May 2012 Archeology E-Gram
SAA Honors Former NPS Archeology Program Employee Bennie Keel
The Society for American Archaeology (SAA) has awarded Bennie C. Keel the
2012 SAA Lifetime Achievement Award, for his service to archeology. Keel
was the Interior Departmental Consulting Archeologist (DCA) from 1980 to
1990. Coterminous with his DCA service, Keel also served eight years as
the NPS Assistant Director of Archeology and three years as Chief of the
Interagency Archeological Services Division.
In these capacities, Keel shaped cultural resource management in the U.S.
He helped write the Archaeological Resources Protection Act and
regulations, the Abandoned Shipwreck Act, and the regulation for the
Curation of Federally-Owned and Administered Archeological Collections.
Keel helped craft the first national regulations for burials involving
Federal action or public lands, and he supervised the development of the
National Archeological Database (NADB) and the NPS Archeological Sites
Management Information System (ASMIS). After leaving Washington, DC, Keel
was the NPS Southeast Regional Archeologist and, until retirement,
Director of the NPS Southeast Archeological Center.
Keel played a major role in advocating for, planning, and managing several
major archeological projects, including the FAI-270 project, Illinois; the
Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway project, Alabama/Mississippi; the Richard B.
Russell Reservoir project, Georgia/South Carolina; and the Ravensford
tract project on the Cherokee Reservation, North Carolina. His
contributions to Southeastern archeology made him a leading expert in
Cherokee and North Carolina archeology. Keel’s passion for public
archeology, for preservation of America’s cultural heritage, and for
archeological professionalism is a model for future generations. In each
of these areas, his impacts will continue to affect American archeology in
profound ways.
NPS NCPTT Awards Funding for Three Archeology Projects
The NPS National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT)
announced the awarding of $235,500 in 11 Federal competitive preservation
technology and training grants. Three grants went to archeology projects.
The NPS received 42 complete applications for funding, which underwent
peer review and a national panel review. The funded archeology awardees
are:
Clemson University, which will use the funding to investigate the
applicability of ion-exchange technology for archeological iron
conservation ($24,000);
The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, which will use the funds to assess
mechanical scanning sonar in the documentation of submerged cultural
resources ($25,000);
Michigan Technological University, which will use the funding to develop
new methods to use supercritical CO2 and functional polymers in the
conservation of industrial heritage ($25,000).
Over 30% of the total funding was awarded to archeological projects. The
NPS awards the NCPTT grants under Title IV of the National Historic
Preservation Act.
Chaco Culture National Historical Park Dedicates New Visitor Center
On April 26, 2012, Chaco Culture NHP dedicated a new visitor center,
celebrated 25 years as a World Heritage Site, and launched the new Chaco
Culture National Historical Park Quarter. The event was celebrated with
singing by the Apache Elementary School Honor Choir, from Farmington, New
Mexico, and the La Vida Mission School, Lake Valley, New Mexico; and
presentations from archeologists Steve Lekson, David Stuart, Lynne
Sebastian, Carla Van West, and Jane Kolber.
Chaco Culture NHP is the first World Heritage site to be commemorated in
the America the Beautiful series of quarters. The commemorative quarter
depicts a view to the west of two elevated kivas that are part of the
Chetro Ketl Complex, the north wall of Chetro Ketl, and the north wall of
the canyon.
Other national parks commemorated in the series include Hot Springs NP,
Yellowstone NP, Yosemite NP, Grand Canyon NP, Gettysburg NMP, Glacier NP,
Olympic NP, Vicksburg NMP, and Chickasaw NRA.
Effects of Fire on Cultural Resources and Archaeology Published
The Interagency Joint Fire Science Program has announced that Effects of
Fire on Cultural Resources and Archaeology is now available. This
compendium is a guide to fuels, fire behavior, and fire effects to inform
decision making when protecting cultural resources during fuels treatment,
restoration projects, and wildfire suppression. Several articles outline
methods available to evaluate and mitigate risks. A synthesis of fire
effects is provided for ceramics, lithics, rock art, historic-period
artifacts/materials, and below-ground features. Another study emphasizes
the need to actively involve Native people in the development of
collaborative management plans.
This is the final installment in Wildland Fire in Ecosystems, also known
as the Rainbow Series. To download a copy of the volume, go to
www.firescience.gov/JFSP_rainbow_series.cfm. Call 970-498-1392 to request
a hard copy.
Webinar on Writing Section 8 (National Significance) Nominations for
Archeological Properties
Have you ever wondered what the difference was between archeological sites
of national significance for the National Register versus archeological
sites of national significance for designation as a National Historic
Landmarks (NHL)? Interested in evaluating an archeological property for
potential NHL status or in writing an NHL nomination for an archeological
property? Then Writing Section 8 for Criterion 6: Archeology is for you.
The National Historic Landmark Program will air the webinar on July 10,
2012, from 1:00-3:00 pm EDT. Instruction will be provided on the required
steps for becoming an NHL, using the language of Criterion 6 (the
criterion used most often for nominating archeological properties as
NHLs), making the argument for national significance for archeological
properties, developing a national comparative context, an historic context
and an archeological context (and the differences between these contexts),
and presenting a research design of national significance needed to
support the argument for NHL Criterion 6 in a nomination.
To register for the webinar, go to the NHL website at
http://www.nps.gov/history/nhl/.
Contact: Erika Martin Seibert, (202)354-2217
President Obama Signs Proclamation Designating Fort Ord National Monument
President Obama has signed a Proclamation under the Antiquities Act to
designate Federal lands within the former Fort Ord, California, as a
national monument. First exercised by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906
to designate Devils Tower NM in Wyoming, the authority of the Antiquities
Act has been used by 16 presidents since 1906 to protect unique natural
and historic features in America. President Obama first used the
Antiquities Act in November 2011 to designate Fort Monroe NM. Fort Monroe
is a former Army post integral to the history of slavery, the Civil War,
and the U.S. military.
Nearly two and a half centuries ago, the Fort Ord area was traversed by
settlers led by Spanish Lieutenant-Colonel Juan Bautista de Anza, whose
diaries were used to identify the route that became the Juan Bautista de
Anza National Historic Trail. The area’s open landscape owes its
undeveloped state largely to its role as a U.S. Army facility. From World
War I through the early 1990s, the rugged terrain served as a military
training ground for as many as a million and a half soldiers. Today, Fort
Ord provides recreational opportunities to over 100,000 visitors annually,
offering 86 miles of trails. The area is an economic engine for
neighboring communities and serves as a key venue for the annual Sea Otter
Classic, one of the largest bicycling events in the world. Fort Ord NM
will be managed by the BLM, which currently manages approximately 7,200
acres. The Army will transfer an additional 7,450 acres to the monument.
Comments Requested on Traditional Cultural Properties and Native American
Landscapes
Through October 31, 2012, the NPS is soliciting comments and
recommendations from its tribal, national, state, and local historic
preservation partners, NPS regional offices and parks, other Federal
agencies, and the public at large regarding updating National Register
(NR) Program guidance for identifying, evaluating, and documenting
properties as Traditional Cultural Properties (TCPs) and/or Native
American landscapes.
With the 1990 release of National Register Bulletin 38, Guidelines for
Evaluating and Documenting Traditional Cultural Properties, the NPS
clarified a broader scope of properties that could be considered eligible
for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NR) for their
significance as Traditional Cultural Properties, and provided written
guidance on working with these properties. The policy direction was
followed by the provision in the 1992 amendment to the National Historic
Preservation Act stating: “Properties of traditional religious and
cultural importance to an Indian tribe or Native Hawaiian organization may
be determined to be eligible for inclusion in the National Register.”
While Bulletin 38 remains an essential, basic resource, the number of
requests for additional assistance in this regard has increased
significantly. Updated, published guidance on the following topics is
proposed: what constitutes a “traditional” community; “continuity of use”
by a traditional community; evolving uses of resources by a traditional
community; multiple lines of documentary evidence; broad ethnographic
landscapes; property boundaries; and resource integrity. The NPS requests
suggestions on any other “user-identified” TCP-related issues, and
requests comments and recommendations that address the development of
guidance related to identifying, evaluating, and documenting NR-eligible
Native American landscapes.
NPS requests that comments and recommendations related to the issues
outlined above be forwarded via email to [log in to unmask] Respondents
should identify their submission as a “TCP/NAL Comment” in the email
subject box. Responses submitted via email will be posted beginning the
first week of June 2012, on the NR website located at
www.nps.gov/history/nr/publications/guidance/TCP comments.htm. Respondents
who do not want their names and/or e-mail addresses posted on the NR
website along with their comments, or who do not want their comments
published at all, should clearly indicate that preference in their e-mail.
Park Science Publishes Articles on Cultural Resources Management in
Wilderness Areas
The Winter 2011-2012 issue of Park Science, devoted to wilderness
stewardship and science, includes several articles that examine cultural
resources stewardship and contributions to the monitoring and assessment
framework for wilderness character. “Integrating cultural resources and
wilderness character” describes how, subsumed under the category of
“Other,” cultural resources are the fifth quality of wilderness character,
along with the natural, untrammeled, undeveloped, and opportunities for
solitude qualities. The article closes with three recommendations to help
parks address managing cultural resources in wilderness areas.
A short article about monitoring provides more context about assessing
cultural resource contributions to the qualities of wilderness character.
“A database application for wilderness character monitoring” describes the
efforts by national parks to track and report wilderness character.
Diverging from the initial recommendations in “Keeping it Wild: An
Interagency Strategy to Monitor Trends in Wilderness Character Across the
National Wilderness Preservation System,” the NPS specifically recognizes
cultural resources as a fifth quality of wilderness character and included
the category in the database for monitoring.
Cultural resources are also considered in “Using wilderness character to
improve wilderness stewardship.” This article describes how understanding
wilderness character, including cultural resources, can lead to improved
communication with the public, and making more informed decisions about
wilderness planning, management, and monitoring.
“Remote sensing of heritage resources for research and management”
provides an example of the use of magnetometry, ground-penetrating radar,
and satellite imagery, to collect information about archeological sites
without excavation to preserve wilderness character. Another article,
“Scientific study and enduring wilderness” reminds us that research
implementation has to be carefully considered in order to preserve
wilderness character.
To read this and other issues of Park Science, go to
www.nature.nps.gov/ParkScience.
In concert with the recent efforts to develop rubrics for measuring
wilderness character, the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training
Center has developed a module on managing cultural resources in wilderness
: “Managing Cultural Resources in Wilderness- Fundamentals, Inventory and
Monitoring, and Evaluating Scientific Proposals.” The courses are free and
can be taken at any time.
For more information about the online courses, go to
www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=elearning
Teaching with Archeology: Spotlight on National Center for Preservation
Technology and Training
The NPS National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT)
gives archeologists, preservationists, historians, and educators a window
onto the future of archeology and preservation. Based on the Northwestern
State University campus in Natchitoches, Louisiana, the center focuses on
advancing the application of science and technology in the preservation
realm.
To learn about site excavation and artifact preservation, check out the
NCPTT podcasts. These 10-15 minute videos introduce new field
technologies. Episode 9, for instance, highlights digital survey methods.
Episode 13 introduces 3-D digital rock art preservation, and Episode 14
discusses techniques for drying wood from shipwrecks. Although some videos
assume a basic knowledge of the field, most are accessible to all levels
of understanding. The most recent podcast (Episode 34), posted in October
2011, “Earthwork Stability Research at Poverty Point?” introduces Diana
Greenlee and follows her NCPTT grant-funded research studying
dendrogeomorphology (study of tree-rings relating to changes in landscape
slope) to investigate earthwork stability. The videos are available on
YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/ncptt; five are presented in Spanish as
well.
The NCPTT supplements the podcast lessons with articles that range from
sustainability and “green” preservation to disaster preparation. All are
focused on promoting science and technology in the preservation of
historical and archeological artifacts and heritage. A recently posted
article discusses a new technique developed by Shannon Hodge that utilizes
computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD-CAM) to construct digital and
physical recreations of dental patterns from excavated human remains for
study. The full report can be found at
ncptt.nps.gov/wp-content/uploads/2012-01.pdf.
The NCPTT also provides teachers with classroom resources to investigate
history through conservation and preservation–geared lessons. The
Preservation Arts, an interdisciplinary academic curriculum for secondary
school students, provides a sequence of technical study over a four year
period. Lessons on the website provide introductory materials on historic
preservation and cover topics such as landmark laws, architectural styles,
and neighborhood identity and formation. Lessons for field trips,
technology courses, and readings are also available. The materials can be
incorporated into a high school social studies or science course to
exemplify real world applications of what students are studying.
Visit the NCPTT homepage at http://ncptt.nps.gov/ for on new technological
applications, educational videos, and inspiration for your next
preservation project.
Antiquities Smuggler Sentenced
On May 7, 2012, Robert Perez was sentenced for a felony smuggling
violation in US District Court in Los Angeles. Between June and December
2002, Perez sold $3,810 in pre-Columbian artifacts from El Salvador, and
artifacts and cave features from Thailand to undercover NPS and FWS
agents. All of these items were smuggled into the U.S. by Perez after
having been looted in their countries of origin. At the sentencing
hearing, Perez was sentenced to six months of home detention, three years
of probation and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.
The sentencing stemmed from “Operation Antiquity” a five-year-long
investigation focusing on looting, importation, sale and tax fraud
violations related to cultural items from the U.S. and other countries.
Participating along with the NPS in this investigative effort are the U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the
Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. Additional
cases against other entities are pending.
By Todd Swain, Special Agent
FLETC Offers Archeological Resources Protection Training Program
Archeological Resources Protection Training will be presented by the
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) at Buffalo National River,
Arkansas, August 6-10, 2012. The course provides training in all aspects
of an archeological investigation and in the subsequent prosecution of
crimes. This 37-hour course is taught by nationally-recognized subject
matter experts in the fields of law enforcement, archeology, and law.
Enrollment is limited to Federal or State law enforcement officers,
archeologists and prosecutors.
For registration information, please contact Michaele Elmore at
912-554-2848. For course information, contact FLETC coordinator Charles
Louke at 912-280-5188. Registration closes on July 20, 2012.
Projects in Parks: The Workers Who Built the C&O Canal
by Jason Shellenhamer, edited by Christine Oricchio
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal is one of the most intact surviving examples
of the American canal-building era, stretching 185 miles from Washington,
D.C. to Cumberland, Maryland. The canal was in operation 1830-1921,
transporting coal, mail, and farm products, among other goods. Information
about the lives of the workers that constructed the canal adds another
dimension to the C&O Canal’s historical significance. In 2011, The Louis
Berger Group, completed a nine-year archeological survey of the canal to
locate canal worker campsites and provide a more complete narrative of the
people who built the canal.
To read the full report, go to
www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/npSites/cnoCanalWorkers.htm
Projects in Parks is a feature of the Archeology E-Gram that informs
others about archeology-related projects in national parks. The full
reports are available on the Research in the Parks web page
www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/npSites/index.htm or through individual
issues of the Archeology E-Gram. Prospective authors should review
information about submitting photographs on the Projects in Parks web page
on InsideNPS.
Archeology E-Gram, distributed via e-mail on a regular basis, includes
announcements about news, new publications, training opportunities,
national and regional meetings, and other important goings-on related to
public archeology in the NPS and other public agencies. Recipients are
encouraged to forward Archeology E-Grams to colleagues and relevant
mailing lists. The Archeology E-Gram is available on the News and Links
page www.nps.gov/archeology/public/news.htm on the NPS Archeology Program
web site.
Contact: Karen Mudar at [log in to unmask] to contribute news items, stories for
Projects in Parks, submit citations and a brief abstract for your
peer-reviewed publications, and to subscribe.
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