As the long process to restore and create an exhibit to display the historic root cellar at the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center continues, the funding that made that and other projects possible is in jeopardy. 

The Trump administration’s budget proposal released Friday doesn't include the Japanese American Confinement Sites (JACS) program administered by the National Park Service, which included more than $4.6 million in funding last year for sites across the country that preserve the remnants, and tell the story of, the World War II internment sites to house Japanese Americans. 

The program, which has had overwhelming bipartisan support since its creation 20 years ago — including by the Wyoming delegation — has developed the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center and institutions throughout the country.

Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation spokesman Ray Locker said locally the funding has made possible the root cellar plans as well as the exhibit honoring the late Secretary Norm Mineta and U.S. Sen. Al Simpson, who were childhood friends when Mineta lived in the camp and Simpson was a Cody youth. 

The center recently opened a new wing dedicated to the two men. 

Foundation members will join leaders of other Japanese American confinement sites in Washington in two weeks to meet with members of Congress, administration officials and others to emphasize the importance of JACS and similar programs that ensure the country doesn’t forget this chapter of history.

“We’re grateful for the support of the Wyoming delegation for JACS, and we hope that they will be able to support us once again,” said Shirley Ann Higuchi, chair of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, in a release.

Locker said it was Sen. Cynthia Lummis, when she was in the House, who brought forth legislation to allow sites to use JACS funds to purchase property, which Locker said could come in handy for Heart Mountain down the road if it has the opportunity to bring any more of the former site under its control. 

“We're not worried about the Wyoming delegation, they've been very helpful, and they've been really good friends of Heart Mountain,” Locker said. “We just know what the overall political landscape is.”

Locker said Monday Heart Mountain representatives will also be talking with members of the Wyoming delegation about the process to complete a land transfer to bring the old hospital under ownership of the interpretive center, which would then enable future work to turn that building on the hill overlooking the current center into an exhibit as well. 

He said work to do that would also be greatly helped by JACS. 

“That makes a huge difference for us,” he said. “It enables us to restore a valuable piece of Heart Mountain history, and also make it available for exhibits and people to see it and tour; it's all part of you know our plan to continually evolve the size and scope of what we do here so we get more visitors.”

Heart Mountain received $342,850 from JACS for the root cellar project, which Locker said will hopefully be completed midway through 2027.