February 2009 Archeology E-Gram
"Managing Archeological Collections" Linked to DOI Learn
DOI employees and the public can now receive credit and a course
certificate for completing “Managing Archeological Collections”
www.nps.gov/archeology/collections/ through DOI Learn. “Managing
Archeological Collections” is a unique comprehensive distance learning
course about curation of archeological collections. Its ten sections
address key issues and practices in archeological collections management,
such as planning for curation needs while still in the field, relevant laws
and policies, cataloging and records management processes, the issues
surrounding access and use, and much more. The course provides guidance on
topics that currently challenge archeological curators, like deaccessioning
and the future of curation. “Managing Archeological Collections” was first
launched in 2000, but has been updated for current users. It is intended
not only for archeologists, but for CRM managers, superintendents,
collections managers, and other persons interested in learning more about
issues, concerns, and best practices in archeological curation. Register
through DOI Learn to take the course and complete the 20-question final
assessment to receive the course certificate. Information on how to
register is available at www.nps.gov/archeology/collections/certificate.htm
Contact: Terry Childs (202) 354-2125
1998-2003 Secretary’s Report to Congress on the Federal Archeology Program
Available
The Secretary of the Interior’s Report to Congress on the Federal
Archeology Program for 1998-2003 was signed by Secretary Kempthorne on
January 16, 2009, and delivered to the Senate Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources and to the House Committee on Natural Resources. The
report, which was developed by NPS Archeology Program staff, summarizes
data about the archeological activities reported by 32 Federal agencies for
the period 1998 to 2003. The report also outlines challenges facing Federal
agencies in carrying out stewardship responsibilities for archeological
resources, and recommendations for actions to assist Federal agencies in
these responsibilities. The recommendations focus additional attention to
care of archeological sites and collections; strengthening relationships
with Indian tribes, and sharing information with the scientific community
and the public.
A PDF of the report is available on the NPS Archeology Program website on
the Secretary’s Report to Congress web pages at
www.nps.gov/archeology/SRC/index.htm
Contact: Frank McManamon (202-354-2123)
Navajo National Monument and Olympic National Park to Celebrate Centennials
Two national monuments will celebrate the 100th anniversary of national
monument status in March. National monuments are established through
provisions of the Antiquities Act, which gives the president the power to
set aside public lands.
Olympic National Park, located on the Olympic Peninsula in coastal
Washington, was established as a national monument on March 2, 1909. Most
of the region's forested land was first designated as the Olympic Forest
Reserve in 1897 by President Grover Cleveland. President Theodore
Roosevelt, moved to protect rain forest elk found only in the Northwest,
designated a portion of the reserve the Mount Olympus National Monument. In
1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed legislation creating Olympic
National Park, which was enlarged in 1953 to include a strip of rugged
coast. UNESCO named the park an International Biosphere Reserve in 1976 for
the extraordinary scenic and scientific values of its rain forest. In 1981,
the park was designated a World Heritage Park for its outstanding natural
and cultural values. Ninety-five percent of the park was further protected
from modern encroachment when Congress added it to the National Wilderness
Preservation System in 1988.
Although Olympic NP was originally established to protect natural
resources, significant cultural resources have also been preserved. Many
archeological sites, from high mountain hearth sites to extensive coastal
middens, are protected. In 1993, a piece of woven material found at the
edge of a snowfield in the park's high country was determined to be part of
a 2,900 year old basket - a tangible link to the Native Americans who lived
and moved through the Olympic Mountains. The bond between Native Americans
and the region remain strong; Olympic National Park is associated with more
tribal groups than any other national park.
Navajo National Monument, consisting of three Ancestral Puebloan cliff
dwellings, is located within the external boundaries of the Navajo
Reservation in Arizona and New Mexico. Many archeologists and
anthropologists believe that the Navajo migrated from the north between A.
D. 1400 and 1525. Navajo oral tradition suggests an earlier arrival, around
A. D. 700 or 800. When the Spanish arrived from the south in the 1540s, the
Navajo were already well established on the Colorado Plateau.
The Navajo dominated northeastern Arizona and northwestern New Mexico until
the early 20th century, when an influx of eastern Americans began to
develop the western frontier. In August 1868, the Navajo Reservation was
established. Anthropologists and archeologists registered their concern for
Puebloan ruins inside the reservation boundaries. In 1909, William B.
Douglass, General Land Office Examiner of Surveys, recommended the
establishment of Navajo National Monument to protect the ruins.
On March 20, 1909, President William H. Taft signed the proclamation to
create Navajo National Monument for “a number of prehistoric cliff
dwellings and pueblo ruins … which are new to science and wholly
unexplored, and because of their isolation and size are of the very
greatest ethnological, scientific, and educational interest” (Proc. No.
873).
Betatakin and Keet Seel each sit on 160 acre islands of federal land
surrounded by the Navajo Nation. Located approximately 30 miles to the east
of Betatakin in Nitsin Canyon, Inscription houses occupies a shallow alcove
on 40 acres of Federal land. Numerous intact floors and roofs, even intact
hearths with ashes, testify to the astonishing preservation of Keet Seel
and contribute valuable insight into pueblo architecture and ancient
peoples' ways of life.
To learn more about national monuments and the Antiquities Act, go to
www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/Antiquities/index.htm
Three Archeological National Historic Landmarks Designated
On January 16, former DOI Secretary Kempthorne designated three
archeological National Historic Landmarks.
The Miami Circle at Brickell Point Site, Miami, FL, is the location of the
primary village of the Tequesta people, one of the first Native North
American groups encountered by Juan Ponce de León in 1513. The Tequesta
people were able to maintain their culture following European contact
through their association with the unique environment of the Everglades.
Following discovery in 1998, research at the site has produced an
impressive body of data. Extensive historical, geological, and
archeological research has effectively demonstrated the antiquity of the
site and the circular feature. The site’s significance lies in the
well-preserved evidence of American Indian architecture and the wealth of
materials that relate to trade patterns and that shed light on ceremonial
Tequesta practices.
New Philadelphia Town Site, Barry, Il, founded in 1836, is the first known
town platted and officially registered by an African American before the
Civil War. The town’s founder, Frank McWhorter, was a formerly enslaved man
who bought his freedom and that of 15 family members through his earnings
from mining Kentucky caves for crude niter and processing the material into
saltpeter. McWhorter purchased 42 acres of land in rural Illinois that
became the town of New Philadelphia and sold lots to African Americans,
European Americans, and racially mixed residents. New Philadelphia
flourished because of its proximity to major crossroads and to the
Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. When the railroad bypassed the town, the
community declined. Today, none of the original buildings of the town are
left. New Philadelphia provides material evidence for understanding life in
multi-racial communities in the 19th century. Researchers are investigating
relationships between formerly enslaved individuals, free-born African
Americans, and people of European descent who lived together in a small
rural community. This avenue of research can provide nationally significant
information about race and ethnicity, acculturation, and identity formation
that can make a substantial contribution to the archeological literature.
Ludlow Tent Colony, Ludlow, CO, is nationally significant in the history of
industry for its association with the Ludlow Massacre, a pivotal event in
American history that culminated in the destruction of the tent colony by
fire and the deaths of two women and eleven children on April 20, 1914. The
United Mine Workers of America established the colony on vacant land near
the mines and the small community of Ludlow after coal miners and their
families were evicted from company housing during a strike that began in
September 1913. On April 24, a truce was declared and representatives of
the miners and the mine owners met to discuss a “peace with justice.” In
1916, the United Mine Workers of America purchased the 40 acre site of the
Ludlow Massacre, and built a monument commemorating the massacre. Since
then, union rallies and commemorations have become regular events at the
site. The Ludlow Tent Colony Site is the first strike camp to be
archeologically investigated, providing the means to gain a richer, more
detailed, and more systematic understanding of the everyday reality of
American mining families of the early 20th century.
ACHP Releases “A Report on Federal Historic Property Management”
In accordance with Executive Order 13287 “Preserve America,” the Advisory
Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) has presented its report on the
health of historic properties held by Federal agencies in stewardship for
the American people. The report assesses how agencies are managing these
assets, how these historic properties contribute to local economic
development, and what can be done to improve the state of Federal
stewardship. This Preserve America Executive Order Report to the President
is an evaluation of Federal agencies’ accomplishments in their stewardship
efforts since the ACHP’s first report to the President in 2006. Federal
agencies provided progress reports to the ACHP in 2008 that have been
summarized in this report. Based on these submissions, the ACHP has
developed a series of recommendations for action to advance the goals of
the Executive Order and the National Historic Preservation Act.
To read the full report, go to www.achp.gov/section3/index.html
NPS Sponsors Archeological Research at Elkhorn/Ebert Ranch
The Department of Anthropology, University of North Dakota, invites
students to attend its Archeological Field School in May and June, 2009.
The 6 week course is being offered in cooperation with the USFS, the NPS,
and BOR. The first 2-3 weeks of the field school will involve survey work
at the Elkhorn/Ebert Ranch in the western North Dakota Badlands, where
Theodore Roosevelt had a cattle operation in the 1880s. One week will be
spent mapping the remains of the Elkhorn Ranch headquarters. The final 2-3
weeks will be spent conducting test excavations at multiple prehistoric
sites at Shadehill Reservoir, SD.
Field school students will learn standard archeological field techniques,
including proper excavation methods, record keeping, site mapping via
digital means (GPS, total station) and by paper, profiling and soil
descriptions, and photography. Students will receive up to six semester
hours of undergraduate credit.
For additional information, go to
www.und.edu/dept/undar/fieldschool/fieldschool.html
NPS Sponsors Archeological Research at Cape Krusenstern NM
The University of Washington (UW) invites students to join of a joint UW -
NPS research project this summer in Northwest Alaska. The field crew will
be conducting archeological survey, site testing, and GPS mapping at Cape
Krusenstern for approximately 6 weeks from late June to early August.
Project participants will live at a remote field camp for the duration of
the project and will have the opportunity to work with an interdisciplinary
team that includes archaeologists, geologists and community volunteers. The
project will provide travel, food, lodging and a stipend. Applications are
due March 31, 2009.
Applications and more information can be found at:
students.washington.edu/shelbya/CAKR_Project.shtml
Two South Dakota Men Indicted on Charges of Violating ARPA
Elliot D. Hook was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of
excavating and trafficking in archaeological resources and one count of
trafficking in Native American cultural resources on December 11, 2008, for
excavating and trafficking in archaeological and Native American cultural
resources. He appeared before US Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on January
2, 2009, and pled not guilty to the indictment. The maximum penalty upon
conviction is five years custody, a $250,000 fine, or both, and three years
of supervised release. A fine and restitution may also be ordered. The
charges relate to Hook’s alleged excavating and trafficking in artifacts
taken from public land. The investigation is being conducted by the US Fish
and Wildlife Service. Hook was released on bond pending trial. A trial date
has not yet been set.
In a separate case, John M. Sheild has been indicted in South Dakota on a
federal charge of trafficking in archeological resources, accused of
violating an archeology law that protects American Indian artifacts. The
grand jury charged Sheild with trafficking — between Jan. 1, 2004, and
October 2008 — in "archeological resources, namely, bullet casings, slugs,
buttons, military items, thumb scrapers, projectile points, bone tools,
stone tools, beads, a pewter ring, a child’s ring, a British gun flint, ...
shell cases, buckles, bone handles and brass copper pieces" that had been
excavated or removed from public and Indian lands.
South Dakota’s Missouri River banks are constantly giving up treasures of
Indian artifacts, and federal laws prohibit the removal of human remains,
funerary items and other sacred items from public and Indian land.
Sheild appeared in court Jan. 6, pleading not guilty. He was freed on his
own recognizance, and a trial is set for June 9. Sheild was one of five men
indicted on similar charges.
Archaeology Magazine Reports on Drugs and Looting
The locus of archeological crime in the American Southwest and across the
nation is shifting into the world of guns and drugs, reports Samir Patel in
an article in the March/April issue of Archaeology Magazine.
Methamphetamine is one of the most addictive and destructive of all drugs,
causing feelings of high energy and euphoria, in addition to delusions,
paranoia, and violent behavior. In the Southwest, archeological antiquities
are an untraceable commodity. A strange synergy is developing with meth
that puts every archeological site and collection at risk, Patel notes.
Meth provides a surplus of energy that users need to work off, and artifact
hunting to get the money for the next high is one way to do it. Meth
looters are changing the face of looting in the U.S., and Southeast Asia
and Europe may not be far behind
The looting-meth connection is reported by Federal archeologists and law
enforcement officers across the nation. The involvement with drugs is
problematic for law enforcement officers who pursue cultural resource
crime. Once a looting suspect is caught, archeological resource violation
laws take a back seat to drug charges. Drug and firearm possession carry
much steeper penalties than ARPA violations, under most circumstances. Drug
cases can make it easier to recover artifacts, as looters will more readily
hand them over when faced with drug charges, especially if doing so will
save them from ARPA charges. As a result, there is little risk for drug
dealers who want to engage in antiquities trade.
Read the entire article at www.archaeology.org
FLETC Offering Archeological Resource Protection Training
The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) presents a 37 hour
class which provides training in all aspects of an archeological
investigation and subsequent prosecution of crimes. This premier class is
taught by accomplished instructors that are nationally recognized subject
matter experts in the fields of law enforcement, and archeology and law.
The class cumulates in a 12 hour archeological crime scene practical
exercise where law enforcement officers and archeologist work as a team to
investigate and document a crime scene. Attendees will gather and process
physical evidence, write incident reports, executive summaries, search
warrants, damage assessments, and provide testimony in a courtroom
scenario.
The course will be offered through the Navy, in Jacksonville, Florida, on
April 13-17, 2009, and at Acadia NP, Winter Harbor, Maine, on April 27-May
1, 2009.
For registration information, contact Virginia McCleskey, 912-554-4828. For
all other questions, please contact Senior Instructor Charles Louke,
912-280-5188.
Summer Anthropology Program at National Museum of Natural History
The Summer Institute in Museum Anthropology is an intensive four-week
training program that will teach graduate students how to use museum
collections in research, incorporating Smithsonian collections into their
anthropological training as an integral part. Support from the Cultural
Anthropology Program at NSF will cover full tuition and living expenses for
12 students each summer. The summer institute is sponsored by the
Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian
Institution, Washington DC, from June 29 (tentative)-July 24, 2009.
For more information and application instructions, go to
anthropology.si.edu/summerinstitute.
NPS Uses New Technology to Record USS Arizona Memorial
The NPS is participating in ongoing research at the USS Arizona Memorial to
capture the battleship submerged in Pearl Harbor, Oahu, in stereoscopic
three-dimensional high definition (3D HD) imagery. Nearly 1.5 million
people make the journey to the USS Arizona Memorial each year to pay their
respects to those 2,390 Americans who lost their lives on December 7, 1941,
and the more than 900 sailors and marines still entombed within the USS
Arizona.
The underwater 3D HD camera systems designed and built by the Advanced
Imaging and Visualization Laboratory at Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution will be used by NPS researchers to document the battleship’s
exterior. An additional miniature underwater 3D HD system will be mounted
on a remotely operated vehicle, or ROV, provided by VideoRay LLC to perform
a non-invasive, condition assessment of accessible cabins in the interior
of the ship.
The Arizona Memorial Museum Association (AMMA) has provided support for the
project and plans to incorporate the footage into its ongoing educational
programs. The US Navy’s Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit ONE (MDSU) will
provide logistical and dive support, while Ocean Technology Systems (OTS)
provides the underwater communication resources for the project.
Projects in Parks: Reporting on Federal Archeology
Sharing information about archeological activities is a priority for
Federal agencies, and part of good stewardship. Since the passage of the
Antiquities Act of 1906 that assigned Federal agencies responsibility for
archeological resources, the Federal Archeology Program has made
information available about efforts to wisely care for archeological
resources. The reports provide overviews of stewardship activities and
recommendations for improvements in caring for archeological resources.
The Antiquities Act, through its regulations, identified the young
Department of the Interior as a lead agency in caring for archeological
resources. Leadership continues to this day; the NPS, within the Interior
Department, is responsible for collecting and analyzing data about
archeological activities for the Secretary’s Report to Congress on the
Federal Archeology Program, which reports on all Federal archeological
activities.
This essay provides an overview of Federal Archeology Program efforts
report on the care for archeological resources since the passage of the
Antiquities Act.
Reporting on Federal Archeological Activities After the Antiquities Act
Nearly 50 years before the first Federal law to require reporting about
archeological activities to Congress, the first Departmental Consulting
Archeologist (DCA), Jesse Nusbaum, wrote a series of reports about
archeological activities for the Secretary of the Interior between 1929 and
1932 (Nusbaum 1929, 1930, 1931, and 1932; see also Browning 2003 and
McManamon and Browning 1999 for more of the historical context). Nusbaum
also served as the Superintendent of Mesa Verde National Park at the time,
and the Departmental Consulting Archeologist has been in the NPS ever
since. He described his oversight of permitting for archeological
investigations under the Antiquities Act, summarizing applications for
archeological permits that he had reviewed for the Secretary of the
Interior and describing the newly authorized and ongoing archeological
investigations. Nusbaum also used the reports to describe the continuing
problem of archeological site looting on the public lands of the Southwest,
which he had ample opportunity to observe during his field visits to the
sites where permitted studies were underway. Looting of archeological
resources on public lands continues to be a problem.
The 1974 Archeological and Historic Preservation Act (AHPA) Reporting
Requirements
The Archeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974 (AHPA; 16 U.S.C.
469) was the first Federal law to require Federal agencies, through the
Secretary of the Interior, to report to Congress about activities related
to the archeological data recovery program that was the focus of that Act.
AHPA mandated that
…the Secretary shall coordinate all Federal survey and recovery
activities authorized under this Act and submit an annual report at
the end of each fiscal year to [Congress]
indicating the scope and effectiveness of the program, the specific
projects surveyed and the results produced, and the costs incurred by
the Federal Government as a result thereof (16 U.S.C. 469a- 3(c).
The Secretary’s responsibilities for reporting under the 1974 Act were
delegated administratively to NPS, and within NPS to the DCA. AHPA
emphasized the interagency nature of reporting; the DCA’s responsibilities
expanded to include reporting to Congress on the Federal Archeology
Program.
Following AHPA requirements, Secretarial reports to Congress in 1975 and
1976 discussed program scope and effectiveness and a tabulation of
projects, contractors, costs, nature of investigations, and stage of
project completion (Table 1).
In addition to the reports produced by the NPS DCA, the Interagency
Archeological Services Division (IAS) developed two reports between 1976
and 1979 on the status of archeological activities in Federal agencies
(Interagency Archeology Program 1979a, b). The 1976 report on the
Interagency Archeology Program included abstracts of archeological
investigation reports available through the National Technical Information
Service (NTIS), and information about project costs, contractors, and
research reports.
In 1978, the Department of the Interior created the Heritage Conservation
and Recreation Service (HCRS), that included archeology. The HCRS produced
a single report that combined data on the 1977 and 1978 archeological and
historic data recovery activities (Heritage Conservation and Recreation
Service 1978). The report noted that, with initiation of the
Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway in Alabama and Mississippi, the IAS had
“assumed a vital leadership role” in large-scale archeological mitigation
projects. The 1977-1978 report provided case studies of projects in which
the IAS was involved directly, NTIS abstracts, discussion of budget and
cost effectiveness, and tables specifying projects, agencies served, costs,
contractors, and final reports. The data were not complete, however;
information about archeological activities had not been provided to IAS by
several agencies, though each of them funded or guaranteed loans for
construction projects that may have involved archeological inventory and
salvage excavation.
The Secretarial reports produced between 1975 and 1979 focused on the
results of large archeological projects carried out largely through
contracts. Reports primarily contained information about project results
and expenditures. After the passage of ARPA, and particularly after 1985,
reporting shifted to focus on agency activities and quantitative
measurements of archeological activities.
The 1979 Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) Reporting
Requirements
The 1979 ARPA expanded the focus of reporting about Federal archeological
activities,
...the Secretary of the Interior shall comprehensively report as a
separate component on the activities carried out under the provisions
of this Act [ARPA], and he shall make such recommendations as he
deems appropriate as to changes or improvements needed in the
provisions of this Act. Such report shall include a brief summary of
the actions undertaken by the Secretary under section 11 of this Act,
relating to the cooperation of private individuals (16 U.S.C. 470ll).
In 1988 ARPA was amended in several important ways, including the addition
of a new requirement (16 U.S.C. 470ii) that “…each [federal] land manager
shall submit an annual report to [Congress] regarding the actions taken
under [each agency’s public archeological awareness] program.” ARPA’s
uniform regulations were revised a few years later to take account of the
1988 amendments. Among the changes was a new section, --.19, that directs
agencies to provide the Secretary of the Interior with information about
their archeological public awareness programs so that this information can
be included in the Secretary’s report to Congress about Federal
archeological activities by all agencies.
The first report to Congress developed under the additional requirements of
ARPA was a slim administrative compilation for 1980 to 1982, based on
information collected from 47 Federal agencies (Table 1). It documented
1774 projects, most of them conducted by 13 agencies, for a cost of $57
million over 3 years.
In 1986, a report was sent to Congress on the Federal Archeology Program
for 1983 and 1984 (Table 1). The small number of staff of the Archeological
Assistance Division (a forerunner of the present NPS Archeology Program)
and the task of collecting, compiling, and analyzing data from over three
dozen Federal agencies combined to create an enduring pattern of periodic
rather than annual reporting.
Development the 1983-1984 report utilized a computerized database of
information about the Federal Archeology Program. The database initially
was intended to focus on archeological project data, including information
about authorizing agencies, permits, costs, and resulting reports. The
National Archeological Database (NADB) is, in part, an outgrowth of this
reporting need. Currently, the Reports portion of NADB is the most
developed of the components of the database that were originally
envisioned.
The Secretary’s Report to Congress: 1985-2007
In mid-1985 an interdepartmental meeting of Federal archeologists and
historic preservation officers resulted in an agreement to work
cooperatively and expand the scope of information collection for reporting
on the Federal Archeology Program. The resulting 77 item questionnaire,
requesting both quantitative and narrative information, was sent out to 42
agencies. Since 1986, the NPS Archeology Program has annually solicited
information about Federal archeological activities, sending a questionnaire
to agencies and bureaus with archeological responsibilities. The
information that is submitted through the questionnaire is posted on the
Archeology Program website at www.nps.gov/archeology/SRC/data.htm and is
essential to the findings of the Secretary’s Report to Congress.
The collected information for fiscal years 1985 and 1986 was extensively
analyzed and reported in 1989 (Table 1). The report is a milestone in
reporting on Federal archeology. Before this document, the reports had been
mainly focused on specific archeological projects done in conjunction with
Federal development or infrastructure undertakings. There was no
information about the land managing agencies’ archeological activities that
focused on the inventory, documentation, interpretation, long term
preservation, and protection of the resources on the lands they were
responsible for.
Out of review and analysis of the 1985-1986 data came a set of
recommendations for improving Federal archeology. In October 1991,
Secretary Lujan issued these recommendations as a policy statement, the
National Strategy for Federal Archeology. The National Strategy was sent by
the Secretary to the Secretaries of Agriculture, Energy, Defense and,
Transportation; the Tennessee Valley Authority Chairman; and the
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, with a letter urging each of
them to adopt this approach to archeological stewardship in their
respective departments or agencies.
The 1985-1986 report, because it covered a wider range of activities than
earlier reports and because the same or similar data have been collected in
reports since then, serves as a baseline for the Federal Archeological
Program. Six additional reports have been completed (Table 1) since the
1985-1986 report was sent to Congress. The reports emphasize the importance
of continuing and building archeological programs in the Federal
departments whose undertakings affect archeological resources, for example,
development and regulatory type agencies. The need to continue to support
and increase the resources for Federal agencies whose missions include the
care of archeological sites on the lands that they are responsible for is
also identified.
The data management and development of the Secretary’s reports are
time-consuming, but are worth the time spent. The benefit of having
detailed quantitative data to develop or support improvements in policy,
statute, and appropriations was demonstrated through their use by Congress
to assess the needs for amending ARPA, and then so amending it.
Quantitative data on archeological looting collected by the 1985-1986
report to Congress played an important role in other sections of the 1988
ARPA amendments. The House of Representatives committee staff used these
data to justify the need for strengthening law enforcement in looting
prosecutions. These quantitative data supported and supplemented the
substantial anecdotal account of looting collected during Congressional
committee hearings (House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs
1988a,b).
The most recent Report to Congress on the Federal Archeology Program,
covering the period 1998-2003 (Table 1), describes Federal agency efforts
in all of the areas covered by the earlier reports. A number of exemplary
projects are highlighted. The need for agencies to continue with archeology
programs and to find opportunities to broaden and strengthen them is
emphasized. One area of increasing importance in the archeological programs
of many Federal agencies, in particular the land managing agencies, is
volunteer programs. These programs offer interested, often very skillful,
and dedicated non-archeologists, opportunities to work on professional
archeological investigations. As the Federal workforce has contracted and
domestic funds have been reduced, volunteer programs, when adequatelyorganized and supervised, provide important and necessary human resources
to carry out important agency missions.
For over 30 years, Federal agencies have reported about their archeological
activities. Why should the government focus this kind of attention on this
particular kind of cultural resource? One reason is the nonrenewable nature
of archeological resources, which merits special attention to them. Once
destroyed, archeological sites cannot be regenerated. Archeological sites
cannot be reintroduced to an area from which they have been eliminated,
like wolf populations reintroduced into the Yellowstone ecosystem where
they once lived. The collections, reports, records, and data that are
archeological resources also have special needs that must be taken into
account as part of their care. Like the archeological sites that they
derive from, they also are one-of-a-kind resources and require special
treatment for long term access and preservation. For over a century,
archeological resources have been recognized as special public resources
and singled out for preservation and protection for all Americans.
A second reason for special consideration is the publically recognized
cultural, historic, and scientific value, which overrides a more narrow
commercial value that a small portion of artifacts have. The commercial
value of a few objects threatens the cultural and educational values of all
of the archeological record when those few become the focus of looting,
trafficking, and vandalism. It is in the public interest to focus attention
on ways that the Federal government is ensuring the care and use of
America’s archeological record.
10
Table 1. Reports to Congress on Federal Archeological Activities,
1975-2003
Years | Year | |
Covered | Published | Authors/Compilers | Title
-----------+------------+------------------------------+----------------------------------
| | Departmental Consulting | Archeological and Historic Data
1975 | 1975 | Archeologist, National Park | Recovery Program Fiscal Year
| | Service | 1975.
-----------+------------+------------------------------+----------------------------------
| | Interagency Archeological | A Status Report to the
1976 | 1979 | Services Division, U.S. | Archeological Community.
| | Interior Department |
-----------+------------+------------------------------+----------------------------------
| | Departmental Consulting | Archeological and Historic Data
1976 | 1976 | Archeologist, National Park | Recovery Program Fiscal Year
| | Service | 1976.
-----------+------------+------------------------------+----------------------------------
| | Heritage and Conservation | Archeological and Historical
1977-197 | | and Recreation Service U.S. | Data Recovery Program Fiscal
8 | 1978 | Interior Department | Year 1977-78. Publication No.
| | | 15.
-----------+------------+------------------------------+----------------------------------
| | Heritage Conservation and | Interagency Archeological
| | Recreation Service, U.S. | Services Final Reports on
1979 | 1979 | Interior Department | Archeological Investigations.
-----------+------------+------------------------------+----------------------------------
| | Interagency Archeological | Archeological and Historical
1979 | 1979 | Services, U.S. Interior | Data Recovery Program 1979.
| | Department |
-----------+------------+------------------------------+----------------------------------
1980-198 | | Departmental Consulting | Archeological and Historical
2 | 1983 | Archeologist, National Park | Data Recovery Program
| | Service |
-----------+------------+------------------------------+----------------------------------
| | Archeological Assistance | Annual Report to Congress on
1983-198 | | Division, National Park | the Federal Archeological
4 | 1986 | Service, U.S. Interior | Program FY83 and FY84.
| | Department |
-----------+------------+------------------------------+----------------------------------
1985-198 | | | Federal Archeology. The Current
6 | 1989 | Keel, McManamon, and Smith | Program.
-----------+------------+------------------------------+----------------------------------
| | | Federal Archeology, 1987
1987 | 1992 | McManamon et al. | Activities and Results.
-----------+------------+------------------------------+----------------------------------
1988-199 | | | Federal Archeology Program,
0 | 1995 | Knudson, McManamon, and | Fiscal Years 1988-1990.
| | Myers |
-----------+------------+------------------------------+----------------------------------
1991-199 | | | Federal Archeology Program,
3 | 1997 | Haas | Report to Congress,
| | | FY1991-1993.
-----------+------------+------------------------------+----------------------------------
| | | Federal Archeology Program,
1994-199 | | | Secretary of the Interior’s
5 | 1998 | Haas | Report to Congress,
| | | FY1994-1995.
-----------+------------+------------------------------+----------------------------------
| | | Federal Archeology Program,
1996-199 | | | Secretary of the Interior’s
7 | 1999 | Hass | Report to Congress,
| | | FY1996-1997.
-----------+------------+------------------------------+----------------------------------
| | | The Secretary of the Interior’s
1998-200 | | Departmental Consulting | Report to Congress on the
3 | 2009 | Archeologist, National Park | Federal Archeology Program,
| | Service | 1998-2003.
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