Greetings, all.

I received this from another mailing list I am on, and thought I would pass
it along to the list.

--Megan Springate

 >Subject: URGENT: Albany County Almshouse Cemetery
 >Date: Wed, 14 Aug 2002 17:42:41 -0000
 >
 >A threatened site in the City of Albany needs your help!  A private
 >developer is currently impacting a portion of the 19th century Albany
 >County Almshouse cemetery site.  The New York Archaeological Council
 >(NYAC) was informed last month that the developer was planning to
 >remove several graves (including those of children) with a backhoe.
 >The NYAC Board wrote a letter of concern to the Mayor's office and
 >was informed no work would occur on the site until a plan for
 >sensitive treatment of the burials was developed.  However, NYAC was
 >informed that backhoes were on site this Monday.  The mayor's office
 >was contacted, and NYAC was faxed a copy of a Memorandum of
 >Understanding that still called for excavation by backhoe and
 >by "grave diggers," with no formal archaeological mitigation
 >planned.  The MOU is no different than the developer's original plan,
 >and was signed only by the developer and the City Archaeologist.
 >Several local archaeologists are monitoring the situation and are
 >trying to put a stop to the project until a more adequate MOU is
 >formulated.
 >
 >The developer and the city are both aware of the significance of this
 >resource as NYAC has written several letters concerning the
 >situation, and the New York State Museum has excavated nearly 800
 >burials on the property immediately adjacent to this parcel.
 >
 >Please help by sending a letter of concern to the mayor's office
 >stating that the current work should be stopped immediately and that
 >this segment of the site should not be treated any differently than
 >the adjacent property, and therefore should be subject to a full
 >archaeological mitigation.
 >
 >Please send your letters to Mayor Gerald Jennings, City Hall, Eagle
 >Street, Albany, New York  12207.  If possible, please fax the letter:
 >(518) 434-5013.  If you have any questions please e-mail me at:
 >[log in to unmask]  Thanks in advance for any support you can
 >provide.
 >
 >Carol A. Raemsch, Ph.D.
 >Chair, NYAC Human Remains Committee
 >