Public Information Meeting Tonight in Kona on Disposition of Archaeological Materials

NPS SCHEDULES KONA MEETING ON DISPOSITION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL MATERIALS

The National Park Service has scheduled a public information meeting in Kailua-Kona to discuss a Proposed Rule Change for the Disposition of Archeological Materials of “Insufficient Archeological Interest” to be Retained in Federal Collections.

David Gadsby, Ph.D., an archeologist with the National Park Service’s Archeology Program in Washington, DC, invites you to the following information session:

Date:  Monday, July 16, 2012

Time:  6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Location:  Mayor’s Conference Room (Building C, 2^nd floor), West Hawai‘i Civic Center, 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i

(See plan map of the West Hawai'i Civic  Center:  http://records.co.hawaii.hi.us/Weblink8/DocView.aspx?dbid=1&id=32276 

The proposed rule change would amend 36 CFR Part 79, “Curation of Federally-Owned and Administered Archaeological Collections;" see http://www.nps.gov/archeology/collections/laws_04.htm and the attached copy of an overview of 36 CFR Part 79 for more information about the existing rule.

A regulation for deaccessioning was proposed in 1990, but was not issued due to unresolved issues.  Declining funding and the growth of collections continue to concern many responsible for and interested in the appropriate curation of federal collections.  Discussions have continued since 1990; a working group worked on drafting a proposed rule through the mid-2000s; and the National Park Service anticipates proposing a rule change in the coming months.  

We encourage you to notify anyone who you believe would be interested in participating in the information session which will include a presentation for approximately 30 minutes, followed by a question and answer period.

Please register if you plan to participate by providing your name, title (optional), organization (optional), and the date and time of the session in which you plan to participate so that we know approximately how many handouts to provide. 

RSVP to Lisa C. Oshiro Suganuma at lisa_oshiro@ios.doi.gov or (808) 792-9555 in the Department of the Interior’s Office of Native Hawaiian Relations.