Kristin, 

Let me share my experience with plexiglas:   As someone who has created some
inexpensive outdoor interpretive signs covered in Plexiglas let me warn you
about a couple of things concerning it - especially if you are in a warm
climate.  Bugs always find a way to get under it and die, and worse, other
stuff will thrive and grow under it.    Personally, in the South, I've found
the hardest part to maintaining an open excavation for a long period is
toweling away the moss, mold,and mildew  - plus those little dirt piles
created by bugs.  The Plexiglas will trap the moisture and make a micro
environment that will encourage this growth.  Basically, you will create
yourself a terrarium.  So much of the time, it will look like the mirror in
your bathroom after a hot shower. 

When we made our signs, we were warned about yellowing of the plexi,but
oddly enough, 15 years later,  this has not really been much of a problem.  


Linda Derry
Site Director
Old Cahawba Archaeological Site
719 Tremont Street
Selma, AL 36701-5446
334/875-2529
[log in to unmask]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
> Behalf Of kristin munro
> Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 10:37 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: clarification of site stabilization issues
> 
> 
> I have never tried this seeing how I am just a college
> graduate but I was 
> thinking what if you placed a 1 1/2 X 1 1/2 meter piece of 
> plexiglass over 
> the unit. That would keep the animals out as well as people 
> from falling in 
> the unit and at the same time allowing people to see into the 
> unit at all 
> points. It would also be a way to keep rain and snow 
> (depending on your 
> location) for getting into the unit. However if your units 
> are larger than 
> 1X1 then I would assume this idea would not be 
> feasible...just a thought. 
>  Kristin Munro
> 
>  On 8/30/05, [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > 
> > I suspect he is talking about excavating those areas first and then 
> > sloping them. If we chose that as an option, that is what I
> would plan to
> > do. You can excavate back to where you want the back of
> your slope, then use
> > fill soil to create the proper slope. Or slope you side
> wall as you excavate
> > so you have intact soil as your slope, this will help with
> erosion issues.
> > 
> > Jeannine Kreinbrink
> > ---- Ron May <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > > Paul,
> > >
> > > Surely you are not recommending destruction of vertical wall
> > > sections
> > and
> > > crude excavation back to a "safe" slope in order to make it safe?
> > > How
> > about
> > > back-filling to preserve the sidewalls?
> > >
> > > Ron May
> > > Legacy 106, Inc.
> >
>