North American Tasks Forces

This program focuses on the activities and the effective management of complex or controversial undertakings, that require compliance with Section 106 of the U.S. National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as well as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) that was signed into law on February 17, 2009. This program includes measures to modernize our Nation’s infrastructure, expand educational opportunities, preserve and improve the quality of life as well as serve and protect those in greatest need.

 

The activities of this program will support the preservation and productive use of historic properties, job  creation, community revitalization, and sustainable development while ensuring that historic preservation needs are balanced with Federal Project Requirements and Values as outlined in Section 106 of the NHPA, in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and within standards and regulations as put forth by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP).

 

The activities of this program will help to produce the following effects as well:

 

• Jobs Creation

 

• Increase in Tax Revenues

 

• Increase in Local Household Incomes

 

• Investment Leveraging Stimulation

 

• Increase or Maintaining of Property Values

 

• Create a Demand on Industries

 

• Increase Small Business Development

 

• Promote Heritage Tourism and Pride

 

These activities will also support local and regional economics through ongoing facilities operations, maintenance and repairs, concessions, and other related enterprises.

 

The NATF will also offer programs to:

 

• Provide technical assistance to farmers and ranchers in exploring alternate economic enterprises, including heritage tourism.

 

• Provide technical and financial assistance to local research, conservation and development councils to assist with development projects, including heritage tourism and related business development.

 

• Provide Grant and Loan Programs to promote Rural Community Development Projects and Planning such as Rural Business Enterprise Grants, Rural Business Opportunity Grants, and Rural Economic Development Grants and Loans.

 

• Provide technical and financial assistance to support tourism initiatives, such as heritage tourism, to gateway communities outside of Federal Lands to increase International visitors.

 

• Provide technical and financial assistance to assist communities in infrastructure development, local capacity building, and business development to help alleviate conditions of substantial and persistent unemployment in economically distressed areas and regions.

 

• Provide technical and financial assistance to assist in capacity building at the state and local level for rural housing and economic development and support of innovative housing and economic development activities in rural areas and to fund projects involving heritage tourism and economic development through the use of historic properties.

 

• Provide technical, financial assistance, and management support to National Heritage Areas to assist in promoting local, economic, and cultural vitality by capitalizing on an area’s heritage assets, particularly through heritage tourism.

 

• Provide technical and financial assistance to local agencies and private organizations to assist in river, trail and greenway planning, regional assessments of potential trail corridors, conservation workshops, and to provide expert consultation on related issues.

 

• Provide technical and financial assistance to help preserve America’s Scenic Roads and promote tourism and economic development of these related areas.

 

• Provide technical and financial assistance to help maintain, restore, and rehabilitate trails, including National Historic Trails, and to rehabilitate ageing trailside facilities, as well as support acquisition of easements or titles to properties for trails, including old road or railroad bridges to be used as trail bridge.

 

• Provide technical and financial support for transportation enhancements including historic preservation projects and programs related to historic transportation routes, systems and facilities, including heritage tourism trails.

 

• Provide technical and financial assistance to communities along American Heritage Rivers to assist in their goals of fostering economic revitalization, natural resource and environmental protection, and historical and cultural preservation as well as help match a communities needs with available related resources.

 

• Provide technical and financial assistance to organizations and individuals to help extend the reach of the arts to underserved communities and populations to include the development of cultural tourism and cultural districts, and assisting in local economic development and cultural publicity efforts.

 

• Provide technical and financial assistance for public programs that use one or more historic sites to address issues central to American History. Projects eligible for NATF assistance may interpret a single historic site, a series of sites, whole neighborhoods, communities or towns, or larger geographical regions. Fundable activities include docent tours, publications (e.g., Brochures, Guidebooks, etc.), driving or walking tours, annotated itineraries, exhibition labeling or trail signs, films, and digital media.

 

• Provide technical and financial assistance to entrepreneurs for training materials and opportunities that could support heritage tourism and business development using historic buildings.

 

• Provide technical and financial assistance to promote the preservation of significant historic battlefields associated with wars on American soil.

 

As well as conduct research and studies to:

 

• Assess the values of heritage conservation.

 

• Assess the values of cultural heritage.

 

• Provide an overview of the contributions of historic preservation to housing and economic development.

 

• Measure the economic impact of Federal Historic Properties.

 

• Analyze the economic impact on local communities of the preservation of historic battlefields.

 

• Analyze the impacts of historical designation.

 

• Assess the impact of local historic districts on property values.

 

• Assess the impacts of preservation tax credits.