July 2009 Archeology E-Gram
Archeologist George Smith Retires from the NPS
George Smith, Associate Director of the NPS Southeast Archeological Center
(SEAC), retired on July 20, 2009, after 29 years of service. He managed the
Archeological Investigation and Evaluation Division, which is responsible
for undertaking archeological projects in the 67 National Park units.
Before coming to SEAC, George worked in the NPS Archeological Assistance
Division in Washington D.C. He co-authored two Secretary’s Reports to
Congress on the Federal Archeology Program (1985-1986 and 1987). Prior to
working for the NPS, he was a Research Associate in Archeology and acting
Curator of Archeology at the University of Alaska Museum and an
archeologist, with the NPS Cooperative Park Studies Unit, Anthropology and
Historic Preservation, at the University of Alaska.
George has an active professional and research career. He received an
honorary doctorate degree from the University of South Florida for his work
in public archeology and archeology curriculum development. He has served
on various Society for American Archaeology (SAA) committees including the
Save the Past for the Future Steering Committee, and the Public Education
Committee (PEC). George co-chaired the Task Force on Curriculum, which
received a $500,000 NSF grant to enhance undergraduate archeology
curricula. He received several performance awards for archeological
resource protection and public archeology activities. George served on the
Executive Boards of both the Society for American Archaeology and the
Florida Archaeological Council.
George has published numerous papers in American Antiquity, Geological
Society of America, Quaternary Research, Science News, and the Bulletin of
the New York Academy of Medicine. He co-edited several books, including
Protecting the Past; Teaching Archaeology in the 21st Century; Heritage
Values in Contemporary Society, and Cultural Heritage Management in Global
Perspective. He has authored chapters in several recent books including:
The Role of Archaeology in Presenting the Past to the Public, in Images of
the Past: Archaeology, Identity and the Construction of Heritage and
Tourism Industries; Banking on a Public Trust: An Unusual ARPA Case at
Ocmulgee National Monument, in Presenting Archaeology in Court; and
Evaluating Impact, and Developing a Mitigation Plan for a Large
Hydroelectric Project: An Example from Alaska, USA, in Dams and
Archaeology.
George is currently working with a consortium through the University of
Florida to provide Heritage Resource Management Training in Ethiopia and
one through Indiana University to provide Heritage Resource Management
Training for Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. His friends and colleagues wish
him the very best for these and other projects in the next phase of his
career.
NPS Archeology Program Updates SRC Web Pages
The Secretary of the Interior’s Report on the Federal Archeology Program
(SRC) provides information to Congress and the American people about
archeological activities carried out by Federal agencies. These activities
include stewardship responsibilities carried out by land managing agencies
and NHPA Section 106 compliance responsibilities of development and
regulatory agencies. The NPS Archeology Program recently updated the SRC
web pages, which provide an overview of the Secretary’s Report,
quantitative data from agency submissions, and links to individual reports.
Chief among the changes are addition of 2006-2008 quantitative data and
revisions of web pages to add information and clarifications about the
Secretary’s report. The 2004-2007 Secretary’s Report to Congress on the
Federal Archeology Program is currently in development and will be
available on the NPS Archeology Program website when completed and
approved.
Oregon Caves National Monument and Zion National Park Celebrate Centennials
Oregon Caves National NM and Zion NP (incorporating Mukuntuweap NM) both
celebrated national monument centennials during the month of July. National
monuments are established through the provisions of the Antiquities Act,
which allows the Federal government to set aside public lands to preserve
unique natural and cultural resources.
Oregon Caves National Monument
Oregon Caves NM is located within Siskiyou National Forest, south of Grants
Pass, Oregon. Until 1922, the only way to get to the cave was a 12 mile
trek on a trail from the town of Williams. Visitors usually spent the night
at a camp outside the entrance to the cave. The 3.5-mile long marble cave
contains one of the largest communities of endemic cave-dwelling insects in
the United States, and Pleistocene jaguar and grizzly bear fossils have
been found in some of the deeper chambers. The monument also preserves old
growth forest and, potentially, archeological resources associated with the
unique cave system.
Elijah Davidson discovered the caves in 1874 while on a hunting expedition
from Williams. In 1907, after extensive explorations, a proposal was
submitted to the Federal Government to set aside the caves as a national
monument. Two years later on July 12, 1909, President William Howard Taft
established 480 acres within Siskiyou National Forest to become Oregon
Caves National Monument for its "unusual scientific interest and
importance." The USFS administered the monument until 1933, when it was
transferred to the NPS.
Mukuntuweap National Monument
Approximately 7,000 years ago, nomadic Indian groups first frequented the
Mukuntuweap/Zion region, in present day Utah. As people slowly adopted more
sedentary lifestyles, both Puebloan and Fremont Indian groups settled in
this area. By AD 1100, these groups migrated out of the region as Southern
Paiute tribes moved in. The Southern Paiute called this place Mukuntuweap,
which means “straight canyon.” The first European American settlers, Mormon
pioneers, arrived in the area in the late 1800s. They named the area Zion,
which is ancient Hebrew for “sanctuary” or “refuge.” The deep and
spectacular canyons of this protected portion of the Virgin River Valley
truly offer a safe haven to wildlife and humans alike. In the 1860s, just
after settlement by Mormon pioneers, John Wesley Powell visited Zion on the
first scientific exploration of southern Utah.
In 1909, President Taft set aside approximately 16,000 acres for
Mukuntuweap National Monument to preserve its “many natural features of
unusual archaeologic (sic), geologic, and geographic interest” (Proc No.
877). In his proclamation, the President noted the “labyrinth of remarkable
canyons with highly ornate and beautifully colored walls, in which are
plainly recorded the geological events of past ages.” In 1918 Mukuntuweap
National Monument became Zion National Monument and in 1919 the name
changed again to Zion National Park. On January 22, 1937 President
Roosevelt established a second Zion National Monument, preserving over
36,000 acres (Proc. No. 2221). The second Zion National Monument was
incorporated with Zion National Park in 1956.
Celebrations of the centennials will continue throughout the year. Check
the Oregon Caves NM website http://www.nps.gov/orca and the NP website
http://www.nps.gov/zion/index.htm for information about celebration
activities. For more information about the Antiquities Act and national
monuments, go to http://www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/Antiquities/index.htm.
Effigy Mounds NM Featured in Iowa Archeology Month Poster
The year 2009 marks the one hundredth anniversary of the National Park
Movement in Iowa, the sixtieth anniversary of the creation of Effigy Mounds
National Monument (NM), and the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment
of the Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist. To commemorate these
interrelated events, the Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist and the NPS
created a poster which depicts the technological “march through time” as
applied to researching and understanding Iowa’s most visually impressive
archeological site: the “Marching Bear Group,” located at Effigy Mounds NM.
Ken Block and Bob Palmer, NPS, designed the poster. Major sponsors for Iowa
Archaeology - 2009 include Humanities Iowa, the Iowa Archeological Society,
the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Association of Iowa
Archaeologists.
Click here to see the poster.
Archeology Day at Kingsley Plantation
Kingsley Plantation, Timucuan Preserve, NPS, hosted visitors on Archeology
Day on June 6, 2009. The NPS, Florida Public Archaeology Network, and
University of Florida, Department of Anthropology sponsored the event.
Archeologists from the University of Florida, Anthropology Department
carried out a six week field school at Kingsley Plantation during May and
June 2009. This public day was opportunity to see archeologists excavating
in the plantation’s slave quarters and near the plantation house. As they
worked, the archeologists explained the process of archeological research.
Kingsley Plantation is a 60-acre unit of the 46,000-acre Timucuan
Ecological and Historic Preserve in Jacksonville, Florida, which is managed
by the NPS. It is named for Zephaniah Kingsley who, with his African wife
Anna, owned and operated a 1,000-acre plantation there during the first
half of the nineteenth century.
For more information about the Kingsley Plantation go to
http://www.nps.gov/timu
NPS Announces 2009 Battlefield Preservation Project Grants
The National Park Service has announced the award of 33 grants totaling
$1,360,000 to assist in the preservation and protection of America’s
significant battlefield lands. This year’s grants provide funding for
research at endangered battlefields from the King Philip’s War (1675-1676),
Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Second Seminole War, Mexican-American War,
Civil War, World War II and various Indian Wars. Awards were given to
projects in 23 states or territories that entail archeology, survey,
mapping, documentation, planning, education, or interpretation.
Winning projects include archeological investigation of submerged remains
at the World War II Saipan battlefield in the Tanapag Lagoon, Northern
Mariana Islands; documentation of the 1636 Colonial-Native battle at Mystic
Fort, Connecticut; survey and mapping of Second Seminole War battlefields
in Palm Beach County, Florida; statewide assessment of Revolutionary War
and War of 1812 naval battle sites in the waterways of Maryland; a
preservation plan for portions of the Cedar Creek Civil War battlefield
located outside the designated boundaries of the Cedar Creek and Belle
Grove NHP, Virginia; cultural resource inventory for the Palmito Ranch NHL,
Texas; and boundary identification for the Mexican-American War battle of
San Pasqual, California.
Priority was given to those groups submitting applications for nationally
significant battlefields. The majority of awards were given to battlefields
listed as Priority I or II sites in the NPS Civil War Sites Advisory
Commission Report on the Nation’s Civil War Battlefields and the Report to
Congress on the Historic Preservation of Revolutionary War and War of 1812
Sites in the United States.
These grants are administered by the NPS American Battlefield Protection
Program (ABPP). ABPP promotes the preservation of significant historic
battlefields associated with wars on American soil. Federal, state, local,
and tribal governments, nonprofit organizations, and educational
institutions are eligible to apply for battlefield grants each year.
More information about ABPP is available at
http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp
NAGPRA Training Offered
The NPS National NAGPRA Program, in partnership with the National
Preservation Institute, is offering two NAGPRA training seminars.
Determining Cultural Affiliation, taught by Mary Anne Kenworthy, Attorney,
DOI and Megon Noble, Assistant Archeology Collections Manager, Burk Museum,
will be offered September 14, 2009, in Chicago, IL. This seminar will
review the tools and best practices for determining cultural affiliation,
outline NAGPRA requirements, define critical terminology, and review grant
assistance and consultation and review processes. Writing and Managing a
Successful Grant, taught by Sangita Chari, NPS and Jan. I. Bernstein,
Bernstein and Associates, will review practical tools and case studies,
assessing the needs of a NAGPRA program, and writing and managing
successful grants for fundable projects.
For more information, go to www.npi.org or
www.nps.gov/history/hagpra/training
Sarah Davis-Reynolds New Chief of NPS Law Enforcement Operations
Sarah Davis-Reynolds has been selected as chief, Branch of Law Enforcement
Operations, Division of Law Enforcement, Security, and Emergency Services
(LESES), NPS, in Washington, DC. She will oversee a variety of LE cultural
resource programs and activities related to park operations at the national
level, such as the National Archeological Protection Act (ARPA) and Native
American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Davis-Reynolds’
duties will be to provide advisory, coordination, and review services to
parks and regions service-wide in the law enforcement, security, and
emergency services program. She will work closely with park and regional
management as well as with representatives of the NPS, Washington Office,
Department of the Interior, various Offices of the Solicitor, various U.S.
Attorneys’ and District Attorneys’ Offices throughout the NPS regions, and
with a variety of local, state, and Federal agencies.
NPS and Girls Scouts Develop a Park Resource Stewardship Program
The NPS has partnered with the Girls Scouts to develop a Resources
Stewardship Girl Scout Ranger program. The program is a component of the
Girl Scouts Linking Girls to the Land Elliott Wildlife Values Project. The
ranger program encourages and facilitates volunteer service opportunities
for Girl Scouts in national parks and provides opportunities for girls to
be recognized for their resource stewardship activities. The program also
reconnects youth with the outdoors by promoting increased and meaningful
use of the parks. Additionally, the ranger program encourages girls to
explore careers in environmental science and cultural resources, including
archeological resources and conservation while developing critical
leadership skills.
Parks are encouraged to incorporate the Girl Scout Ranger program into
their education and volunteer programs. Individual Girl Scouts are
encouraged to participate in regularly scheduled NPS programs in order to
minimize operational impacts on the field. The Girl Scout national office
will direct troops interested in the Girl Scout Ranger Program to contact
parks in advance of any visits. This will give parks an opportunity to
determine whether they have the capacity to develop a tailored volunteer
opportunity and program for the troops and to assist in planning
participation.
For more information about the Girl Scout Ranger Program, go to
http://www.nps.gov/gettinginvolved/youthprograms/girlscoutrangerprogram.htm
Projects in Parks: Documenting Native American Monuments at Effigy Mounds
NM
Ken Block and Robert Palmer
Effigy Mounds National Monument (NM), located on the Mississippi River in
northeastern Iowa, protects over 200 mounds of Native American origin, 31
of which are bird and bear effigy mounds. The mounds still have much to
tell us and new technologies are revealing their secrets. The elevated
perspective that aerial photography and LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging)
provide allows more detailed and complete comprehension of the full extent
of mounds on the landscape than does terrestrial reconnaissance, and have
been used to document mounds in Effigy Mounds NM. The story of the
documentation and study of Native American earthen mounds is a fascinating
chapter of American archeology.
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 National Park Service 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 Archeology Program
web site.
Projects in Parks is a feature of the Archeology E-Gram that informs others
about archeology-related projects in national parks. Prospective authors
should review information about submitting photographs on the Projects in
Parks web page on InsideNPS. The full reports are available on the
Projects in Parks web page
inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=3&prg=279&id=3670 on InsideNPS or
through individual issues of the Archeology E-Gram on the on the News and
Links page http://www.nps.gov/archeology/public/news.htm on the Archeology
Program web site.
Contact: [log in to unmask] to contribute news items, stories for “Projects in
Parks,” and to subscribe.
|