Consultation / Section 106 Program

In our homeland of Mississippi/Alabama, along the Choctaw Trail of Tears corridors, and in Oklahoma Choctaw country, the landscape is dotted with reminders of our ancestors' presence. These reminders include archaeological sites, burials, sacred places, and artifacts. Unique and irreplaceable, these entities are threatened on a daily basis through looting, development, and the progression of time.

In 2004, the Choctaw Nation Historic Preservation Department became the second Tribe in Oklahoma to take over the responsibilities of the Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Officer under Section 101(d)2 of the National Historic Preservation Act on Tribal lands. Today, CNHPD annually consults on 2,500 to 3,000 federally funded projects within a 9 state region, to insure that these projects to not disturb Choctaw ancestral sites. The Department also regularly consults with state agencies, Tribal members, and the general public to protect Choctaw sites on non-federal land.

The CNHPD often works collaboratively with other Tribes and agencies to strengthen preservation efforts. The Department was instrumental in founding the "To Bridge a Gap Conference", an annual meeting between Tribes and federal agencies on preservation issues.

Consultation Contact Information:

For the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) please contact Ian Thompson at 1-800-522-6170 ext. 2216, ithompson@choctawnation.com

For Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana please contact Lindsey Bilyeu at 1-800-522-6170 ext. 2631, bilyeu@choctawnation.com

For Arkansas, Florida, and Texas please contact Ryan L. Spring at 1-800-522-6170 ext. 2137, rspring@choctawnation.com

For Oklahoma please contact Deanna Byrd at 1-800-522-6170 ext. 2353, dbyrd@choctawnation.com

For Tennessee and Kentucky please contact Vangie Robinson at 1-800-522-6170 ext. 2590, vrobinson@choctawnation.com