Secretary Haaland Honors Historic Preservation Leaders for Extraordinary Work in Their Communities

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland today honored four government and Tribal employees with the annual Secretary of the Interior Historic Preservation Awards, recognizing their outstanding contributions to the preservation of historic places and artifacts. 

“Through historic preservation, we look at history through different lenses, ask new and challenging questions of the past and learn new things about our history and ourselves,” said Secretary Haaland in pre-recorded remarks to the award winners. “Your efforts help us find purpose in this work and inform our work to identify the stories we need to tell.” 

The Secretary’s award recognizes individuals from federal, state, Tribal and local governments, whose contributions surpass their regular duties and have significantly fostered the overall goals of the National Historic Preservation Act.  

The award for a tribal historic preservation officer was presented to Suntayea Steinruck, former Tribal Historic Preservation Officer with the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation. Steinruck served as the historic preservation officer for her tribe from the time the THPO office was first established in 2006 until 2017.  

The Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation is in the far northwest region of coastal California, with ancestral lands that stretch from the Sixes River in Oregon to Wilson Creek in California. This territory is rich with the histories and presence of the Tolowa ancestors.  

To stretch and maximize limited funding, staffing, and time available, Steinruck collaborated with her fellow tribal historic preservation officers on common issues. The of tribal historic preservation offices she spearheaded is a vital conduit for sharing information and providing support for the historic preservation work across California. In addition, Steinruck initiated an annual summit, that continues to provide an ideal venue for communication, collaboration, and networking among tribal, local, state, and federal agency representatives. 

“As a result of Suntayea’s coordination, determination and passion to protect and honor her tribal legacy, California now has a cohesive working group of tribal historic preservation offices who actively engage within California and across the United States,” said Shannon Estenoz, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks. 

The Secretary of the Interior Historic Preservation Awards are distinguished from other historic preservation award programs in that it focuses on the accomplishments of individual employees and not on programs or projects. The award recognizes the contributions of employees at multiple levels of government. 

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