National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior American Battlefield Protection Program

Fiscal Year 2019

Annual Meeting National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program Programmatic Agreement

June 2, 2020

Nat National Par Park Ser Service

Jo Joy Be Beasl sley

Associate Director (Acting), Cultural Resources, Partnerships & Science

Sere rena Be Bellew

Deputy Associate Director, Preservation Assistance Programs

Americ ican Battl ttlefield ld P Prote tecti tion

• n Program

Christi tine A Arato ato, Program Manager Phili ilip B Baile iley, Historian Anna B a Buttner ttner, Financial Asst. Analyst Liz B Buxto ton, Grants Mgmt. Specialist Ja James s Modr

• drick

ick, Grants Mgmt. Specialist Emi Emily B y Butto tton Ka Kambic ic, Archeologist Sh Sheen eena Si a Simmon mmons, Grants Mgmt. Specialist Jon

• nath

athan Star an Stark-Sa Sachs, NCPE Intern

An Annual M Meeting Pu Purp rpose

• 1. Identify issues, initiatives or goals that

NPS ABPP will address FY 20 with regard to its two grant programs, and any guidance or assistance that signatories may provide to help make compliance activities more effective and efficient. (Stipulation XIV.A.2)

• 2. Identify any problems the NPS ABPP

encountered in carrying out the terms of this agreement that need to be addressed by the signatories through amendments

• r development of guidance documents.

(Stipulation XIV.A.3)

Agenda

1 Introduction 2 Overview & Updates 3 Discussion Topics 4 Next Steps

Quick R Remi eminders: :

• Hover your cursor in the center of your screen to

display/use the control bar (for on/off of video, sound, chat function, etc.)

• Please keep your mic on mute to help limit

background noise unless you are speaking. Organizer can also mute/unmute all microphones

• Please chose one person on this call to speak for

your organization

• Before speaking, please state your name and
• rganization

Ac Accomp complis ishme ments in ts in FY Y 2019 2019

Partnering to Preserve a Battlefield - One Tract at a Time

Battle lefie field ld Lands: Ray and Ellis Tracts, Averasborough Battlefield (NC019) Pre Preservation Pa Part rtners rs: North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, American Battlefield Trust, & Averasboro Battlefield Commission Prop Propos

• sed uses: The American Battlefield Trust will

transfer the Tracts to the Averasboro Battlefield

• Commission. The Commission will ensure public

access to the Tracts and the perpetual preservation

• f this historic battlefield site.

Battle lefie field ld Lands: Chippewa Lakes LLC Tract, Fort Blakely Battlefield, Alabama (AL0006) Pre Preservation Pa Part rtners rs: University of South Alabama & The Conservation Fund Prop Propos

• sed uses: The tract will be

stewarded as part of Fort Blakely State Park, and the University’s History and Archaeology departments are interested in site-based research and education. Natural & Cultural Resources: Stewardship, Research, and Education

Shining a Spotlight on the U.S. Colored Troops

Recipien ent: t: North Carolina Department of Cultural & Natural Resources Tit Title le: United States Colored Troops and North Carolina’s Civil War Battlefields Proje ject pu purpo pose: Historical study to identify impacts and map locations of the USCT at 20 battlefields across the state

Indigenous Archeology in the Southwest

Recipient: t: Pueblo of Isleta Ti Title: Archeological Investigation of Ancestral Tiwa Battle Sites Project p purpo pose: e: Archeological documentation of two sites of Pueblo- Spanish conflict in the Tiwa-Piro ancestral region of New Mexico, connecting youth and elders through project activities

Planning Grants: Raising Awareness Nationwide

Recipien ent: t: New York Office of Parks, Recreation, & Historic Preservation Grants ants: : Martin Tract at Sackets Harbor BLAG, “Cultural Resource Survey of Horse Island, Sackets Harbor, NY” Planning Grant Proje ject s sequ equen ence: Land acquisition for state historic site, followed by survey to identify archeological resources

Supporting Stewardship Step by Step

Overview & Updates

2

NPS is Transitioning to GrantSolutions!

Go-Live scheduled for October 13, 2020 No new awards in old system after September 29, 2020 More automation for NPS and recipients, including:

• Notices of Funding Opportunity
• Application submissions and attachments
• Notices of Award (previously grant agreements)
• Financial and performance reporting

Fully integrated with Automated Standard Application

for Payments (ASAP), System for Award Management (SAM), and Grants.gov

Bat attlefie ield L Lan and Acq cquis isitio ion Gr Gran ants

• Current NOFO to be extended until Grant

Solutions migration is complete (expected October 2020)

• New NOFO will provide clear guidance

regarding eligible projects, roles and responsibilities of applicants, and application requirements

• Under new NOFO in GrantSolutions

environment, online submissions will be required

Noticesof Funding Opportunity

Preserving America’s Battlefields Act

Consolidated Appropriations Act (December 2019)

Battlefield Interpretation Modernization Grant Program

• States, Tribes, and local governments

and non-profit organizations eligible to apply

• For projects at American Revolution,

War of 1812, and Civil War battlefields eligible for Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants to “deploy technology to modernize battlefield interpretation and education“

• Requires 50% non-Federal match

• States, Tribes, and local governments

and non-profit organizations eligible to apply

• For projects at American Revolution,

War of 1812, and Civil War battlefields eligible for Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants to “restore day-of-battle conditions on land preserved under the battlefield acquisition program"

• Requires 50% non-Federal match

Battlefield Restoration Grant Program

NEPA Compliance

Process for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review aligns with NPS and DOI policy, other NPS grant programs, and Section 106 processes under the Programmatic Agreement “Cate tegor

• ric

ical e l exclusi lusion

• ns” under NEPA will require envir

iron

• nmenta

tal s l screening to determine the potential for an environmental effect.

Test your battlefield knowledge: Type your answer into chat

Break 1: Battlefield Challenge

Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants

Easements: Requirements

Permanent protection of Federal interest for Fee-simple and easement acquisitions:

• Conservation Easement
• Preservation Letter of Agreement

(used for State Acquisition) If f SH SHPO does s not h hold ld e ease asement:

• NPS ABPP must approve easement holder
• Easement includes SHPO as technical

reviewer/approver of "certain activities"

• NPS and SHPO review and approve draft easement

prior to BLAG funds being released

New stipulations for non-profit holders required in easement Minimal requirements for easement outlined in NPS ABPP grant agreements Development of standard criteria and review processes to assist partners in preparation and review/approval of easements

Easements: Program Updates

Programmatic Agreement identifies roles and responsibilities for BLAG “Applicants” and “Government Sponsors” that do not align with NPS ABPP statutes and Federal Financial Assistance regulations:

• Stipulation II.B.2 of the Programmatic Agreement incorrectly identifies “non-profit organizations” as

“eligible applicants.”

• Roles described throughout the Programmatic Agreement do not match those defined in Financial

Assistance guidance. NPS ABPP’s current Grant Agreements and revised NOFO must align with regulatory requirements and guidelines for recipients of Federal Financial Assistance:

• Assistance guidelines and Grant Agreement refer to only one Recipient
• Under the Grant Agreement, the Recipient agrees to carry out the Statement of Work and complete the

requirements.

• Recipient is responsible for monitoring the activities of the subrecipient, as necessary

Transition to GrantSolutions will add to the need to clarify the role of the Recipient and align terminology across Financial Assistance and Section 106 documents

Clarifying BLAG Roles and Responsibilities

Tribal Consultation Timelines

• Triba

ibal l consul sulta tatio tion is the responsibility of NPS ABPP

• NPS ABPP delegates fulfillment of certain Section 106 requirements to the BLAG Applicant,

who is required to

• pr

prov

• vide

de “all inf nformation submitted d to

• or
• r received

d by the y the SHPO PO” from the consultation as part of the BLAG application (See Stipulation IV.A.2)

• This creates asymmetric timelines for Tribal governments and SHPOs
• NPS ABPP needs to align consultation timelines and proposes “early

ly coor

• rdin

inatio tion” by requesting that BLAG applicants provide documentation to SHPOs and NPS ABPP concurrently

• NPS ABPP often requires more time to complete meaningful consultation

Battlefield Preservation Planning Grants

NPS ABPP is responsible for the solicitation and evaluation of grant applications. In response to feedback that the range of eligible project activities for Preservation Planning Grants was not clear

• r widely known, NPS ABPP continues to develop
• utreach strategies to increase and expand the range of

applications:

• Added more examples of eligible activities in the FY

2020 Notice of Funding Opportunity, revised definitions, & recategorized some activities to help with clarity.

• Expanding guidance that reflects the broader state of

preservation for sites of armed conflict based on interdisciplinary research.

Competitive Selection & Compliance Roles

Multi-State Scopes of Work

Notification requirements are unclear for applications for Preservation Planning Grant with national scopes. NPS ABPP’s interim notification process:

• SHPO noti

tific icatio tion: Letters to the SHPOs where the recipient organizations are located; general notification forwarded to NCSHPO to share with the membership.

• Triba

ibal l consul sulta tatio tion: Letters to tribes with interests in lands where the recipient organizations are located, email notification to national lists, & posting on NPS’s public comment webpage (e.g. PEPC)

Clarification on Programmatic Exclusions

Projects such as cultural landscape reports and preservation plans are subject to Section 106 review when the proposal includes generating pre reservation tre reatment re recom

• mmendations

ns. Archeological research designs and non-invasive surveys fall under prog rogrammatic exclusions b) GPS/GIS mapping and c) “survey and inventory when no ground disturbance is planned.”

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Break 2: Battlefield Challenge

Discussion Topics

3

Next Steps

4

Planning Grants and General Inquires - abpp@nps.gov Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants – abpp_blag@nps.gov

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