SALT LAKE CITY — An agreement with the National Park Service has now given the Ute Indian Tribe (Tribe) legal protections under the National Historic Preservation Program.
Calling this an historic development, the Tribe says that the agreement gives them rights to exercise certain cultural and historic preservation activities over the Uintah and Ouray Reservation under the National Historic Preservation Act. These activities were previously exercised by Utah’s Historic Preservation Office.
Under the agreement, the Tribe will have federal authority to advise state and federal governments on historic preservation and decisions regarding Tribal historic properties.
This includes working with local, state, and federal agencies to ensure Tribal historic properties are taken into consideration at all levels of planning and development, including designations on the National Register of Historic Places.
