What We Do

The National Park Service (NPS) and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) are seeking public input on a proposed project that would reduce the risk of flooding and erosion to a segment of State Route 410 (SR 410) adjacent to the White River in Mount Rainier National Park. 

Cultural resources involved in wildland fires maintain legal protections and processes that are put in place to ensure their preservation for generations to come. To better care for the many cultural resources found where wildland fire occurs, we must understand the factors in this relationship. This document provides a summarized introduction into the topic of how wildland fires affect cultural resources directly, indirectly, and operationally.

In the eight years since the Strawberry Creek fire, much has changed in the area, with restoration efforts to bring back native vegetation, stream condition, and fish habitat.

At 12:30 pm on Sunday, June 30, 2024, the Riley Fire was reported on Denali National Park and Preserve lands about one mile north of the park entrance, in the Nenana River canyon. Due to the extremely dry conditions, the fire grew quickly. Thanks to assistance from both local and out of state partners, fire protection agencies, and planning in advance for this type of scenario, the park was back to regular operations only 11 days after ignition.

This document is an instructional guide for use by members of the response community responsible for the management and preservation of cultural resources. The information provided is based on research done at National Center for Preservation Technology and Training. The preassessment, health and safety precautions are detailed in the Preservation Matters Brief Oil Spills and Cultural Resources.

During the 2024 fire season, wildfires impacted several National Park Service (NPS) units throughout the Pacific West Region. These wildfires threatened sensitive natural and cultural resources in each park, but a new generation of NPS wildland fire Resource Advisors (READs) was trained and ready to help protect the special values for which these parks were designated.

El Malpais National Monument successfully completed two prescribed fires spring 2024. On June 15, shortly after the conclusion of these critical fuels management projects at El Malpais, the park discovered a lightning-caused fire. Fuels reduction resulting from the prescribed fire provided a buffer that greatly assisted firefighters in fire suppression operations.

Following two large-scale wildfires in 2020 and 2021, funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Burned Area Restoration (BAR) has supported giant sequoia replanting and restoration in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

In 2023, interns collected and processed hundreds of thousands of native plant seeds at Lava Beds National Monument. In 2024, 4000 propagated native plants were planted at three sites to restore the land after the Caldwell and Antelope fires.

In October 2024, a small Uncrewed Aerial System (sUAS) module deployed from Acadia National Park to Blue Ridge Parkway in response to damage from Hurricane Helene as a post-tropical cyclone. The module's mission was to gather information quickly and safely related to damage at the park. The storm had devastated the area, prompting the entire 469 miles of roadway in Virginia and North Carolina to remain closed following the storm.