APPROXIMATELY TWENTY FEDERAL LAWS contain provisions recognizing the national value and significance that U.S. prehistoric and historic cultural resources possess. These laws, especially the National Historic Preservation Act,1 mandate certain preservation responsibilities of all federal agencies. Yet the United States is still losing important parts of its cultural heritage at an alarming rate.2 Because the national inventory of these cultural resources is far from complete, sites, structures, and landscapes that may have prehistoric or historic significance may not be catalogued and protected before they have been destroyed or dramatically altered. Even significant sites in the current inventory may be subject to catastrophic destruction. The National Historic Preservation Act, for example, charges the Secretary of the Interior and the independent Advisory Council on Historic Preservation with administering and guiding federal preservation efforts.
