Entry level knowledge for NPS employees to understand preservation theory and practice within parks system. Below you will find presently available or developing courses.
PRESERVATION LAW, POLICY AND PRACTICE
Historic Preservation 101
DSC modules offered by DSC
Guiding Principles for Field-based Historic Preservation
Whether you are a new employee or interested in employment with the National Park Service, understanding how the organization functions is vital to your success. Are all parks the same? How is the work divided? How are the sites managed? What do the different divisions do?
Known as “Essentials,” these topics provide insight into how the National Park Service manages the entire system of parks and programs to accomplish its mission. Reading through each topic gives an overview at the most basic level with opportunities to link to more in-depth, specific information.
Getting Started with Section 106
After completing this training you should be able to do the following:
- Have a general understanding of what Section 106 is and why it is important
- Understand Section 106 terminology
- Know when Section 106 applies and when to start the process
- Know who participates in the Section 106 process and when they are involved in the process
- Know where to find reference and guidance materials used to complete the Section 106 process
- Understand and implement the Section 106 four-step process
Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for the Treatment of Historic Properties
The Standards and Guidelines for the Treatment of Historic Properties offer four distinct approaches to the treatment of historic properties: preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, and reconstruction, with accompanying guidelines for each.
One set of standards will apply to a property undergoing treatment, depending upon the property’s significance, existing physical condition, the extent of documentation available and interpretive goals, when applicable.
This learning activity is for people who work at sites with historic resources and want to advance their knowledge of historic preservation standards and treatments.
Developing, Understanding, and Using Research Documents 2-day NPS Western/ (new Hennebery)
UNDER DEVELOPMENT 2022
Archeology Policies, Laws, and Best Practices
Are you an interpreter, resource manager, educator, law enforcement ranger, archeologist, or museum technician? Do you interact with the public? Do you investigate, interpret, protect, preserve, or share information with the public about archeology and archaeological resources? Then this course is for you!
ARPA snapshot series
The ARPA Snapshot Series is designed as a resource for Law Enforcement and Cultural Resource Professionals who may want to refresh their skills, look more closely at a particular topic, or explore new directions that ARPA may take them in their work. These classes are intended as a gateway to other, more in-depth training in the ARPA Focus Series.
Our philosophy is that all members of the ARPA team need to know about the entire process to more effectively participate in an investigation and its follow-up. In addition to Caven Clark presenting ARPA from the Cultural Resource perspective and retired AUSA Randy Ream representing the legal side, we now have NPS Special Agent Robert Still offering parallel Snapshots to showcase the LE side of the equation. Both CR and LE are encouraged to participate in ALL Snapshot offerings.
This class is offered as a virtual training using the MS Teams platform. Classes are scheduled on a monthly basis featuring a new topic every month for 1.5 hours. Registration is required, but there are no prerequisites or outside assignments. All learners should join the ARPA Forum on the NPS Common Learning Portal prior to class to have access to class materials. Learners can register for as many or as few as their schedule and interests permit. There is no size limit, but registration is required.
Secretary of Interior Standards and Guidelines for Treatment of Historic Properties
The Standards and Guidelines for the Treatment of Historic Properties offer four distinct approaches to the treatment of historic properties: preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, and reconstruction, with accompanying guidelines for each.
One set of standards will apply to a property undergoing treatment, depending upon the property’s significance, existing physical condition, the extent of documentation available and interpretive goals, when applicable.
This learning activity is for people who work at sites with historic resources and want to advance their knowledge of historic preservation standards and treatments.
Illustrated Rehabilitation Guidelines
The Secretary of the Interior is responsible for establishing standards for all programs under Departmental authority and for advising Federal agencies on the preservation of historic properties listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
Working on the Past in Local Historic Districts
Through illustrated examples, we show you how to weigh the visual impact of proposed changes to the exterior, interior, and site using a 3-step approach. By applying this method to evaluate a historic building from a distance, up close, and inside, you can begin to decide where alterations might reasonably take place – and which visual aspects you need to preserve.
Rehab Yes and Nos: Brief case studies
The REHAB YES/NO LEARNING PROGRAM has been specially designed to make a point about how careful planning prior to rehabilitation work can result in choosing approaches that preserve the character of historic buildings in our nation's communities. Twenty brief, illustrated project case studies focus on BASIC issues that frequently arise in the process of making changes for a continuing or new use, including exteriors, interiors, sites, and new additions.
HISTORIC BUILDING CONSTRUCTION
Character Defining Features of a Historic Property
Character defining features (CDFs), also referred to as “characteristics”, are the visual aspects and physical elements that express the appearance of a historic property. CDFs can range from large-scale aspects, such as the overall shape and size of a building and patterns of land use (agricultural, mining, manufacturing, etc.), to small details such as stone patterns, mortar color, and spacing of tree plantings. Individually and/or collectively, the type, combination and location of CDFs help to express and tell the story of a property’s history and significance.
In this section, we will explore what character defining features can include, a process to identify them, and how they contribute to the significance and integrity of a historic property.
Historic Property Significance
Historic properties across the United States are authentic places that represent the people, events, traditions and changes that have shaped our country. They reveal the influence of our nation’s leaders and innovators; the lives and contributions of our native and immigrant peoples; and the trends, skills, materials and styles throughout our history.
While the goals of historic preservation seek to protect and retain these places, a primary challenge is to first determine which properties are worthy of saving. This session will explore how we consider and evaluate the historic significance of properties.
Historic Property Integrity
Integrity is the ability of a property to convey its historic significance. To be listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), a property must not only be significant under one or more of the four NRHP criteria, but it also must have integrity, i.e., it retains the essential physical features and visual qualities from the historic time period for which it is important.
The evaluation of integrity is sometimes a subjective judgment, but it is always grounded in an understanding of a property’s physical features and qualities and how they relate to its significance.
In this learning activity we will explore how the NRHP defines “Integrity” and how to go about considering if a historic property retains enough integrity to be “worthy of preservation”.
Trades Alive!
Welcome to the Trades Alive! Historic Preservation Video Series. This video series features historic preservationists and trades specialists from across the NPS. Watch the videos in the links below to gain new skills in carpentry, masonry, metalwork, and other skilled trades.
Modernizing Historic Buildings: Code Compliance and Implementing Sensitive Upgrades for Rehabilitation Projects (new Hennebery)
UNDER DEVELOPMENT
Guidelines on Flood Adaptation for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings
Flooding risk has long been a major challenge for many historic properties. Changing weather patterns, stronger hurricanes and other extreme weather events, sea level rise, increased nuisance flooding, king tides, and continuing development in floodplains are some of the factors increasing the risk of flooding events, both in terms of their frequency and magnitude. Some historic properties that have never flooded before may now be exposed to this risk, and those that flooded infrequently in the past may experience more instances of flooding or of water reaching higher levels than ever before.
The goal of the Guidelines on Flood Adaptation for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings is to provide information about how to adapt historic buildings to be more resilient to flooding risk in a manner that will preserve their historic character and that will meet The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.
Introduction to climate change in the National Parks
Climate change affects every aspect of national parks, from managing their natural and cultural resources and visitors’ experiences to planning facilities that can withstand increasingly severe weather.
This course begins by explaining the basic science of climate change. Students will become familiar with policies, programs, and partnerships that guide and support climate change response and science. Case studies highlight ways the changing climate is impacting resources at parks from Alaska to the Everglades. The course also introduces the principles park managers are using to assess, adapt, and plan for changing conditions. Learners will leave the course knowing where to find more in-depth information and assistance in dealing with specific problems.
Guiding Principles for Field-Based Historic Preservation
Canceled: Due to COVID-19, this course has been canceled.
These workshops, offered in partnership with the Vanishing Treasures Program, will present a working knowledge of historic preservation principles. Upon completion, participants will have a deeper understanding of how treatment decisions are developed, how resources are evaluated, and how compliance, laws, and Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties are directly connected to the work performed by trades personnel. This course will be split between classroom and field-based sessions, and will provide a practical education in the why’s and how’s of historic preservation in the NPS.
ILLUSTRATED GUIDELINES ON SUSTAINABILITY FOR REHABILITATING HISTORIC BUILDINGS
The Illustrated Guidelines on Sustainability for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings replaces the chapter on “Energy Conservation” in the Illustrated Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings published in 1992. (This same guidance is presented in the chapter entitled “Energy Retrofitting” in the unillustrated Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings.) The illustrated version of the Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings was designed to further enhance overall understanding and interpretation of basic preservation principles.
Preparing for and Documenting Historic Preservation Work
Change is inherent at historic properties; it results from both natural processes and human activities. Sometimes changes are subtle and occur over long periods of time, such as the slow settling of a building’s foundation. At other times, changes occur quickly due to environmental impacts, special events, shifting management objectives, and so forth. These dynamic qualities of historic resources are balanced by care and stewardship to retain integrity and continuity of the distinctive characteristics that convey the significance of historic properties.
Careful preparation, ahead of working on historic properties, is essential to prevent irrevocable damage to important resources. This learning activity will explore how to effectively plan for and document the work you do on historic properties.
Working at Historic Properties
This learning activity considers how work at historic properties differs from that at non-historic properties and introduces the principles, approaches, and techniques for accomplishing such work. It is for anyone who is currently involved with, or is planning to become involved with, physical care of historic properties.
PRESERVATION BUILDING SCIENCE
Introduction to Implementing Science in National Parks
Introduction to Implementing Science in National Parks explores the critical role science plays in helping the NPS fulfill its mission. This course explores the critical role science plays in helping the NPS fulfill its mission, providing learners from any discipline with foundational knowledge on the importance and application of science in parks, natural resource law and policy, and scientific knowledge and understanding.
Introduction to the Career Academy for Natural Resources
This course orients students to a natural resource management and science career path. It explains the roles of the natural resource professional within the National Park Service and introduces the concepts of ethical conduct, scientific integrity, interdisciplinary networks, and building and maintaining professional credibility. Students will address their professional development by exploring ways to design and implement professional development ideas.
Orientation to National Park Service Natural Resource Management
This course outlines the evolution of the natural resource stewardship philosophy of the National Park Service. It identifies laws, policies, and legal authorities that govern natural resource management and introduces foundational concepts and tools for science-based management, the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, and the fundamentals of natural resource leadership.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Scope Writing, Budgeting, and Solicitation: Planning for Historic Preservation Projects(new Hennebery)
UNDER DEVELOPMENT
Modernizing Historic Buildings: Code Compliance and Implementing Sensitive Upgrades for Rehabilitation Projects(new Hennebery)
UNDER DEVELOPMENT
Last updated: December 18, 2023