Republicans, particularly after Senate Republicans blocked a proposal in late May to form a commission to investigate the Jan. 6th insurrection. The House-passed bill, which was negotiated by the top Republican and Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, failed to receive the 60 votes needed to stop a filibuster, even though six Senate Republicans did vote to move ahead with debate. Even Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who has been the strongest defender of the filibuster among Democrats, expressed dismay that so few Republicans supported the Commission.

    Although Biden ran for president on the notion of bipartisanship and has been reluctant to go it alone, he is showing signs of frustration with what he sees as Republican intransigence – and a lack of support from some Democrats. In a speech Monday marking the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa massacre, Biden pushed for Senate passage of a major voting rights bill, saying, “I hear all the folks on TV saying, ‘Why doesn’t Biden get this done?’ Well, because Biden only has a majority of effectively four votes in the House and a tie in the Senate, with two members of the Senate who vote more with my Republican friends.”

    This was widely interpreted to refer to Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), both of whom have been opposed to reforming the filibuster rules (even though both do vote with Democrats more than with Republicans). It demonstrates the extent to which Democrats believe that enacting their agenda – not just infrastructure and voting rights but policing reform, climate change, immigration and other issues - will depend more on keeping Democrats united and less on reaching out to Republicans they believe don’t want to work with them.

    Despite the partisan tensions, things are moving on some key issues, including transportation. The week before last, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee unanimously approved a $305 billion Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act of 2021 to finance roads and bridges. This amount is 34 percent higher from the last reauthorization to pass Congress, in 2015. The bill, however, has raised concerns among environmental groups that it continues efforts to chip away at NEPA by creating additional exclusions from NEPA for certain kinds of projects, limits the time allowed for NEPA reviews, and limits the length of encironmental impact statements and environmental assessments to 200 pages except in limited circumstances. Although the bill does not affect the National Historic Preservation Act’s Sec. 106 and 110 requirements, ACRA is monitoring the bill closely and urging lawmakers to protect both NEPA and NHPA.

    On the other side of the Capitol, Democrats on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unveiled a $547 billion transportation funding package late last week that would ramp up spending on rail and transit, while encouraging states to repair existing roads rather than build new ones. While there will be lots of disagreement between the two parties, and two chambers, it is likely that Congress will at least enact legislation to fund transportation projects. Whether they can pass a larger infrastructure package is still an open question.

    Democrats feel pressure to act on infrastructure quickly, as they may lose control of one or both houses of Congress in the 2022 midterm elections. But the election is not the only deadline lawmakers face. Congress is beginning work on annual appropriations bills to keep the majority of federal departments and agencies running in the next fiscal year, which begins October 1. President Biden submitted his budget request to Congress two weeks ago. The plan would spend $6 trillion in the next fiscal year, and would see total annual spending rise to $8.2 trillion by 2031, with deficits running above $1.3 trillion throughout the next decade. House Democrats will start drafting their appropriations bills this week, with the Senate to follow.

    Of top interest to the CRM profession is funding for the Historic Preservation Fund, which Congress has never fully funded. The HPF, which helps support state and tribal historic preservation offices and a host of other preservation programs, can receive up to $150 million per year from oil and gas royalties. Congress provided $144 million in the current fiscal year – the highest ever – but ACRA and its allies are pushing for the full amount.

    ACRA is making the case that, like Sec. 106, the Historic Preservation Fund helps the United States preserve and protect its history, both the good and the bad. That desire to tell the full story of America was on display last week as the country marked the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa massacre, when mobs of White residents destroyed more than 35 square blocks of what was at the time the wealthiest Black community in the U.S., killing as many as 300. Only in recent years has the terrible story of the massacre been told, but as President Biden said in Tulsa last week, “Just because history is silent, it does not mean that it did not take place.” The role of the CRM industry is to help tell that history, and to advocate for federal policies that make that possible.


  • 06/03/2021 2:28 PM | ACRAsphere Blog Team


    ACRA is thrilled to announce that we will be hosting our 27th annual conference in person! This year’s conference theme — A Watershed Year: Navigating Change in the CRM Industry — focuses on how the past few years have brought historic changes to not just ACRA, but to the CRM industry overall and the nation at large. From navigating new ways of conducting business in the face of COVID-19 to addressing long-standing diversity issues in the industry, now is the time for CRM firms to come together to bring lasting positive change.

    A draft schedule of events and sessions, hotel information, and more is available on the conference page now. Register before August 15 to get the Early Bird rate - ACRA members and firms who register multiple attendees get an even bigger discount.

    Register for the 2021 ACRA Conference Now

    Public Health & Safety at 2021 ACRA Conference

    While we are all excited to come together in person again, the health and safety of our conference attendees is our first and most important priority and we must be mindful of public health best practices as a part of the COVID-19 pandemic. ACRA will be following all health and safety guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and all local ordinances. These may include masking, distancing, and other measures as necessary. We are continuing to monitor the situation as it evolves and will be sharing more specific health and safety protocols as we get closer to the conference.


  • 06/02/2021 1:44 PM | ACRAsphere Blog Team

    From the ACHP:

    Join the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation all summer on our social media as we celebrate this #HistoricSummerVacation! Many of the historic sites that were closed or partially closed over the past year are starting to reopen and we’re inviting you to let us know about historic places we can highlight over the next three months.

    The public is expected to head out this summer on driving vacations and we would like to remind them about all the great historic sites along the way that they can enjoy.

    Please send us the name of the historic place, a couple of sentences about the site, the website, and an original or non-copyrighted photo. 

    Also, tune in to the ACHP’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds every Friday to see our featured site!

    Looking forward to seeing you this summer!


  • 06/01/2021 4:21 PM | ACRAsphere Blog Team


    If you have not had a chance, please take some time to complete our survey on archaeological sciences in CRM!

    ACRA has partnered with the Society for Archaeological Sciences to find out how CRM firms are conducting specialized archaeological sciences work. The survey measures the current status of archaeological science within the CRM, its potential future, and the need for trained specialists within the industry.

    The survey can be found below. Note: this survey is meant to be completed by one person per organization - if you are not authorized to complete surveys on behalf of your firm, please send this to the person who is.

    Your answers will assist us in serving a wider range of CRM specialists. Thank you in advance for your participation!







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