October 2012 Archeology E-Gram
Retired NPS Archeologist Honored by Plains Anthropological Society at 2012
Meeting
This year's Plains Anthropological Society Distinguished Service Award was
presented to Dr. F. A. (Cal) Calabrese at the 70th annual conference.
Calabrese began his career in the NPS in 1973, joining the Midwest
Archeological Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1975, he became manager of
the center. In 1994, Calabrese moved to the Midwest Regional Office, where
he served as acting deputy regional director, special assistant to the
regional director, and superintendent of the Great Plains System Support
Office. From 1998 through 2005, he was the associate regional director for
cultural resource stewardship and partnerships.
Calabrese supported the Plains Anthropological Society through projects
conducted by his staff at MWAC that trained archeological students. He was
an advocate for archeological resources in the parks and with other
government agencies. Calabrese was a leader in the use of technology in
archeology, including magnetic survey techniques (a joint venture with John
Weymouth, University of Nebraska-Lincoln), personal computers by his staff
in a time when most were still using main-frame computers, and the
application of metal detectors for archeological investigations on
battlefields with Douglas Scott at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National
Monument.
Digital Survey of Fort Matanzas Completed
On September 21, 2012, Fort Matanzas National Monument, in partnership with
the the University of South Florida, digitally surveyed the fort to help
park managers better understand its current condition. The project used
three-dimensional terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) to document the fort.
The project provided exceptionally accurate, three-dimensional data to help
monitor, supplement, and improve planning of future maintenance and
preservation programs. The technology generated data at levels of detail
that have not been previously available. The project demonstrated the
efficiency and effectiveness of digital heritage documentation for
long-term monitoring and restoration planning.
The effort was overseen by archeologist Margo Schwadron, NPS Southeast
Archeological Center, and Travis Doering, Director, Alliance for Integrated
Spatial Technologies, University of South Florida.
For more information about Fort Matanzas NM, go to
http://www.nps.gov/foma/index.htm
From a story by Jon Burpee, Chief of Interpretation, Fort Matanzas National
Monument
NPS National Capital Region Office of Communications Produces Archeology
Youtube Videos
The NPS National Capital Region (NCR) Office of Communications has posted a
series of archeological videos on YouTube. As part of the deliverables for
the Archeological Overview, Assessment, Identification, and Evaluation
study of Catoctin Mountain Park in western Maryland, the office produced
"Mountain Farms," "Archeology of Charcoal Hearths," and "The Ancient
Quarry: Indians on the Mountain." These three videos feature John Bedell,
an archeologist with the Louis Berger Group, the cultural resource
management firm responsible for the study.
In addition to the archeological videos on the same YouTube site, the NPS
NCR Office of Communications is also producing a series on the Civil War.
“The Burnside Bridge Witness Tree,” “The Battle of Antietam,” “Civil War
Photography – Alexander Gardner,” “Special Orders 191,” and “2nd Battle of
Manassas Living History” all examine aspects of the War Between the States.
Move over, Ken Burns!
To see all of the Greater Washington National Parks YouTube videos, go to
www.youtube.com/GWNPS.
NPS Celebrates National Archaeology Day
On October 20, 2012, the National Park Service, the Archaeological
Institute of America (AIA) and over 200 additional collaborating
organizations celebrated the second annual National Archaeology Day (NAD).
The nationwide effort aimed to raise awareness about archeology and improve
public involvement through educational activities.
Federal agencies, state governments, and local organizations across the
nation hosted Archaeology Day events – including NPS park units, regional
offices, and archeology centers. Some events took place on-site and
in-person, like public archaeology days or lectures, while other events
happened online through blogs or social media. Here are some of the events:
Aztec Ruins National Monument
Aztec Ruins NM celebrated NAD with an Archeology Day Fair, offering field
demonstrations in excavation, survey, and laboratory activities.
For more information about Aztec Ruins NM, go to
http://www.nps.gov/azru/index.htm
Bandelier National Monument
Monument archeologist Rory Gauthier led a hike exploring archeological
resources in the monument. Hikers visited Duchess Castle, a complex site
that contains Pueblo sites, occupied for over two hundred years, and
historic structures that once served as a school for Pueblo potters. After
exploring the castle, hikers visited several petroglyph sites, including
one depicting a sword wielding-horseman interpreted as an image of a
Spanish conquistador.
For more information about Bandelier National Monument, go to
http://www.nps.gov/band/index.htm
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
On October 20, Bighorn Canyon NRA hosted a dedication ceremony for the Two
Eagles Interpretive Trail at the trailhead, approximately 6 miles north of
Devil Canyon overlook. The trail incorporates the results of multi-year
archeological field school projects with a focus on tipi rings. Students
from the University of Memphis, Indiana University, St. Cloud State
University, Northwest College, and Little Bighorn College have helped to
record more than 140 tipi rings at this site. The dedication began with a
traditional pipe ceremony presented by Burton Pretty On Top, Crow Cultural
Director.
For more information about Bighorn Canyon NRA, go to
http://www.nps.gov/bica/index.htm
De Soto National Memorial
Archeologists from the NPS Southeast Archeological Center (SEAC) were on
hand at De Soto National Memorial to demonstrate archeological survey and
excavation techniques in preparation for a new visitor's exhibit.
For more information about De Soto National Memorial, go to
http://www.nps.gov/deso/index.htm
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
Gila Cliff Dwellings NM invited the public to participate in special events
on October 20. Park staff offered two workshops, discussing the basics of
archeology, led various hands-on demonstrations, and led tours of the TJ
site. The TJ site, which is normally closed to the public, afforded
visitors the chance to follow in the footprints of the ancestral peoples of
the Mimbres Region who lived at the TJ site over a 900-year period from
around 500 to 1400 CE (Common Era).
For more information about Gila Cliff Dwellings NM go to
http://www.nps.gov/gicl/index.htm
Independence National Historical Park
Visitors joined Philadelphia Archaeological Forum and Independence NHP
Archeology Lab, hosted by the National Constitution Center for the ninth
annual archeology day celebration. Topics for discussion included the
archeology of Elfreth's Alley, Brandywine Battlefield, the African American
community of Timbuctoo, the West Shipyard site, the Continental Powderworks
on French Creek, Fort Casimir (Delaware), the Wolf Walk Native American
cultural landscape, the Dyottville Glass Works, War of 1812 commemorative
artifacts, and the launch of a GPS Augmented Reality. A walking tour of
four nearby Philadelphia archeology sites followed.
For more information about Independence NHP, go to
http://www.nps.gov/inde/index.htm
Joshua Tree National Park
In a class sponsored by the Desert Institute, Joan Schneider, California
Associate State Archeologist, and archeologist Claude Warren, University of
Nevada, Las Vegas (emeritus) talked about the ways that archeologists study
human culture through material remains and environmental landscapes. The
class began with an archeological overview of Joshua Tree NP and included
an exclusive visit to artifacts and archival collections at the park’s
Research Museum.
For more information about Joshua Tree NP, go to
http://www.nps.gov/jotr/index.htm.
Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site
Knife River Indian Villages NHS offered rare tours of the collection,
Archeology Junior Ranger activities, archeology lectures, kid’s activities,
special exhibits and more.
For more information about Knife River Indian Villages NHS, go to
http://www.nps.gov/knri/index.htm
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Lake Mead NRA celebrated NAD on October 20 with a guided tour of the
historic town site of St. Thomas, Nevada. The town was established by
Mormon settlers in 1865, and played an important role in the social and
economic development of southern Nevada. When the Hoover Dam was
constructed, however, the town was abandoned as the waters of Lake Mead
inundated the area. Over the past few years, Lake Mead’s dropping water
levels have exposed the foundation of the town, and during NAD, visitors
walked the historic streets and learned about the town’s history.
For more information about Lake Mead NRA,
http://www.nps.gov/lake/parknews/index.htm
Navajo National Monument
Navajo NM provided special activities for visitors on October 20.
Activities included a tour to Betatakin (a 700 to 800 year old ancestral
Puebloan cliff dwelling) led by an NPS archeologist, flint knapping
demonstration, an atlatl-throwing demonstration, and a demonstration on
making pottery.
For more information about Navajo NM, go to
http://www.nps.gov/nava/index.htm
Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park
Palo Alto Battlefield NHP celebrated NAD with an Archeology Day Fair.
For more information about Palo Alto Battlefield NHP, go to
http://www.nps.gov/paal/index.htm
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
The City of San Antonio’s Office of Historic Preservation (COSA-OHP) and
the Southwest Texas Archaeological Society (SWTAS) collaborated with the
Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) to present a program at San
Antonio Missions NHP on October 20. SWTAS presented information about the
AIA and SWTAS, the AIA local chapter. People were encouraged to bring in
artifacts for identification and archeologists recorded site locations and
photographed collections. On October 13, San Antonio Missions NHP and their
partners (University of Texas, San Antonio; San Antonio Museum of Art,
Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas Coritani, Southwestern Texas Archeological
Association, COSA-OHP, and STWAS) sponsored the 9th annual Archaeology Day
with hands-on activities about archaeology. SWTAS provided activities for
children that were centered on ancient writing systems. Children were given
alphabets and syllabaries for Ancient Egyptian, Greek (Linear B and
Classical), Mayan, Ancient Celtic Ogham, and Roman numerals. They were
taught how to write their names in ancient letters and how to translate a
short quote. Over 1400 people attended the two events.
For more information about San Antonio Spanish Missions NHP, go to
www.nps.gov/saan/index.htm.
Southeast Archeological Center (SEAC)
SEAC co-hosted NAD events at Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park
in conjunction with Florida State Parks, on October 20. The park consists
of several large earthen mounds built by Native Americans eight centuries
ago, and part of a large village site. Florida State Parks maintains and
interprets the Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park. Kids’
activities include Native American pottery making, archeological mapping,
an on-site archeology lab, and spear throwing. Speakers included David
Morgan, Director, SEAC, and Joe Knetsch, a Tallahassee-based historian, and
others. Booths and activities include Native American brass plate
demonstrations, tours of the Florida State Parks’ museum collection
facility, artifact identification, the Florida Bureau of Archaeological
Research, and more. Florida State Parks staff, including archeological and
biological professionals, were on-hand to discuss interpretation and
management of the site.
To learn more, visit the park website at
www.floridastateparks.org/lakejackson/. For more information about the NPS
Southeast Archeological Center, go to www.nps.gov/history/seac/index.htm
Tumacacori National Historic Park
Tumacacori NHP and Tubac Presidio State Historic Park collaborated to
provide special tours of two unique archeological sites on October 7.
Historians Philip Halpenny and Gwen Griffin led a special tour of the
Spanish colonial archeological site south of the Presidio that preserves
the remains of the original 1752 Tubac town site. The site is protected by
the Archaeological Conservancy. Archeologist Jeremy Moss led a special
archeological tour of Tumacacori Mission, established by Father Kino in
January 1691, making it the oldest mission site in Arizona.
For more information about Tumacacori NHP, go to
http://www.nps.gov/tuma/index.htm. Also read Project in Park Report “Of
Adobe, Lime, and Cement: The Preservation History of the San José de
Tumacácori Mission Church”
http://www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/npSites/tumacacori1.htm.
Walnut Canyon National Monument
Walnut Canyon NM celebrated with a variety of activities, including guided
tours of archeological resources, traditional craft activities for kids,
and archeological lectures.
For more information about Walnut Canyon NM, go to
http://www.nps.gov/waca/index.htm
NPS participation is a way to be part of a larger message about where
archeology is, what archeologists do, and why archeology matters. Together,
the events demonstrated how much NPS archeology has to offer.
Learn more about National Archaeology Day the Archaeological Institute of
America’s webpage for (http://www.archaeological.org/NAD) and on the NPS
Archeology Program website
(http://www.nps.gov/archeology/months/october12.htm).
Teacher Workshops Held At Effigy Mounds National Monument
Effigy Mounds NM presented teachers’ workshops during the summer of 2012.
The theme this year was “Past Cultures of the Upper Mississippi River
Valley.” Over 260 teachers and 61 other participants attended training to
learn about the early settlers of the Mississippi Valley. Assisted by
Ranger Merle Frommelt, the teachers learned traditional skills and the
history of the early settlers; and visited local heritage sites, including
Villa Louis, a Victorian home, and Vesterheim Norwegian village, where they
visited settlers’ homes and examined farm machinery of early farmers. The
teachers also visited a recreation of a railroad town at Osborne Nature
Center; Seed Savers, a heritage seed repository; and Laura Ingalls Wilder’s
home in Burr Oak, Iowa.
Throughout the five workshops, speakers, historians, and naturalists gave
out lesson plans and made suggestions about uses of the material in the
classroom. Thanks to the staff of Effigy Mounds NM, 3M, Silos and Smoke
Stacks National Heritage Area, Eastern National and the National Park
Foundation, more than 8,000 students will benefit from the 2012 teachers’
workshops.
For more information about Effigy Mounds NM, go to
http://www.nps.gov/efmo/index.htm. Also see the Project in Parks Report
”Documenting Native American Monuments at Effigy Mounds National Monument”
at http://www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/npSites/index.htm
By Maria Wenzel, Park Ranger, Effigy Mounds NM
Interior Designates 27 New National Landmarks - Landmarks Honor Nation’s
Cultural and Natural Heritage
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has announced the designation of 26
national historic landmarks, including 5 archeological sites or districts,
and 1 national natural landmark, as places that possess exceptional value
and quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the U.S.
Currently there are 2,527 designated national historic landmarks and 592
national natural landmark sites across the country.
The archeological landmarks are:
Black Jack Battlefield, Douglas County, Kansas. The three-hour battle,
fought on June 2, 1856, marked a culmination of escalating violence in
“Bleeding Kansas” and the beginning of John Brown’s war on slavery, which
would culminate in his raid on Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, three years
later.
Davis Oriole Earthlodge Site, Mills County, Iowa. The site outstandingly
illustrates the physical features of lodge habitations that commonly occur
across the Plains and is exceptionally valuable for the study of this
predominant Plains Village habitation type.
The Drakes Bay Historic and Archeological District, Point Reyes Station,
California. The site is directly associated with the earliest documented
cross-cultural encounter between California Indians and Europeans, leaving
the most complete material record on the west coast. In addition, the site
contains the earliest recorded shipwreck on the west coast of the U.S., the
Spanish San Agustín. (For more information about the San Agustin, read
Project in Park report “The Archeology of Sixteenth-Century Cross-Cultural
Encounters in Point Reyes National Seashore” at
http://www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/npSites/pointReyes.htm)
Murray Springs Clovis Site, Cochise County, Arizona. The Murray Springs
Clovis Site is among the richest early Paleoindian sites in North America
with a mammoth-kill site, a bison-kill site, and a Clovis camp site. Sites
associated with the Clovis culture are rare.
San José de los Jémez Mission and Gíusewa Pueblo Site, New Mexico. San José
de los Jémez Mission and Gíusewa Pueblo Site is associated with the spread
of Spanish control northward in New Spain into the present-day American
Southwest from 1598 to about 1639 and is an early representation of the
intersection of European and native cultures.
Salazar also designated Big Spring Creek in Saguache County, Colorado, a
national natural landmark. This feature is unique in the region as a
spring-fed, gaining stream formed by groundwater discharging from an
unconfined aquifer. Emergent wetlands along the creek support a diversity
of rare species and plant communities in an otherwise arid landscape.
The National Historic Landmarks Program, established in 1935, is
administered by the NPS on behalf of the Secretary of the Interior. The
agency works with preservation officials and other partners interested in
nominating landmarks. Completed applications are reviewed by the National
Park System Advisory Board, which makes recommendations for designation to
the Secretary of the Interior. If selected, property ownership remains
intact but each site receives a designation letter, a plaque, and technical
preservation advice.
Additional information on the designations can be found at:
http://www.nps.gov/nhl/.
Petersburg National Battlefield History Club Brings Communities Together
Petersburg National Battlefield has created a program that is
simultaneously reclaiming a cemetery's history and restoring the graves and
cemetery. What started out as a project to trace and understand the history
of People’s Cemetery, a neglected historic African-American cemetery near
the Virginia park, became an historical exploration and restoration project
involving local churches, active duty military personnel, students, and a
community that is rediscovering its history.
The People’s Cemetery is not regularly maintained, and has had graves
removed and desecrated during two separate road-widening programs. The
cemetery has also had four names -- People’s Cemetery, Scott Cemetery,
Jackson Cemetery, and Providence Cemetery. With dedicated students and the
help of numerous volunteers, however, Leslie McClammy, education specialist
in the park, has created a project that will allow genealogists and
historians to more fully unlock the history of the circa 1840s cemetery.
Three years ago McClammery got a grant to start the history club, and the
club carried a systematic inventory of the cemetery, recording the names on
every gravestone. After the survey was completed the club members began to
look for information in books, newspapers, and archival holdings. One of
the most colorful figures that the history club researched was the Reverend
Emmett Miller. Not only was he the pastor of Saint Stephens, a church that
is still functioning in Petersburg, but he was also the first
African-American chaplain at Fort Lee, a large training base located in
Petersburg. McClammy shared this information with the church and the base,
and both groups have become active partners in preserving the cemetery.
Countering the neglected state of the site was another part of McClammy’s
project that is bringing people together. Soldiers from local bases are
regular visitors to Petersburg National Battlefield and lend a hand in
restoring the graves and sprucing up the cemetery.
“The 354th Infantry has adopted our cemetery as a service project," says
McClammy. "With their help we’ve taken ten to twelve loads of debris to the
battlefield. Additionally, the Ordnance School is cleaning the stones as
well as debris from construction that littered the cemetery.” Through this
community effort, the cemetery has changed from a neglected space to a
point of pride.
For more information, contact Leslie McClammy at 804-732-3531, extension
204
Interior Department Honors 2012 “Partners in Conservation” Award Winners
Deputy Secretary of the Interior David J. Hayes has announced the 2012
“Partners in Conservation” Awards to 17 organizations that have achieved
exemplary conservation results through public-private cooperation and
community engagement. Together, the 17 award recipients represent more than
700 individuals and organizations from across the United States. This
year’s award winners include several cultural resource projects:
Southern Nevada Agency Partnership (SNAP): Interagency Law Enforcement
Team, Nevada
The SNAP Team includes law enforcement managers, field rangers, interagency
dispatchers, and special agents from all four agencies, and a Special
Assistant to the U.S. Attorney, Southern Nevada Judicial District.
Together, they are accomplishing what one agency with limited resources
cannot. Rangers are often the first point of contact for the public when
emergencies arise, creating both a visible deterrence to illegal cultural
resource activities, and an enforcement action element to public safety on
these lands.
Glacier National Park Ice Patch Archeology and Paleoecology Project,
Montana
“Ice Patches as Sources of Archeological and Paleoecological Data in
Climate Change Research
in Glacier National Park” partners are University of Colorado Boulder,
University of Wyoming, University of Arizona, the Blackfeet Nation, and the
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation. The Ice
Patch Project partners are working together to document melting of
subalpine ice patches, some thousands of years old; collect ancient remains
of animals and plants to aid in understanding past climates; and protect
cultural artifacts associated with Native American hunting and travel in
these high-elevation areas in Glacier NP.
Ute Learning Garden, Colorado
The Ute Learning Garden developed out of the Ute Ethnobotany Project that
began in 2006. In 2008, the partners established a physical home for the
project in Grand Junction, Colorado, the heart of the Ute Tribe’s
traditional homeland. The project engages Native American youth with
traditional cultural practices through the study of ethnobotany. They also
learn the important role of plants in food, medicine, and technical
science.
Iditarod National Historic Trail Centennial Partnership, Alaska
From January 2008 through October 2012, the Iditarod National Historic
Trail Centennial Partnership, led by the Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance,
developed and implemented a 5-year, public-private commemoration of the
trail's centennial. This nonprofit membership organization accomplished a
number of centennial legacy projects that will significantly benefit the
trail for the next 100 years.
For more information about the awards, and a complete list, go to
http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/Interior-Department-Honors-2012-Partners-in-Conservation-Award-Winners.cfm
Hopewell Culture National Historical Park Uses Resource Damage Settlement
for Archeology
In 2010, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) signed a settlement
agreement for an infringement of the Park Service Resource Protection Act (
16 U.S.C. 19jj) that took place at Hopewell Culture NHP in 2009. A
contractor working for ODOT inadvertently placed a silt fence within park
boundaries during a highway expansion project. In the settlement agreement,
which did not constitute an admission of liability, ODOT agreed to pay
$152,377.
The NPS used the funds to survey, test, and assess archeological resources
in the Mound City Group Unit’s western boundary within the 8.16-acre
project area along Highway 104 that may have been injured during the
incident, and to fund restoration and protection of archeological
resources. The NPS Midwest Archeological Center worked with the park.
Geophysical survey identified numerous magnetic and resistive anomalies
that could represent subsurface cultural features. Excavation identified
two features attributed to the Middle Woodland period, as well as historic
and prehistoric artifacts. The park GIS map was updated with state site
locations, a revised park boundary, historical imagery, and project-related
data layers. The geophysical data were accurately geo-referenced and
spatial data generated by previous archeological fieldwork have been
processed and integrated with existing data. New data include digitized
plan maps of Camp Sherman geo-referenced directly to magnetically detected
building remains and Squier and Davis’ 1846 plan map. The base map also
makes use of high-resolution aerial imagery of Ross County and the Ohio
statewide LiDAR dataset.
By Rick Perkins, Chief Ranger, and Ann Bauermeister, Midwest Archeological
Center
Prosecutions Continue In Operation Artifact
Prosecutions continue in Operation Artifact, the multi-year interagency
investigation into the sale of cultural items looted from Federal lands.
Looted Native American artifacts were consigned or sold to Milam and the
National Indian Center in Corona, California, in 2007, 2008, and 2009 by a
cooperating individual. Despite knowledge that the artifacts were illegally
taken from public lands, Milam sold these antiquities at several public
auctions. The illicit artifacts were purchased back by NPS rangers and
agents posing as buyers. In August, 2010, agents and rangers with the NPS
and BLM served search warrants at Milam’s residence and storage facility.
On September 19, 2012, Milam was sentenced for a misdemeanor ARPA violation
in federal court in Los Angeles. He was ordered to pay $758.41 in
restitution and $10,000 in community service and fines. Participating along
with the NPS in this investigative effort were the BLM, USFWS, and the
USFS. Additional cases against other entities are pending.
By Todd Swain, NPS Special Agent, Joshua Tree National Park
Lowell National Historical Park Hosts Centuries Old Southeast Asian
Ceramics Tradition
Thanks to a project sponsored by Middlesex Community College and the Lowell
NHP, in Lowell, Massachusetts, Cambodian potters can fire their ceramics in
a traditional wood-fired kiln. The kiln is outdoors under a roof on a piece
of land that was provided by the park. The kiln somewhat resembles a
temple, with its two colors of brick, the arch above its door, and the
chimney tower.
The kiln project originated out of a 2010 US Department of Education trip
to Cambodia, where six educators from Middlesex Community College and the
Lowell public schools studied and learned about Cambodian culture and
history, hoping to infuse the knowledge into their teaching. Returning
home, Rack and other local cultural authorities determined to build Livan a
traditional kiln. Grants were sought and received. The small corner plot of
land, not far from downtown, was provided by the national park.
The kiln project “celebrates and shares a centuries-old Cambodian tradition
that very few people know about, but that people can take pride in, and
that, without stabilizing support, may disappear from practice,” said
Margaret Rack, a professor of art at Middlesex. Cambodian potter Yary
Livan, creates ceramics using designs that date back to the ancient Angkor
kingdom. Livan says there are few original examples left, thanks in part to
the upper-class tradition of occasionally secreting a piece of gold or a
precious stone inside the clay. Over the centuries, Cambodians smashed many
of the pots looking for the valuables.
“We have lent the use of this space for creation of the kiln . . . to
utilize this in a way to enlighten residents and visitors with a particular
facet of one community that now calls Lowell home,” says David Blackburn,
chief of cultural resources and programs for the park. “…by working
together we’re providing students … an opportunity to experience a very
ancient tradition.”
From story by Joel Brown, Boston Globe
NPS Awards Civil War Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants
NPS Director Jonathan B. Jarvis announced the award of more than $2.4
million in grants to help with land acquisition at eight Civil War
battlefields. Grant projects include fee simple purchases at Perryville,
Kentucky ($43,715); Mill Springs, Kentucky ($330,500); Bentonville, North
Carolina ($168, 720); Franklin, Tennessee ($112,800); Second Manassas,
Virginia ($196,500); Peebles’ Farm, Virginia; and Totopotomoy Creek,
Virginia ($91,600); and the purchase of an easement at Cool Springs,
Virginia ($1,500,000).
The grants were made from the NPS American Battlefield Protection Program
(ABPP) to help States and local communities acquire and preserve threatened
Civil War battlefield land outside the boundaries of National Park units.
Priority was given to battlefields listed in the NPS Civil War Sites
Advisory Commission Report on the Nation’s Civil War Battlefields (CWSAC
Report). Funds were awarded based on the property’s location within
CWSAC-defined core and/or study areas, the threat to the battlefield land
to be acquired, and the availability of required non-federal matching
funds.
The grant funds were made available under the Consolidated Appropriations
Act of 2012 (Public Law 112-74), which appropriated $8,985,600 for the
Civil War battlefield land acquisition grants program. Applications are
accepted at any time. Criteria to consider in the applying for the Civil
War Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants include:
The Land and Water Conservation Fund Civil War Battlefield Land Acquisition
Grants are awarded through a competitive process only to units of state
and local governments;
Private non-profit groups may apply in partnership with state or local
government sponsors;
Each grant requires a dollar-for-dollar non-federal match;
Grants are available for the fee simple acquisition of land, or for the
acquisition of permanent, protective interests in land at Civil War
battlefields listed in the CWSAC Report;
Higher consideration will be given to proposals for acquisition of
endangered lands at battlefields defined as Priority I or II sites in
the CWSAC report.
Projects in Parks: Projects in Parks needs you!
Have you conducted an interesting archeology-related project in a national
park, or know someone who has, that you want the public to know about? One
way to tell people about your project is through the Project in Parks
feature of the Archeology E-Gram. E-Gram staff have helped archeologists to
post over 50 reports on archeology for the general public and announced the
posting in the Archeology E-Gram.
Send a copy of your report, an abstract, one or two photographs, and any
website links that you’d like distributed to [log in to unmask] The photos should
be in .jpg format, at least 800 x 600 at 72 dpi (1200 x 1600 at 150 dpi is
preferred); don’t forget to include captions and credits. We’ll put your
abstract in the Archeology E-Gram, and the full text and photos on the NPS
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