Death of Archeologist Patrick MullenPatrick Mullen, archeologist at
Wrangell-St. Elias NP and P, died in a car accident March 9, 2012. Mullen
was born in Farmington, New Mexico, on November 13, 1982. He earned a B.A.
in anthropology from the University of New Mexico in 2005, and an M.A. from
the University of Wyoming in 2008. At the time of his death, he was
pursuing a Ph.D. Patrick worked Wrangell-St. Elias NP and P in 2009 and
2010 as a summer seasonal field archeologist and was hired full-time as the
park’s compliance archeologist in the fall of 2010. Patrick will be greatly
missed.
He leaves behind his wife, Willa, and many colleagues and friends. A
memorial service was held at Albuquerque Academy on March 16, 2012. A
memorial is also being planned in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park later
this year.
Donations in Patricks’s memory may be sent to the Albuquerque Academy
scholarship fund at www.aa.edu or the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance,
www.nmwild.org.
Contact: Miranda Terwilliger (907) 822-7232.
Death of Southwest Archeologist David A. Breternitz
David A. Breternitz, former Professor of Anthropology at the University of
Colorado, passed away from pneumonia at 82 after a long illness on March 5,
2012. Breternitz was a long-term friend and partner of the NPS, and mentor
to many NPS archeologists, including Adrienne Anderson, Bruce Anderson, Ted
Birkedal, Cal Calabrese, Scott Carpenter, Larry Nordby, and Doug Scott.
A student of Southwest archeologist Emil Haury, Breternitz is known for
work correlating tree ring dates with Southwestern ceramic types and
styles. His meticulous research projects allowed archeologists to date
ceramics in the American Southwest with chronological certainty.
His partnership with the NPS began with an archeology project in Dinosaur
NM in 1963. This was followed by projects at Mesa Verde NP in the late
1960s and early 1970s. Many of his students at the University of Colorado
got their start in one or both of these parks.
In the 1970s, Breternitz and the University of Colorado were selected to
conduct the huge Delores Archeological Project north of Mesa Verde NP on
behalf of the BOR. The surveys and excavations that were undertaken during
this long-term project (1978-1985) uncovered much new and important
information on the dynamics of Puebloan culture in the Mesa Verde Region.
The project also trained a cadre of archeologists, many of which chose
careers in the NPS.
Breternitz’s professional work was not confined to the American Southwest.
He was highly-regarded for his archeological work on the short grass plains
of Colorado and his research on reservoir-threatened ancient village sites
in northern Nigeria. In retirement, Breternitz continued to keep his foot
in archeology through contract and volunteer work, and he established close
connections with the Crow Creek Archeological Center in southwestern
Colorado.
To all who knew him “Dr. Dave” will be sorely missed. He shaped many
careers and lives in the NPS.
by Ted Birkedal, Team Manager, Cultural Resources, Alaska Regional Office
Steamtown National Historical Site Celebrates National Park Week with
Archeological Exhibit
In conjunction with National Park Week, Steamtown NHS will launch a new
exhibit “What Can Be Found Under the Ground in a Railroad Yard.” The new
exhibit will trace the history of the railroad yard through the use of
archeological objects. SCEP Curator Sarah Smith, with the assistance of
Park Ranger Ken Ganz, created and designed the interactive exhibit. It
includes an above-ground excavation with a “dig and match” activity where
families and children can dig and sift through sediment to find items that
match objects in the display cases from the different time periods of the
railroad yard. The goal of the exhibit is to encourage social interaction
between children and their families and to encourage the participants to
think about what kinds of people worked and lived in and near the railroad
yard. The exhibit was sponsored, in part, by a generous grant from the
Lackawanna Heritage Valley, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department
of Conservation and Natural Resources and the National Park Service.
Steamtown NHS will offer a Fee Free Week, waiving the daily $7.00 entrance
fee during National Park Week, Saturday, April 21, to Sunday, April 29,
2012. All indoor and outdoor exhibit areas and park museum facilities
including the Visitor Center, Technology Museum, History Museum,
Ranger-guided tours, and the park movie “Steel and Steam” are included in
the Fee Free Week. The park will also feature special Education and
Discovery Center programs for children, and celebrate National Junior
Ranger Day on April 28, when children ages 6-12 can complete activities to
become Junior Rangers during their visit.
First celebrated in 1994, National Park Week was designated by Presidential
Proclamation to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the NPS. This year,
Steamtown NHS will once again join the nation’s 397 National Park units in
celebrating the many ways in which these national treasures enrich people’s
lives.
The park will also run the popular Scranton Limited train rides beginning
April 28, 2012, and will operate Wednesday through Sunday, a 3-mile round
trip that crosses the Lackawanna River and passes the historic Radisson at
Lackawanna Station Hotel. Near the University of Scranton, the train
begins its return to the roundhouse. For a unique view of the operations,
each departure of the Scranton Limited will allow one rider in the steam
and/or diesel locomotive cab.
For more information, go to the Steamtown NHS web site at www.nps.gov/stea.
Interior Departmental Consulting Archeologist Requests Data for Federal
Archeology Report
The DOI Departmental Consulting Archeologist solicits information about
Federal archeology through an annual questionnaire. Agencies also report on
resolved cases of archeological resources law violations on Federal and
Indian lands. The questionnaire solicits important summary information
about activities that Federal agencies carry out as part of their
stewardship responsibilities for archeological resources. The questionnaire
is the only source for data about archeological activities and resources
managed by Federal agencies that are collected separately from information
about other cultural resources.
Letters soliciting archeological data were sent in February to Federal
agencies that managed land, supported Federal undertakings, or issue
permits for undertakings that have the potential to affect archeological
resources. Responses are due on April 16, 2012, but the Archeology Program
will accept data at any time. Quantitative data will be posted to
“Secretary’s Report to Congress on Federal Archeology” webpages on the NPS
Archeology Program website at http://www.nps.gov/archeology/SRC/index.htm.
Contact: Karen Mudar, NPS Archeologist (202) 354-2103
Archeological Resources in “Teaching with Museum Collections”
(Editor’s Note: Five years ago, the Archeology E-gram presented
information about archeological teaching resources on other NPS websites.
NPS Archeology Program Intern Christine Orricchio will report over the next
several months on new archeology postings to these websites since we last
visited them in 2007.)
Museum collections connect students to their past; to rich and varied
cultures; and to momentous events, inspired ideas, and the places where
history happened. The NPS Museum Management Program’s “Teaching with Museum
Collections” web pages provide lesson plans for educators to use NPS
collections in student-centered activities. The lesson plans emphasize the
links between the “real things” – objects in museum collections – and
America’s history and prehistory.
The NPS Museum Management Program has added 45 new lesson plans since 2007.
Over 53 object-based inquiries are available to capture elementary and
middle school students’ attention and engage them in vivid, creative, and
exciting classroom activities. Many of the lessons are historically
oriented and emphasize the significance of an important person in history.
Other lessons utilize archeological museum collections to discuss European
colonization of North America, military campaigns, and American Indian
traditions. The website includes lessons for 23 NPS units. Four of these,
Morristown NHP, Independence NHP, Valley Forge NHP, and Guilford Courthouse
NMP are featured together in the curriculum “American Revolutionary War.”
Each curriculum includes the relevant national education standards outlined
by specific subjects (such as music, art, English language arts, and
mathematics), and student learning objectives. The lesson plans also allow
educators to use their own techniques and add their special flare to
activities. “The American Revolution, A Revolution of Possibilities:
Politics, Economy and Society” is a good example of lesson plans that use
museum collections in an efficient and interesting manner for students.
Printable PDF worksheets accompany most lessons and provide students a
hands-on analytical approach to investigate and understand the significance
of objects in museum collections. Images of relevant objects for discussion
are posted with each lesson and can easily be incorporated into a Power
Point presentation.
At least 11 lesson plans have archeological components. Two new
archeological object-based lessons plans are for Death Valley NP, and
Manzanar NHS. The Death Valley NP lessons focus on Indian foodways in the
region by examining how subsistence tools are developed and used. For a
hands-on approach to understanding how environments shape culture, students
can express their ingenuity and develop a tool of their own with materials
they find in their neighborhood, or recreate the implements they learned
about in class.
The Manzanar NHS lesson plan offers an examination of Indian trade and
currency. Students are presented with the concepts of reciprocity and
exchange, and extrapolate these notions to recognize contemporary purposes
for dollars and cents. In evaluation of how the trade bead system came to
existence, students discuss the American westward expansion and the effects
on American Indian populations. Vivid photos of beads and garments adorned
with beaded designs help students visualize the impact of the trade system.
These lesson plans and others are available on the NPS Museum Management
Program website at
http://www.nps.gov/history/museum/index.html
New Archeological National Historic Landmark Designated
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced the designation of 13 new
National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) in 9 different states, including a site
associated with the famed Apache scouts, the largest collection of Frank
Lloyd Wright buildings in the world, and an early 18th-century parish
church.
The new NHLs include the Carrizo Plain Archeological District (San Luis
Obispo County, California), that represents a unique concentration of sites
pre-dating European contact, art, and artifacts. The Carrizo Plain
Archeological District contains hundreds of significant cultural sites.
These include everything from 10,000 year old Native American campsites to
19th century homesteads. Many of the Carrizo sites have been listed on the
National Register of Historic Places.
NHLs are nationally significant historic places that possess exceptional
value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United
States. The program, established in 1935, is administered by the NPS on
behalf of the Secretary of the Interior.
To read the entire nomination for the Carrizo Plain Archeological District,
go to http://www.nps.gov/nhl/Spring11Noms/CARRIZOREDACTED.pdf
Archaeological Institute of America Organizes National Archeology Day
The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) is organizing National
Archaeology Day to be held on October 20, 2012. National Archaeology Day is
a celebration of archeology and emphasizes the idea that archeology is
everywhere. Participating organizations across the U.S. and Canada and
around the world to raise awareness of archeology and provide opportunities
for the public to participate in archeological activities. Last year the
inaugural National Archaeology Day was recognized by Congress and more than
14,000 people participated in over 100 events across the U.S. and Canada.
The AIA is promoting participation in National Archaeology Day this year by
inviting Federal agencies to become Collaborating Organizations.
Collaborating Organizations hold events and/or promote National Archaeology
Day to their members and the events will be listed on the 2012 National
Archaeology Day website. A centralized calendar listing all events (on
www.nationalarchaeologyday.org) will be maintained by the Archaeological
Institute of America (AIA). This year the NPS is a Collaborating
Organization and parks should plan to coordinate public archeological
programs around the October 20 date.
For more information about the AIA and National Archaeology Day, go to
http://archaeological.org/NAD/about
Contact: Meredith Anderson Langlitz, AIA Senior Programs Coordinator, (617)
358-5909.
Voice of America Offers Radio Archeology Program
Since September 2011, Voice of America has broadcast “Indiana Jones: Myth,
Reality and 21st Century Archaeology,” a series of radio programs about
archeology. Through interviews, host Joe Schuldenrein, explores myths
surrounding public perceptions of archeology and acquaints listeners with
the contemporary practices in unearthing the human past. The lively,
provocative, and informative discussions will appeal to archeological
practitioners as well as the general public.
Schuldenrein’s scientific background and research experience contributes as
much to the interview as the expertise of his guests. He is president and
senior scientist of Geoarcheology Research Associates (GRA) and has been a
Visiting Scholar at New York University since 1996. His projects have
ranged from human origins investigations to the beginnings of civilization
of the Indus Valley. Recent research in North America has concentrated on
the archeology of New York City and Native American landscapes of the
Atlantic Coast. His newest venture is an assessment of Cultural Heritage
Sites in war-torn Afghanistan.
Themes of the radio program range from the evolution vs. creationism
controversy based on updated fossil records and innovative DNA studies to
discussions of funding sources for archeology in the U.S. (Hint: think oil
and gas industry). Experts comment on the latest high-tech approaches to
buried archaeological landscapes that provide clues to understanding
climate change, past, present and future. Speakers, to date, include Steve
Lekson, Vance Holliday, and Tom King.
Indiana Jones: Myth, Reality and 21st Century Archaeology is broadcast live
every Wednesday at 3 PM Pacific Time on the VoiceAmerica Variety Channel.
To access past episodes, go to
www.voiceamerica.com/episode/56450/indys-footprint-archaeology-religion-and-the-material-foundations-of-western-civilization
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Fire READ Training Offered
This course provides participants with the training to serve as Resource
Advisors (READs) during wildland fires. READs work with Incident Management
Teams and fireline personnel to minimize the impacts of fire, fire
management activities, and post-fire conditions on natural and cultural
resources. READs are also critical as the starting point after fires for
identifying needs related to the repair of fire suppression impacts, Burned
Area Emergency Response (BAER) and Burned Area Rehabilitation (BAR).
Course participants will become familiar with the mechanisms through which
fire, operations and post-fire conditions can impact various resource
classes (e.g., vegetation, wildlife, cultural resources, soils,
wilderness), and tools available to the READ for avoiding, minimizing and
mitigating those impacts. Course participants are provided an extensive
electronic resource advising library, organized by subject matter,
containing policies, guidelines, technical publications, templates, and
forms.
Training will be held in Klamath Falls, Oregon, on May 16-17; Boise, Idaho
on May 23-24; and Yosemite NP, on June 5-7, 2012. There are no
prerequisites to attend the course. Once selections have been made,
pre-course assignments will be e-mailed to each course participant. There
is no tuition to attend the course, but the home unit should absorb all
travel costs. Specific travel and other logistical information will be
provided as participants are selected. All applications must be received by
COB, April 13, 2012.
For an application, contact NPS PWR Regional Fire Archeologist Nelson
Siefkin (415) 623-2213 or (510) 207-7357 (cell).
Submerged Resources Archaeological Damage Assessment Methods Offered
Geoscience Earth and Marine Services will host “Submerged Resources
Archaeological Damage Assessment Methods” in Houston, Texas, on May 7-11,
2012. This class is open to all professional archeologists. Law enforcement
officers, prosecuting attorneys, and agency managers who have an interest
in archeological damage assessment may sit in on the class during the final
two days with no tuition fee.
The tuition is $850.00. The registration deadline for the class is close of
business on Friday, April 13, 2012. The class will be held at the
Geoscience Earth and Marine Services office, located at 10615 Shadow Wood
Dr. Suite 200 in Houston, Texas. The telephone number of this office is
(713)468-1410.
For more information and to register for the class, contact Martin
McAllister (406)239-1874.
Projects in Parks: New Archeological Discoveries at Moores Creek National
Battlefield
From an article by Chris Fonvielle, adapted by Christine Oricchio, Intern,
NPS Archeology Program
A recent NPS NHPA compliance project at Moores Creek National Battlefield
(NB), 19 miles north of Wilmington, North Carolina, offered archeologists
an opportunity to verify whether the 1776 Battle of Moores Creek actually
took place within the national battlefield boundaries. The Battle of Moores
Creek Bridge was one of the first Revolutionary War engagements in the
South, pitting American Patriots against Loyalists from North Carolina. In
December 2011, NPS archeologists and resources managers conducted an
archeological survey to locate the battlefield with the help of the Eastern
North Carolina Metal Detecting Association and volunteers from the
Department of History at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. One
of the goals of the project was to recover artifacts to prove that the
battle was actually fought at the purported site.
To read the full report, go to
www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/npSites/mooresCreek .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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