May 2002

Dena Sanford
Architectural Historian
National Park Service
Midwest Regional Office
Cultural Resources Division
National Register Programs

What do you do for the National Park Service?

I am one of five staff members within the National Register Programs, and we are charged with providing professional and technical assistance to other govermental agencies and public and private historic preservation partners in the 13 states comprising the Midwest Region. More specifically, I manage specific projects related to historic resource preservation, including preparation of research documents, new National Historic Landmark (NHL) nominations, or revisions to existing NHL nominations; condition assessment reports; and public outreach. My primary duties include providing technical assistance to NHLs, conducting NHL inspections and "Landmark at Risk" reports, oversight of Historic American Building Survey/Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER) mitigation projects, and Historic Monument transfers. Additionally, I provide assistance to the 50+National Park Service (NPS) park units in our region, including preparation of cultural resource-research documents and participation on planning-related tasks.

The National Register Programs is organizationally located within the Cultural Resources Division of the Midwest Regional Office (MWRO), NPS, in Omaha, Nebraska. The Cultural Resources Division is one of eight subordinate divisions in the MWRO, which provide services and assistance to national parks and various program partners throughout the Midwest Region. The Cultural Resources Division includes four programs: Historic Architecture, Cultural Landscapes, History and National Register Programs, and Museum Collections.

The MWRO is located at 1709 Jackson Street, Omaha, NE 68102. My
telephone number is 402-514-9354, fax: 402-827-9107. E:mail: dena_sanford@nps.gov. Hours: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm. The NPS park units are the primary point of contact for the public, although the public can obtain passports and some general park information from the front desk. For more information, contact Pearl Reddix at 402-221-3471. Additional information on the NPS can be found at http://www.nps.gov/. Information on National Historic Landmarks is located at http://www.cr.nps.gov/nhl/.

What brought you to Nebraska?

I grew up in Bozeman, Montana, and earned a B.A. in History from Montana State University. After some time as an independent contractor surveying historic properties in Montana, I enrolled in the Historic Preservation Program at the University of Oregon, and earned an M.S. in 1991. Immediately after graduation, I worked as an historian on a HABS documentation project in Natchez, Mississippi, then moved directly to Omaha, Nebraska, to work for the NPS. My initial work with the MWRO involved surveying and documenting all the historic properties owned by the NPS in this region. I have been in my current position in the National Register Programs for five years.

Why did yo become a NMA member?

I was honored to be offered the position of board member this past year, and hope that I can provide the same type of assistance to Nebraska museum staff that I provide to the owners and stewards of NHLs in the NPS Midwest Region. I see my work as a board member parallelling and complimenting my work with the NPS, to the benefit of both the organization and the agency. Through my background specifically in historic preservation, and generally in my training and experiences with Federally-established guidelines on cultural resource management, I think that I offer another perspective on issues important to Nebraska museums. Hopefully the greatest of these is to offer additional sources of information and guidance that may not have been considered previously. I would like to serve as a conduit to additional assistance, either directly within the Federal government, or through my connections with other state and local governments in the country, and with private citizens. Through such activities, I know that I will gain new experiences and insight that I apply to my own work with the NPS. I am fortunate that I have a career that I both enjoy and of which I can be proud, and my membership in the NMA only furthers this blessing.

What do you like to do in you're spare time?

When not working, or when I can combine work time with "private time", I enjoy being out of doors, and exploring new places. The best combination of these might be backpacking to an abandoned mining community, or bike riding through a historic community. Another activity I enjoy, and which is completely different from my work time, is creating welded metal sculpture.

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July 10, 2003