RESEND
 
(Sorry, my new software has a mind of its own!)
 
I would urge every historical archaeologist out there to read the new =
SAA Newsletter article by Kurt Carr, Pa. State Arcaheologist.
 
Recent events in Pennsylvania (legislative changes toward state mandated =
CRM surveys and new survey guidelines by the Bureau for Historic =
Preservation) seriously threaten the historical archaeological record in =
Pennsylvania.
 
The BHP has written off entire areas of the state based on a prehistoric =
archaeological predictive model.  This means, in a nutshell, that =
projects requiring state environmental permits within these areas =
(watersheds) will not be responsible for impacts to unidentified =
historical archaeological resources.
 
If the folks in Harrisburg don't drop their prehistoric bias and start =
dealing with ALL archaeological resources on an even playing field, the =
long term consequences will be devastating.  Despite the assurances by =
the SHPO, Brent Glass, in a December 1995 letter to me that,=20
 
"Determinations of Eligibility and recommendations for mitigation =
reviewed or made in this office are not based on the personal research =
agendas of my staff.  Rather, they are  based on the potential of the =
resource in question to provide important information on past human =
behavior."
 
Bulls**t.  Anyone who works (or has worked) in Pa. and with BHP =
archaeologists knows the reality of the situation and can see right =
through Glass' comments.  The situation right now, on the legislative =
front, is hopeless because the funding and regulations have been signed =
into law.  It's not too late, however, to put some pressure on our =
archaeological colleagues in Harrisburg to change their approach and =
embrace all of the archaeological record, not just the "interesting" =
deeply buried prehistoric sites.
 
 
David S. Rotenstein
Historical Solutions
EMAIL: [log in to unmask]
WWW: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~drotenst/