October 2009 Archeology E-Gram

Michele Aubry to Retire
NPS archeologist Michele Aubry will retire on November 3 after nearly 32
years of Federal service. Born and raised in California, Michele’s interest
in archeology was sparked in junior high school. She earned a BA in
sociology and anthropology at Occidental College, Los Angeles, and an MA in
anthropology from the University of California, Riverside.


Michele started working for the NPS in 1978, in the National Recreation and
Preservation Programs Washington Office. Her first position was in the
Interagency Archeological Services Division. Other positions were in the
Archeological Assistance Division, the Office of the Departmental
Consulting Archeologist, and the Office of the Assistant Director for
Archeology. In 1991, Michele transferred to the NPS Anthropology Division.
Her current position is with the Archeology Program.


Michele says she has had great opportunities to work on interesting
assignments and meet dedicated people including her first husband, the late
Harvey Shields. One of her most exciting assignments was serving as a U.S.
Delegate to UNESCO meetings of governmental experts to develop the UNESCO
Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. Another
assignment was participating on an international park planning team to
develop a management plan for the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, and Fatephur Sikri
World Heritage Sites in India.


Other work included participating in international negotiations to develop
agreements for protection of the RMS Titanic and La Belle shipwrecks;
developing the NPS Abandoned Shipwreck Act Guidelines; developing the
Federal regulation, 36 CFR Part 79, for curation of federally owned and
administered archeological collections; leading a team to develop OPM
standards for the GS-0193 Archeology job series; and leading a team to
develop the NPS Systemwide Archeological Inventory Program (SAIP), that
distributes over $2 million annually to parks for archeology projects.


Michele will miss her NPS friends and colleagues but is looking forward to
sharing more time with her husband, Peter Christensen. They plan to remain
in northern Virginia and continue their quest to see the world’s historical
and natural wonders. She will continue to serve on the Maryland Advisory
Committee on Archaeology and the Fairfax County Architectural Review Board.

One of Michele’s last contributions is the expanded NPS Archeology Program
web pages about submerged archeological resources (see below). For more
information about Michele’s contributions to the Archeology Program, see
“NPS Archeologist receives Department of the Interior Superior Service
Award” (www.nps.gov/archeology/pubs/egrams/0906.pdf) in the June 2009
Archeology E-Gram.

Perry Wheelock Named Chief of Cultural Resources for NPS National Capital
Region
Perry Wheelock has been selected as National Capital Region’s (NCR) new
chief of cultural resources. She begins her new duties on October 26, 2009.
Wheelock earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in American Studies
at the University of Pennsylvania and George Washington University, and
also completed the landscape design and historic landscape preservation
certificate programs at the latter.


Wheelock, an employee of the NPS for 11 years, and a contractor for 8,
brings experience from a variety of leadership positions within the Service
to her new job. She served for nearly three years as the chief of Resource
Management for the National Mall and Memorial Parks in Washington, D.C. She
was directly involved with the planning for the Potomac Park levee,
American Reinvestment and Recovery Act projects, and the National Mall
plan.


She also served as the Cultural Resource manager and briefly as division
chief of Resource Management and Visitor Services for Rock Creek Park,
where she was involved with development of several cultural landscape
reports, planning and development of the extensive preservation project at
Meridian Hill Park, and the reintroduction of migratory fish passage with
the installation of a new fish ladder near Peirce Mill on Rock Creek.


Wheelock has also served as a landscape historian in the NCR Cultural
Landscape Program, where she authored various cultural landscape studies
for parks located at Harpers Ferry NHP, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal NHP,
Monocacy NB, Rock Creek Park, the Patrick Henry NM and the Lincoln
Memorial.


Wheelock’s new work will include overseeing the care and maintenance of
NCR’s cultural resources, expanding and exploring the connections between
the cultural histories of NCR, and working more collaboratively across many
disciplines to sustain and strengthen the connections among park units,
especially those parks that contribute directly to a fuller understanding
of the Potomac River watershed.

NPS Archeology Program Announces Expanded Web Pages on Submerged Resources
Each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories
of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the
Virgin Islands has an individual program for managing its underwater
cultural heritage. What is the heritage program? What sites are underwater?
Who takes care of underwater sites? What permits are needed to study sites?
Are there underwater parks? What underwater archeology laws are there?

The NPS Archeology Program answers many of these questions and more through
its expanded web pages on Preserving a Submerged Legacy (
www.nps.gov/archeology/SITES/Subcul.htm). The previous links to a dozen
State programs and projects have been replaced with a new and expanded
section that provides detailed information about submerged cultural
resources laws for each of the State, District, and the U.S. territories.
There are 56 separate web pages!

Another significant change is the addition of information about the full
range of management authorities available to government agencies in support
of their efforts to preserve and protect submerged cultural resources. This
information is contained in a downloadable PDF file.

NPS Archeology Program Creates New Webpage about America's Best Idea
Ken Burns's documentary, The National Parks: America's Best Idea,
celebrates the national parks as an American invention that applies
democratic principles to the land. America's cultural parks are an
important feature of the NPS story, from the battlefields and ancient ruins
protected simultaneously with Yosemite and Yellowstone, to the legislative
landmarks that protect cultural places today, to a growing certitude of the
value of historic places to national identity. Learn how everyday people
advocated to preserve archeological and historic sites, and how archeology
has helped to make the democratic spaces of national parks even more so, in
The National Parks: Preserving America's Past at
www.nps.gov/archeology/BestIdea/index.htm

Remains of Soldier Killed At Antietam Interred in New York
On December 1-3, 2008, NPS archeologists Stephen R. Potter, Marian
Creveling, Karen Orrence, and Bob Sonderman conducted excavations at the
site of a previously unknown and unmarked battlefield burial at Antietam
NB, after a park visitor discovered four bones, a jaw fragment containing
four teeth, and a piece of leather at the mouth of a ground hog burrow.
Based on analysis of the clothing and skeletal remains, the remains are a
Union soldier who fought with a New York regiment. The young man was
between 17 and 19 years old when he was killed in action on September 17,
1862.

A transfer ceremony was held on September 15, 2009, at the Antietam
National Cemetery, as part of Operation: Returning Home, which was
coordinated by the New York State Military Museum, Military Forces Honor
Guard (NYANG) and the NPS. The New York contingent provided a period style
coffin to hold the remains of the unknown soldier. The remains were first
placed in a smaller repository box crafted by Antietam NB carpenters Lynn
Keener and George Slifer out of wood from a black walnut tree that had
fallen on the Mumma Farm at Antietam NB. Antietam rangers served as
pallbearers and transferred the soldier’s remains to the New York Honor
Guard. The remains were interred in the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga
National Cemetery. The NPS was represented at the funeral by staff from
Saratoga NHP.

NPS Archeologist at Society for Hawaiian Archeology Meeting
At the Society for Hawaiian Archeology annual meeting October 24-25, NPS
Archeologist Jade Munoz-Nakimura was a moderator for a discussion of public
archeology in Hawaii. A panel of archeologists working for cultural
resource management firms identified several areas of concern that, while
specific to Hawaii, challenge CRM companies nationally. Panelists cited
difficulty in identifying and accessing reports of previous investigations
in contracted research areas. They examined potential safeguards for
ethical practices in Hawaiian archeology, specifically focusing on use of
penalties for insufficient work. The panel also noted that a well informed
Native Hawaiian community was key to good collaboration between
archeologists and Native Hawaiians. Several Hawaiian schools employ
archeology educators, but more effort is needed to develop educational
materials, and educational materials in Hawaiian.

Man Punished for Illegal Excavations at Joshua NP
In April 2007, park rangers encountered Scott Johnson as he was walking
back to his car after illegally digging at an archeological site in Joshua
NP. Johnson had digging implements and two old beer cans in his possession.
Johnson was issued an optional appearance citation, which he soon paid. The
park archeologist subsequently inspected the site and found that Johnson
had excavated 17 holes. Because a more serious criminal case was no longer
possible due to the paid citation, a Park Resources Protection Act (PRPA)
(16 USC 19jj) action was initiated. The park archeologist subsequently
completed an archeological damage assessment.

In January 2008, Johnson was served with notice of a PRPA violation by an
NPS special agent. In February 2009, Johnson agreed to a settlement that
included paying $2,000 in restitution to the park, initiating online
discussions on the Brewery Collectibles Club of America (BCCA) and “Rusty
Bunch” beer can collecting forums, and submitting an anti-looting article
to the BCCA magazine, Beer Cans and Brewery Collectibles. In September 2009
“A Reminder to Consider Where We Dig,” was published in the BCCA magazine,
outlining Johnson’s experience dealing with the violation, why the Federal
government preserves cultural resources, and listing Federal regulations
and laws that protect those resources.

Native American Artifacts and Human Remains Returned After ARPA Conviction
In early 2003, the NPS, FBI, BIA, BATF, USFWS and Collville Confederated
Tribes began a joint investigation into purported trafficking and
possession of illegal artifacts and wildlife by a man in eastern Washington
state. Kenneth Milette possessed archeological resources taken from Glacier
NP, Lake Roosevelt NRA, Bighorn Battlefield NM, and the Spokane, Coeur
d’Alene, and Nez Perce Indian Reservations. Additionally, Milette possessed
Native American human remains from at least one adult and several children
and prohibited wildlife, including a fully mounted golden eagle. In 2003,
Milette agreed to sell his collection to an undercover NPS agent for
$750,000. This collection included nearly 1,500 artifacts from Federal and
Indian lands, violating NAGPRA, the Lacey Act, the Eagle Act and Migratory
Bird Treaty Act (MBTA).

Milette was indicted by a grand jury in September 2008 on four felonies
(two ARPA counts and one count each for MBTA and Lacey Act violations) and
two misdemeanors (NAGPRA and Eagle Act).  In October 2008, Milette pled
guilty to two felony ARPA counts, a NAGPRA count and a felony MBTA count.
He was sentenced in December to three years of probation and six months of
home confinement with electronic monitoring, ordered to pay over $17,000 in
restitution and other costs, and to pay for three anti-looting ads in
regional newspapers.

The Native American artifacts were returned to the Colville Confederated
Tribes, Nez Perce Tribe and Spokane Tribe on September 24, 2009. The return
ceremony took place at the Federal courthouse in Spokane, Washington. After
the ceremony, Lake Roosevelt NRA superintendent Debbie Bird gave members of
the investigative team certificates for the 2008 Pacific West Region
Cultural Resource Project through Partnerships Award.

Project Proposals for Park NAGPRA Internship Program Sought
The Park NAGPRA program is soliciting project proposals for its 2010
internship program. Park NAGPRA internships provide opportunities for
students to work in parks, centers, and offices nationwide on projects
related to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
(NAGPRA). Interns help manage the treatment and repatriation of Native
American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of
cultural patrimony as defined under NAGPRA. Projects may include working
with archeological and ethnographic collections, assisting with
consultation meetings, assisting with repatriation, or administrative
tasks. Any NPS unit with NAGPRA needs may submit an internship project
proposal. The deadline for submission is December 16, 2009.

For more information, contact Mary Carroll, at 303-969-2300.

Preserve America Stewards Program Emphasizes Archeological Stewardship
The Preserve America Program, managed by the Advisory Council on Historic
Preservation (ACHP), invites applications for its Preserve America Stewards
program. Preserve America Stewards is a Federal designation program that
recognizes organizations and agencies that successfully use volunteers to
help care for the nation's historic heritage. Preserve America and ACHP are
especially interested in seeing organizations recognized for their
stewardship of archeological properties.

Preserve America Steward designation recognizes programs of organizations
and agencies that:
provide volunteers with opportunities to contribute in direct and tangible
   ways to the preservation, protection, and promotion of historic
   properties;
address an otherwise unfilled need in heritage preservation through the use
   of volunteer efforts; and
demonstrate innovative and creative use of volunteer assistance in areas
   such as youth involvement, volunteer training, public education, and
   public/private partnerships.

Preserve America Stewards receive a designation letter and certificate of
recognition signed by First Lady Michelle Obama. Non-profit organizations,
government entities (Federal, state, local, or tribal), and businesses are
eligible to seek designation for their programs. The next quarterly
deadlines for submitting applications to the Preserve America Stewards
program are December 1, 2009, and March 1, 2010.

For more information, visit: http://www.preserveamerica.gov/stewards.html.

George Wright Society Redesigns Web Site
The George Wright Society (GWS) has launched a totally redesigned website (
www.georgewright.org). The site has been revamped from top to bottom to
provide a cleaner, more uncluttered look. Almost all pages on the site can
be accessed through the front-page navigation menus.

A new feature on the website is Parkwire: Protected Area News from Around
the World. GWS staff search the Web several times a week for news stories
about parks, protected areas, and cultural sites and bring the links to
your desktop. If you want to keep up with the latest in the world of
protected areas, bookmark the website and visit often! GWS staff will be
adding more new features to the site in the months to come.

Founded in 1980, the George Wright Society promotes the application of
knowledge, fostering communication, improving resource management, and
providing information to improve public understanding and appreciation of
natural and cultural parks and equivalent reserves. The society is
dedicated to the protection, preservation, and management of cultural and
natural parks and reserves through research and education.

NPS Social Science Program Launches Focus Group Resources Web Site
Occasionally, archeologists use focus groups to evaluate products or
identify needs. Conducting a focus group that gives useful results,
however, can be challenging. The University of Idaho Visitor Services
Project, an activity of the NPS Social Science Program, has launched a new
website (http://psu.uidaho.edu/focusgroup/)
about the use of focus groups for evaluating park programs, activities, and
visitor services. The site explains how focus groups should (and should
not) be used and describes a peer reviewed process for managing and
conducting focus groups. Topics include obtaining approval to conduct focus
groups, formulating focus group questions, preparing the meeting place,
training moderators, recruiting participants, conducting focus groups,
transcribing results, and writing the report. The site is useful both for
planning to conduct focus groups using in-house staff, and in evaluating
proposals for focus groups received from outside sources.

For more information, contact Nancy Holmes, University of Idaho Visitor
Services Project, (208) 885-2819.

Projects in Parks: Supporting Community Archeology: The Golovin Heritage
Field School
NPS archeologists care for archeological sites on park lands. Sometimes,
however, the NPS supports community-based archeology fieldwork outside of
parks. Archeological projects in local communities help people understand
history and prehistory in their own neighborhoods. By working on a site in
their community, people can learn about archeological methods and the types
of information that archeological sites can hold that are relevant to their
heritage. The involvement also helps people learn about the importance of
cultural resources and the need to protect them.

Between 1998 and 2000, the Shared Beringian Heritage Program funded the
Golovin Native Corporation in northwestern Alaska to carry out
archeological investigations at sites on corporation lands. The Golovin
Native Corporation controls land on the southern part of the Seward
Peninsula that borders northeastern Norton Sound.

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 Research
in the Parks web page http://www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/npsites.htm or
through individual issues of the Archeology E-Gram.

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