Last week, we told you that a bipartisan group of House members have drafted a strong letter to the ACHP opposing their radical rewrite of the regulations that implement Section 106. Thanks to your advocacy, House representatives are speaking up against the ACHP plan and adding their names to the letter.
We have just learned that the letter has been opened up to Senators to sign on. Letters that come from both chambers of Congress have more impact and carry more weight.
That’s why we are asking for your help to urge your two Senators to sign the letter. Your advocacy will make a difference!
And remember, you can find lots of resources to help you fight back against the ACHP’s overhaul in our Section 106 Action Center.
My name is Nathan Ruhnow, and I am an Assistant Lab Manager with the Veterans Curation Program (VCP) lab in. St Louis, Missouri. I have both a personal and professional interest in opposing the radical rewrite of Section 106. On a personal level, I am a proud citizen of the United States, and I believe that it is important for a nation to preserve and protect its historic sites. I believe that the proposed changes to Section 106 could potentially pose a catastrophic risk to our nation’s cultural heritage.
On a professional level, I work for the VCP, a transitional employment program for veterans managed by New South Associates, a Cultural Resource Management firm based in Stone Mountain Georgia. The VCP was created for two purposes: (1) to provide veterans a bridging experience from military service into the public sector and (2) to process at-risk archaeological collections belonging to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The collections that our veterans process while participating in our program were collected during archaeological surveys required under Section 106. These surveys prevent the loss and destruction of cultural artifacts that trace the history of indigenous civilizations and early westward expansion that are key in understanding the history of this nation. Once that history is gone, it’s gone forever. I am asking therefore that you reconsider the proposed changes to Section 106 so that you do not risk the permanent loss of this nation’s history.