The U.S. Army Reserve’s 63rd Readiness Division (RD), headquartered in Mountain View, CA, has established an enduring cultural resources program that is making impressive strides thanks to a foundation built on a decade’s worth of hard work. To foster tribal relationships, the 63rd RD’s Cultural Resources Program is opening lines of communication through the release of an updated Integrated Cultural Resources Management Plan (ICRMP). Additionally, the 63rd RD is engaging in meaningful conversations through events such as the 2024 Texas Tribal Consultation Meeting.
ICRMPs help Army Reserve facilities develop standard operating procedures to strengthen the protection of historic properties, cultural items, archaeological resources and collections, and sacred sites on Army Reserve locations. “Our regional ICRMP has recently been updated and we will be releasing it to 105 federally recognized tribes in seven states,” shared Margaret Magat, who provides contract support as the 63rd RD’s Environmental Program Manager. “I’ve been able to present it personally to a handful of tribes already. It’s been a tremendous lift to ensure we have up-to-date tribal contacts and to take the time to formulate personalized letters. The goal is to provide them our updated ICRMP and receive comments back within 45 days.”
Over the past decade, Magat has supported long-term initiatives to bolster the Cultural Resources Program. “When I came on board, we had to build the program from scratch. A shift was needed from executing cultural resources as an added job duty to making it a full-time program. We needed to change our approach from reactive to proactive. The 63rd RD was able to do that by defining what cultural resources management meant for our organization, establishing set procedures, and educating Soldiers and Civilian employees on why cultural compliance matters.”
As the Cultural Resources Program matured, Magat started researching in 2017 what other states were doing to build relationships through consultations so those types of meetings would come at the forefront of projects. Today, the 63rd RD is still making it a priority. Recently, the 63rd RD participated in the 2024 Texas Tribal Consultation Meeting co-hosted by the Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Historical Commission, and Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. The meeting took place at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Palo Duro Canyon.
Participating tribes included the Absentee Shawnee Tribe, Alabama-Coushatta Tribe, Choctaw Nation, Comanche Nation, Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma, Kiowa Tribe, Mescalero Apache Tribe, and the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes.
“This year we were extended an invite to not only attend the Texas Tribal Consultation Meeting, like years prior, but to conduct a presentation for attendees,” shared Cameron Dixon, 63rd RD Deputy Environmental Division Chief. “This provided us an incredible opportunity to inform the community about our facilities so they can learn more about the Army Reserve mission, upcoming projects including National Historic Preservation Act section 110 surveys in many Texas counties, and the need for upcoming property consultations so we can build relationships before projects start. We were honored to have the opportunity to meet face to face and are still receiving follow-up questions and inquiries after the event.”
The 63rd RD is optimistic and committed to continued growth of the Cultural Resources Program and collaboration with tribal nations. “Looking back 10 years ago, our approach to cultural resources was just a process that was done,” elaborated Morey Moore, 63rd RD Environmental Division Chief. “Now there are real relationships and respect between the 63rd RD and the tribes we collaborate with on a regular basis. We brought back to the table the art of conversation, demonstrating listening, the consideration of input, and even working through disagreements to come to a consensus and find a path forward. As we recently celebrated Native American Heritage Month, the Army Reserve is grateful for the rich cultures and contributions of the tribal nations.”
