Heritage Conservation and Recreation Services
Encyclopedia
The Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service (HCRS) was an agency within the United States Department of the Interior
which subsumed its functions from the National Park Service
and Bureau of Outdoor Recreation
. It was created by the Carter administration in 1977. Under the Reagan administration the National Park Service absorbed the HCRS in 1981.
During its brief tenure, Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service was consistently short of money and other resources and was never granted a leading role that its proponents advocated. During this agency's existence, however, a remarkable number of publications and research on historic preservation issues were completed. To date, this level of productivity has not been matched by the National Park Service.
Within the HCRS was a "Policy on Disposition of Human Remains" that was a standard for other federal agencies that were also interested in studying the bones.
The policy was an early attempt at relieving tensions between Native Americans
and the U.S. government. The HCRS called for the reburial of all remains that were in deliberate burial
s whose direct relation to modern relatives could be proven. Before the reburial, however, the U.S. government was permitted to study and document the remains.
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
which subsumed its functions from the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
and Bureau of Outdoor Recreation
Bureau of Outdoor Recreation
The Bureau of Outdoor Recreation was an agency of the United States Department of the Interior with the mission of planning outdoor recreation opportunities for the Interior Department and assisting private, local, and state organizations with their recreation planning...
. It was created by the Carter administration in 1977. Under the Reagan administration the National Park Service absorbed the HCRS in 1981.
During its brief tenure, Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service was consistently short of money and other resources and was never granted a leading role that its proponents advocated. During this agency's existence, however, a remarkable number of publications and research on historic preservation issues were completed. To date, this level of productivity has not been matched by the National Park Service.
Within the HCRS was a "Policy on Disposition of Human Remains" that was a standard for other federal agencies that were also interested in studying the bones.
The policy was an early attempt at relieving tensions between Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
and the U.S. government. The HCRS called for the reburial of all remains that were in deliberate burial
Burial
Burial is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
s whose direct relation to modern relatives could be proven. Before the reburial, however, the U.S. government was permitted to study and document the remains.