This list of connections in Minnesota's preservation community includes agencies and organizations at the national, tribal, state and local levels as well as individuals. Website addresses or links to additional information are given where appropriate.
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
An independent federal agency, the ACHP promotes the preservation and productive use of the nation's historic resources and advises the President and Congress on national historic preservation policy.
National Park Service
Part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, the NPS provides important oversight for the nation's historic preservation programs, including responsibility for the National Register of Historic Places. It is through the NPS that the Minnesota SHPO receives its annual federal appropriation from the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF). This fund supports the full range of programs administered by the SHPO and includes monies regranted to cities through such programs as the Certified Local Government Program.
National Trust for Historic Preservation
This nonprofit organization provides national leadership in historic preservation, working through a network of statewide preservation organizations and local preservation programs.
National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers
This is a professional association of the state government officials who carry out the nation's historic preservation program as delegates of the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act.
National Alliance of Preservation Commissions (NAPC)
Representing the nation's local preservation commissions, the NAPC provides technical support and manages an information network to help local commissions accomplish their preservation objectives. It also serves as an advocate at federal, state and local levels of government to promote policies and programs that support preservation commission efforts.
Preservation Action
Since 1974 this nonprofit organization, the only national 501 (c) (4) preservation lobby, has coordinated a network of community activists, preservation professionals, historians, commercial investors and civic leaders working together to advocate for our architectural heritage.
Federal Agencies
All federal agencies have historic preservation responsibilities under the National Historic Preservation Act. The U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service are among federal agencies that own and maintain historic sites in Minnesota of national and state significance.
National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers
Professional association of the tribal historic preservation officials who have assumed certain SHPO responsibilities within their reservation boundaries in carrying out the nation's historic preservation program pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act.
Tribal Historic Preservation Offices
The Mille Lacs, Leech Lake and White Earth bands of Ojibwe play a role parallel to the SHPO in administering national preservation programs on their reservations. They focus on archaeological sites and traditional cultural properties.
Indian Tribes
Amendments to the National Historic Preservation Act in 1992 provided for expanded participation by Indian tribes in the national preservation program, particularly regarding resources on tribal lands. Many of Minnesota's American Indian tribes, longtime advocates of preserving cultural resources, now incorporate historic preservation in tribal planning.
Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office
The SHPO plays a lead role in preserving the state's historic properties, implementing a statewide preservation plan with the participation of many preservation partners.
State Agencies
Agencies of the State of Minnesota play an important role in historic preservation through ownership of historic properties and through considering historic properties as they carry out their work. The cultural resource staffs at the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Transportation work with the many programs of their agencies to protect historic resources. The State Archaeologist and the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council have specific responsibilities in preserving archaeological resources.
Minnesota Indian Affairs Council
Established in 1963, the MIAC provides a liaison office to the eleven sovereign tribal nations and state government. The council also advises and makes recommendations to state policy makers, including the Governor and Legislature.
Minnesota Historical Society
The Minnesota Historical Society preserves and protects the objects, documents, places, and buildings that make Minnesota home. MHS funds projects through Legacy Grants, the Heritage Partner Program, and State Capital Projects Grants-in-Aid.
Rethos (the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota reimagined)
The nonprofit Rethos works to preserve Minnesota's cultural resources through preservation advocacy, education and a preservation easement program.
Local Heritage Preservation Commissions
To date, 43 Minnesota communities have enacted local preservation ordinances and 30 of them participate in the Certified Local Government Program, administered by the SHPO and the National Park Service.
Local Governments/Agencies/Organizations
A number of city and county governments own historic properties. Local planning and development agencies are responsible for implementing municipal policies that may affect historic properties. In addition, many neighborhood and business organizations advocate for preserving historic structures and landscapes.
County and Local Historical Organizations
Minnesota is home to more than 500 historical organizations, including county historical societies in each of the state's 87 counties. Many of these organizations are stewards of historic properties, some administered as house museums, others as general history museums.
