NPS Photo/H. Kajitani
News release date: May 8, 2024
contact: PWR_Cultural_Resource_Program@nps.gov
San Francisco – Each May during Preservation Month, the National Park Service (NPS) Pacific West Region recognizes employees and tribes who go above and beyond in their mission to protect our nation’s heritage. This includes preserving historic buildings and artifacts, operating museums, co-managing with tribal partners, and sharing the history of these places with the public. This annual award recognizes individuals for their creativity and outstanding contributions to this mission.
The winning projects highlighted below are also being considered for the National Natural and Cultural Resources Director's Award.
Western park cultural resources and museum collections are threatened by climate change. In Pinnacles National Park, wildland fires are a danger to the unique landscape, historic buildings, and irreplaceable museum collections. In 2023, Pinnacles Superintendent Blanca A. Stransky convened a team of park-wide employees to tackle this problem from multiple angles. They completed fire prevention planning steps, including thinning vegetation around park homes and painting historic buildings with flame-retardant paint. They also safely relocated the museum's collection from Bear Gulch to a facility in Washington state, making it the first collection of its kind to be moved in the Pacific West. Pinnacles' proactive approach, led by Stransky, serves as an example of what other parks can do to protect valuable park resources. More In 2023, as Dave's Goto project to restore Merritt Park at Manzanar National Historic Site was nearing its end, Tropical Storm Hillary struck. This park was designed and built by Japanese Americans who were interned here during World War II. After the storm, Goto and his team found all of their work covered in a layer of dirt and debris. Goto oversaw emergency repairs for two months, working with volunteers every weekend to excavate the park. Even without these setbacks, restoring Manzanar's historic landscape requires a deep understanding of its past, plant needs, and current climate. Thanks to his leadership, gardens and orchards are now places that reflect not only the fragility of our civil rights, but also the beauty and diversity that immigrant cultures bring to this country. More information> The Wahoga Commission of the Southern Sierra Miuk Nation/Mariposa County American Indian Council is working with Yosemite National Park to establish a tribal educational, stewardship, and healing site. Known as Wahoga Village, this area has been home to tribes with traditional ties to Yosemite for thousands of years. In the 1930s, NPS built cabins here for Native American park personnel and their families. But in 1969, the park evicted the residents and burned down the structure, leaving only Wilson Cabin. For the first time, the Pacific West region will award the Cultural Resource Specialist Award in conjunction with the Partnership Excellence Award for its accomplishments.
The Wahoga Commission has led efforts to rebuild the village over the past 50 years. In 2023, they successfully raised funds to restore Wilson Hut to its original location and made significant progress in constructing a ceremonial roundhouse to host tribal events. Echo Davenport, Yosemite's Archaeological Compliance Program Manager and recipient of the Cultural Resources Specialist Award, uses her knowledge of preservation policy to promote compliance, coordinate the relocation of Wilson Cabin, and more. , served as a bridge between the tribes and the NPS. Although there is still work to be done, these successes allow Yosemite Valley's traditionally associated tribes to strengthen their connections to their ancestral homelands and continue their collaboration with NPS. Learn more >
The Regional Cultural Resource Awards have been presented each spring for 50 years. More information about this year's and past recipients can be found on his National Park Service website.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees manage America's 429 national parks and work with communities across the country to preserve local history and create accessible recreational opportunities. For more information, visit www.nps.gov, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
For NPS internal areas 8, 9, 10, and 12. The National Park Service's westernmost region extends 106 degrees around the globe and includes more than 60 areas in eight states: California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, parts of Arizona and Montana, and the territory of Guam. Includes national parks. American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, etc.
