A military training area on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Photo from Oahu Implementation Plan

The National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers has entered into an agreement to help the U.S. military protect sacred sites.

As part of the agreement, NATHPO will prepare a study on sacred American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian sites. Richard Meyers, an assistant professor at South Dakota State University who serves as director of tribal relations, will be reaching out to Native communities.

"As an on-the-ground anthropologist-ethnographer, I'm looking to gather the various perspectives on sacred sites, ways to protect and maintain them and show how integral it is for all stakeholders involved to really nurture a dialogue," Meyer said in a press release.

Meyer's study will take a year. It's part of an agreement NATHPO signed with the Naval Facilities Engineering Command

In 2012, the Department of Defense signed onto a memorandum of understanding to collaborate with other federal agencies on sacred site policies. In 2013, the agencies released an action plan to ensure greater access to important sites.

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SDSU’s Meyers chosen for DoD project (KELO 12/9)