In the Virgin Islands the State Historic Preservation Office, (VISHPO), is a division within the Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR). The DPNR Commissioner serves as the State Historic Preservation Officer and the Director of the VISHPO serves as the Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer.
The Role of State Historic Preservation Officers and Offices was created in 1966 under Section 101 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) for each state and territory in the USA to establish. The purposes of SHPOs include surveying and recognizing historic properties, reviewing nominations for properties to be included in the National Register of Historic Places, reviewing federal undertakings for impacts on historic properties and resources in each respective local, as well as supporting federal organizations, state and local governments, and private sector.
Learn more about Historic Preservation in the Virgin Islands
