Management, Stewardship & Collaboration
The Cultural Resources Program supports mission readiness and sustainable training while ensuring compliance with Federal Laws and Army regulations and policies which will in turn foster good stewardship of historic buildings and landscapes, archaeological sites, sacred places and Tribally significant cultural and natural resources located on Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Promoting cultural resource stewardship and ensuring compliance with historic preservation law is a key mission of the department. The Cultural Resources Program manages three main areas: historic buildings and landscapes, archeological sites and tribal consultation. Currently, the department manages 8,075 historic resources, and 473 archeological sites.
The program promotes the productive use of significant buildings and landscapes, conducts archeological surveys and excavations to identify and protect important places and coordinates with the Medicine Creek Treaty Tribes to provide access to culturally significant cultural and natural resources and sacred places on JBLM. For example, access to camas and cedar – traditional resources still used today – is critical for cultural continuity of the Tribes. In order to maintain good relationships, Cultural Resources Program manager provides presentations on cross-cultural communication to ensure Tribal interactions are beneficial for all parties involved.
At JBLM, the Cultural Resources Program strives to maintain historic and archeological resources in a sustainable manner in collaboration with the other missions on the installation. The program is responsible for ensuring all proposed projects and proposed actions and activities that have the potential to impact cultural and natural resources and sacred places are reviewed to ensure compliance with the Section 106 regulations and other federal mandates. Depending upon the project, it may require consultation with the Washington State Historic Preservation Office and Treaty Tribes. The first step in project review is to submit a complete project package to include maps, project description, purpose and need.
JBLM has an Integrated Cultural Resources Management Plan (ICRMP) Army regulations and Department of Defense instructions require every military installation to have an ICRMP. The ICRMP is a five-year plan the acts as a guide for the installation when making cultural resource decisions, it integrates cultural resources with ongoing mission activities.
From Camp Lewis to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, this installation has a vibrant history.
TRIBAL CONNECTIONS TO JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD
JBLM is located within the traditional territories of the Nisquallly and Puyallup Tribes as they existed in the early 19th century.
Archaeology is the study of the human past through systematic recovery and analysis of material culture.
Historic buildings, structures, and objects eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic places encompass a wide variety of properties. At Joint Base Lewis-McChord, historic structures can include shelters, elements of the infrastructure such as roads, walkways, railroad tracks, also recreational facilities or monuments built to commemorate people, places or events.