Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (THPOs) are officially designated by a federally-recognized Indian tribe to direct a program approved by the National Park Service and the THPO must have assumed some or all of the functions of State Historic Preservation Officers on Tribal lands. This program was made possible by the provisions of Section 101(d)(2) of the National Historic Preservation Act.
Before a Tribe may assume the functions of a State Historic Preservation Officer, the National Historic Preservation Act requires Tribes to submit a formal plan to the National Park Service describing how the proposed Tribal Historic Preservation Officer functions will be carried out.
Hosted by California tribes, THPO/SHPO summits provide an opportunity to discuss a variety of topics and issues related to tribal historic preservation concerns. Summits typically occur once per year, though not necessarily on an annual basis.
For information about upcoming or previous summits, please visit our THPO/SHPO Summits page.