*January 2014 Archeology E-Gram*
Museum Resource Center Director Selected
The NPS has named Bob Sonderman as National Capital regional curator and
director of its Museum Resource Center. An archeologist by training,
Sonderman will oversee the care of several million museum objects and
archeological specimens from national parks in the District of Columbia,
Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. He has served as acting curator and
center director since January 2010.
Sonderman chairs the Council for Maryland Archeology's Curation Committee.
He is a former chair of the Society for Historical Archaeology's Curation,
Conservation and Collections Management Committee and served two terms as a
member of the SAA's Curation Committee. For 20 years he has been a member
of the D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board and is currently the Board's
deputy chair.
He has presented numerous papers at professional conferences on archeology
and emergency response, and has published several articles on archeological
curation and collections management. He has also had a significant role in
providing emergency care for cultural assets impacted by disasters such as
Hurricane Sandy and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Sonderman holds a
master's degree in historic archeology from Illinois State University.
*By Joy Beasley*
New Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve Manager Hired
The Trust Board for Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve, Washington,
has announced the hiring of Kristen Griffin as its new reserve manager.
Kristen is currently Spokane City/County historic preservation officer, a
position she has held since 2008. There she plans, directs and manages the
historic preservation program for Washington State's second largest city
and surrounding county, working closely with rural and urban property
owners, tribes, neighborhood associations, nonprofit organizations and
local, state, and federal officials.
Prior to her work in Spokane, Kristen was park historian at Sitka NHP and
historian and archaeologist for Denali NP, both in Alaska. Earlier she
served as museum manager for Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum in Sitka.
She also currently serves on the board of directors of the Washington Trust
for Historic Preservation.
Kristen was born, raised and educated in northwest Washington, including
Island, San Juan, Skagit and Whatcom Counties. She holds a MA degree in
anthropology-archeology and a BA in anthropology, both from Western
Washington University.
Welcome back to the NPS, Kristen!
*By Carol L. Castellano*
Fire Program Cultural Resources Supporter Jeff Manley Retires
Jeff Manley, deputy for fire program planning at the NPS Fire Management
Program Center retired on January 3, 2014, after a 33-year career with the
NPS. Manley began his career in 1981 as a seasonal interpreter at Lyndon B.
Johnson NHP, where he became permanent the following year. He moved to
Chaco Culture NHP, in 1984, leaving a year later to pursue graduate school
in natural resources at Colorado State University. During his time in
graduate school, Manley worked part-time for Rocky Mountain NP and
inventoried timber stands for the USFS.
After receiving his graduate degree, Manley became a natural resource
specialist for Scotts Bluff NM and participated in the NPS Natural Resource
Training Program, which essentially provided him a second graduate degree.
In 1992, he moved to Sequoia and Kings Canyon NP, also in natural resources.
Ten years later, Manley moved to Boise, working on the NPS Fire Program
Analysis program. Since 2007, he was in the Wildland Fire Program as a fire
planner, working with parks on environmental compliance related to wildland
fire management and assisting parks in updating their fire management plans.
From its inception, Manley was a core member of the working group that
produced the Cultural Resources and Fire module for the Archeology Resource
manual. He recognized the importance of incorporating cultural resource
management in fire planning and worked to integrate cultural resources in
fire guidance. Manley saw the module completed before his retirement; his
breadth of knowledge and dedication to fostering good communication between
cultural resource and fire management programs will be missed.
*From story by Bill Kaage*
*Joint Research by NPS and Florida State University Benefits Archeological
Resources*
Prehistoric shell mounds found on some of Florida's most pristine beaches
are at risk of washing away as the sea level rises, but a joint project
between Florida State University and the NPS is drawing attention to the
problem. Shawn Smith, senior research associate with the Center for
Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies and NPS archeologist Margo Schwadron
are examining past and future changes in climate to save areas of shoreline
and preserve archeological evidence. The NPS has awarded Smith a $30,000
grant.
Smith and students spent hours compiling modern, colonial and paleo-weather
data. The focus of their initial research was Canaveral NS and Everglades
NP, both having prehistoric shell mounds. Researchers believe these shell
mounds served as foundations for structures and settlements and later
served as navigational landmarks during European exploration of the region.
Modern temperature and storm system information was easily available to
researchers. Log books from old Spanish forts and ships logs were examined
for historical weather records.
The result was a comprehensive data set for the region, so detailed that
modern era weather conditions are now available by the hour. The data may
be used to protect coastal cultural resources at national parks. Smith and
Schwadron are trying to secure funding to continue their work but, for now,
they are making their data set available to other researchers to raise
awareness about effects of sea level rise.
*From ScienceDaily*
*NPS Funds Climate Change Research that Will Assist Archeologists*
Coastal archeological sites are being washed away by erosion, storm surges,
and other climate changes related to global warming. Archeologists are
looking to climate scientists to predict where the erosion will be the
fastest so they can focus on places that will disappear the soonest. The
NPS is funding research by paleo-climatologist Maria Caffrey to forecast
climate change threats to coastal national parks.
Predicting how sea level change will affect coastal parks is complex and
variable. There are three major sources of change: steric sea-level change,
caused by a shift in water density; thermosteric changes, caused by changes
in temperature; and eustatic changes, caused by altered water volumes.
Eustatic changes are driven by ice cap and sheet melt, thermal expansion,
and shifts in terrestrial storage capacity.
A number of parks on lands experiencing glacial rebound have measured a
decrease in relative sea level over time, while sea level rise in the
"Northeast hotspot" (coastal North Carolina to Massachusetts) is three to
four times greater than global rates. However, 92% of coastal national
parks have experienced an increase in sea level over the past century. By
2050, some locations in the U.S. may experience century scale storm surges
annually.
The new study will be invaluable for developing decision frameworks and
adaptation strategies to mitigate the effects of sea level rise and storm
surge. It will provide seal level rise and storm surge data for 105
national parks. The results of the research are expected to be published in
the academic literature by 2016 along with a full park by park report.
*From story by Elizabeth Shogren, NPR; and Planning for the impact of
sea-level rise on U.S. national parks by Maria Caffrey and Rebecca Beaver
(Park Science, Vol. **30(1):6-13).*
To read the full article by Caffrey and Beaver, go to
http://www.nature.nps.gov/parkscience/index.cfm?ArticleID=624
*Afghanistani Archeology Professor Presents her Work to NPS WASO*
Archeology professor Muzhgan, from Kabul University (KU), delivered a
presentation about the state of cultural heritage and the challenges to
protecting archeological heritage in Afghanistan to the NPS Washington
Office (WASO) on December 12, 2013. Professor Muzhgan recently completed a
residency training program in cultural heritage preservation and management
at the University of Arizona.
The program -- a partnership between the NPS, U.S. State Department (DOS),
University of Arizona (UA), Kabul University (KU), and the Afghanistan
Ministry of Higher Education - brought three KU professors to Tucson,
Arizona, for a semester-long intensive training program at UA's Drachman
Institute. Professor Muzhgan and her colleagues worked side-by-side with
professional conservators at the Arizona State Museum and studied
archeological method and theory from UA faculty.
The residency program introduced the KU scholars to contemporary cultural
heritage management theory and practice. They received classroom and
individualized instruction including English lessons, conducted lab-and
field-based practical work, and conducted site visits, including national
park units. The scholars visited Tumacácori NHS, the NPS Western
Archeological and Conservation Center, Casa Grande Ruin NM, and The J. Paul
Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
Professor Muzhgan was the only participant to complete the full semester.
In the final week of her residency, she and project Director Suzanne Bott
traveled to New York City. There, they presented the National September
11th Museum and Memorial a tapestry made by Professor's Muzhgan's sister to
commemorate the 2001 terrorist attacks. They also attended a benefit gala
hosted by US/ICOMOS in Washington DC, and Muzhgan met NPS Director Jarvis
and AD for Cultural Resources, Science, and Partnerships Stephanie
Toothman.
In her presentation, Professor Muzhgan stressed the fragile state of
Afghanistan's cultural heritage and of its conservation institutions.
While Afghanistan holds numerous regionally and globally significant
heritage sites, decades of war have robbed the nation of its cultural
heritage workforce. She added that heritage workers face numerous
challenges, including a need for training and professional development; a
near-total lack of security at many heritage sites, particularly for women;
and increased development that threatens sites. Professor Muzhgan said
that she was eager to return to KU where she would apply the training she
has received. She prepared a poster about her experiences for presentation
at scholarly conferences. She also plans to develop several new courses,
including a class on American Indian ethnography.
Her talk was co-hosted by the WASO Office of International Affairs and the
Archeology Program.
*Contact*: David Gadsby, 202-354-2101
*Six Archeology Articles in Fall 2013 Park Science!*
There are not one but six articles about archeology in the Fall 2013
edition of *Park Science*. The editor, Jeff Selleck notes, "We feature a
section on recent archeological research in national parks. The authors
describe the evolution and application of archeological techniques,
particularly the integration of various data sets, that are increasing our
knowledge of past park inhabitants."
It is great to see *Park Science* accepting manuscripts about cultural
resources, at the same time that NPS cultural resource publications are
less valued and have succumbed to sequestration and other bureaucratic
ills. Articles include:
*Deep-time perspectives and understanding change on public lands*, by Dawn
Bringelson
*Predicting the past with GIS at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore* by Amanda
Renner
*Archeological contributions to climate change studies: Past, present, and
future* by Erin C. Dempsey and Dawn Bringelson
*Ojibwe cultural landscapes of Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota* by
Andrew LaBounty
*Use of high-resolution airborne laser scanning for the analysis of
archeological and natural landscapes on the northern Great Plains* by Jay
T. Sturdevant, Stephen K. Wilson, and Jeff Bragg
*Native American culture and prehistoric bison hunting in the Black Hills* by
Anne M. Wolley Vawser and Timothy Schilling.
To access an electronic copy of the volume, go to
http://www.nature.nps.gov/ParkScience/.
*NPS Partners and Employees Receive DOI Awards for Conservation
Partnerships and Environmental Achievement*
Various efforts to protect natural resources in and around national parks
have been recognized by the DOI with *Partners in Conservation* and
*Environmental
Achievement* awards. DOI Secretary Jewell distributed the awards to
public-private partnerships that achieved remarkable results through
cooperation and community engagement. Several partnerships involving NPS
sites and programs that protected cultural resources were among the 20
groups receiving this award.
*Cultural Resources Team of the Southern Nevada Agency Partnership* - Lake
Mead NRA, BOR, BLM, the Lost City Museum, the Nevada SHPO, the USDA, and
FWS worked together to survey more than 20,000 acres of Federal lands;
record more than 500 cultural resource sites; and inventory more than
1,000,0000 artifacts on land with fragile archeological sites.
*Intergovernmental Internship Cooperative* - Bryce Canyon, Cedar Breaks and
Zion national parks along with Grand Canyon-Parashant and Pipe Spring
national monuments have partnered with the BLM, BIA, the Kaibab Band of
Paiute Indians, the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, USDA, the Utah Department
of Natural Resources, Southern Utah University and Dixie State University
to help young people gain land and resource management career training.
High school and college students work as interpreters, natural and cultural
resources support staff, wildland firefighters and fee collectors. They
learned to repair trails, restore streams and riparian areas, reduce woody
fuel loads and invasive vegetation, and monitor and restore wilderness
study areas and cultural resources.
*NPS** Awards $2.2 million in Historic Preservation Grants for American
Indian Tribes*
NPS Director Jonathan B. Jarvis today awarded more than $2.2 million in
historic preservation grants to 135 American Indian tribes. The grants
assist tribes in carrying out national historic preservation program
responsibilities on tribal lands. Tribes can use the grants to fund
projects such as nominations to the National Register of Historic Places
(National Register), preservation education, architectural planning,
community preservation plans, and bricks-and-mortar repair to buildings.
Examples of recent projects funded by Historic Preservation Fund grants
include:
· A summer cultural forum hosted by the tribal historic
preservation office of the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony. "Reawakening
Traditional Science - Exploring the Ways of our Great Basin Culture,"
brought community and tribal members of all ages together for presentations
on local rock art and archeology, ancient traditional art forms such as
basketry and tule duck making, tribal language, oral history, and the use
and care of traditional plants. The forum showed how knowledge based both
on tribal traditions and contemporary science can complement each other.
· Historic preservation surveys of approximately 195,982 acres of
tribal land resulted in 7,043 archeological sites and 1,307 historic
properties being added to tribal inventories. Additionally, tribal historic
preservation offices prepared nominations of 64 sites for the National
Register.
The Historic Preservation Fund is derived by revenue from Federal oil
leases on the Outer Continental Shelf. The grants act as catalysts for
private and other non-federal investment in historic preservation efforts
nationwide. The NPS administers the fund and distributes annual matching
grants to state and tribal historic preservation officers from money made
available in Congressional appropriations. This round of grants will likely
be augmented with the Congressional budget agreement for the remainder of
Fiscal Year 2014.
For more information about NPS tribal preservation programs and grants, go
to to:
http://www.nps.gov/tribes/Tribal_Historic_Preservation_Officers_Program.htm<http://www.nps.gov/tribes/Tribal_Historic_Preservation_Officers_Program.htm%20>
NPS Awards $950,000 to Protect Seven Civil War Battlefields
NPS Director Jarvis announced $950,000 in grants to help preserve more than
760 acres of land at 7 of America's threatened Civil War battlefields. The
grants are from the NPS American Battlefield Protection Program, one of
more than a dozen programs administered by the NPS that provide technical
assistance, recognition, and funding to help states and local
communities preserve their own history and create close-to-home recreation
opportunities.
Applications for funds are evaluated on the significance of the property as
defined by the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report on the nation's
Civil War battlefields, on the property's location within defined core
and/or study areas, the threat to the battlefield land to be acquired, and
the availability of required non-federal dollar-for-dollar matching funds.
Grants are awarded to units of state and local governments for the fee
simple acquisition of land, or for the acquisition of permanent, protective
interests in land (easements). Private non-profit groups may apply in
partnership with state or local government sponsors.
*Grantee, State*
*Amount*
Department of Natural Resources, Maryland
South Mountain Battlefield, 4.33 acres (Fee Simple) .................. $166,600.00
Department of Archives and History, Mississippi
Brice's Cross Roads Battlefield, .90 acres (Fee Simple).................$34,027.50
Jasper County Commission, Missouri
Carthage Battlefield, 180.00 acres (Easement) ........................... $105,075.00
Department of Cultural Resources, North Carolina
Bentonville Battlefield, 13.38 acres (Fee Simple) ........................$27,763.00
Department of Conservation and Recreation, Virginia
Peebles' Farm Battlefield, 2.52 acres (Fee Simple) ...................... $104,725.00
Department of Conservation and Recreation, Virginia
First Rappahannock Station Battlefield, 508.00 acres (Easement) .....
$464,000.00
Department of Conservation and Recreation, Virginia
Second Rappahannock Station Battlefield, 52.00 acres (Easement)... $52,000.00
Total ............................................................................ $954,190.50
Complete guidelines for grant eligibility and application forms are
available online at: http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp.
*Contact:* Elizabeth Vehmeyer, Grants Management Specialist, at
202-354-2215
Two Guilty in Metal Detector Use at *Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National
Military Park*
On December 2, 2013, rangers received a report of two men with metal
detectors digging for artifacts on Chancellorsville Battlefield at
Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania NMP. Rangers Matt Roland and Craig Johnson
met with the reporting party and began interviews. They located four fresh
dig holes that had been refilled both inside the boundary of the park and
within an easement administered by the NPS.
Roland interviewed local homeowners living adjacent to the park and quickly
identified two extended family members of a nearby resident as suspects.
Both men confessed to using metal detectors and digging for artifacts
inside the park. A piece of Civil War era canister shot was recovered from
one of them.
On January 7, 2014, both men pled guilty as part of a plea agreement in
Federal court to possession of metal detectors within a national park.
Each received a $100 fine and must forfeit his metal detector - one valued
at $1000 and the other valued at $700.
*By Keith Kelly, Chief Ranger*
*SAA Government Affairs Update*
*Changes in the Updates*
Past editions of the SAA Update will be archived as pdf files under the SAA
Government Affairs webpage. The Analysis and Opinion will be expanded and
at least one op-ed will appear in each month. January, June, and December
will feature columns by the president; the remaining nine months will
alternate between the Government Affairs Committee (GAC) and the
International Government Affairs Committee (IGAC). SAA members are also
invited to contribute op-ed pieces. If interested, please contact David
Lindsay (david_lindsay at saa.org) for details on how to submit.
*Legislative Update*
· Just prior to the New Year, SAA and other preservation groups
sent a letter to House and Senate leaders urging a suitable amount of money
for the Historic Preservation Fund in FY2014.
· Legislative initiatives affecting preservation include the
Southeast Arizona Land Exchange Act (HR 687 / S 339), the Expand American
Battlefields Protection Program (HR 1033), and numerous bills to curtail
the Antiquities Act. The Military Land and National Defense Act (HR 3687)
would exempt military training sites from complying with the NHPA if the
head of the managing agency wished it.
· The FCC is soliciting comments from the public on NHPA / NEPA
procedures for the installation of wireless towers and other
infrastructure. Comments must be received by February 3, 2014.
*Analysis and opinion:** The Government Affairs Agenda 2014*
SAA will track and comment on the proposed change to 36 CFR 79 regarding
de-accessioning and disposal of material remains in Federal collections
(Proposed 36 CFR 79.12). SAA has been working to develop a position that
represents the membership views. In 2013, relevant committees completed a
report. This spring, a subcommittee of the board will draft the
organization's initial response to proposed 36 CRF 79.12.
SAA will focus on two long term structural issues in U.S. archeology in
2014. The first is the relationship between energy extraction and cultural
resource management. If the profession can show that complying with
historic preservation regulations will not slow down development, will
enhance the identification and protection of significant cultural
resources, and will benefit the public by providing knowledge about the
past and pride in our shared heritage values, then the anticipated growth
in energy extraction in the US will increase employment opportunities in
CRM while at the same time providing new and interesting data on the past.
SAA has joined the Board of Directors of the Gas and Preservation
Partnership (GAPP). GAPP is a coalition of CRM companies, energy companies,
and energy industry not-for-profits (http://gasandpreservation.org/) whose
goal is to develop pragmatic approaches to balancing energy development and
cultural resources protection. Jim Bruseth, SAA treasurer-elect, represents
SAA on GAPP. Bruseth will attend GAPP's conference, *Bridging the
GAPP:* *Honoring
our History--Fueling our Future*, March 21, 2014, in Pittsburgh. Other SAA
members interested in the topic are encouraged to attend as well.
The second structural issue is Federal funding of basic archeological
research, with a focus on increasing funding for the National Science
Foundation's (NSF) archeology program. Funding for the senior archeology
and archeometry program for fiscal year 2013 is just under $6 million, a
decline of more than 9% from the previous year, largely due to the
sequester. New conditions placed on grantees may reduce the effective
amount available for research projects. Data management plans will spur the
need to increase costs for digital and physical curation; and grant
applicants may need to budget more for publication costs in the future.
Basic research in archeology has fallen well below other industrial
countries. The first step will be a meeting with NSF to highlight concerns.
SAA will then meet with AIA, SHA, and the Archaeology Division of AAA to
develop a coordinated and concerted strategy to increase program funding
that will be implemented throughout the year and perhaps beyond.
*Extracted from SAA **Government Affairs and International Government
Affairs Update**-January 2014.*
To read the full update, go to (
http://saa.org/AbouttheSociety/GovernmentAffairs/tabid/115/Default.aspx).
*Secret Bids Purchase and Return Hopi Cultural Objects*
More than 100 American Indian artifacts went on sale on December 9, 2013,
at the Parisian Drouot auction house, including 24 pieces that are held
sacred by the Hopi of Arizona. The tribe, U.S. officials and others had
tried unsuccessfully to block the sale, arguing that the items were
religious objects that had been stolen many years ago. The Hopi Tribe had
been angered by an earlier sale which, like this auction, featured Hopi
headdresses, known as Katsinam. The tribe, which had gone to court to block
both sales, believes the items are not simply religious, but living
entities with divine spirits.
After the Hopi lost in court, Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, vice president
and director of the Annenberg Foundation, directed the foundation to
endeavor to buy all of the Hopi artifacts, plus three more sought by the
San Carlos Apaches, and return them to the tribes. Weingarten approved a
budget of $500,000 to $1 million to buy all 27 disputed Native American
lots -- the 24 masklike Hopi artifacts and three items of divine
significance to the San Carlos Apache, also in Arizona.
The foundation bought all but three of the 24 Hopi objects and the three
Apache artifacts that the foundation had sought. One of the three had been
bought by Mr. Servan-Schreiber on behalf of Marshall W. Parke, of the
private equity firm Lexington Partners, and his wife, Véronique, who had
instructed him to obtain what he could as a gift to the Hopis. Mr.
Servan-Schreiber said when it was his turn to bid he took care to inform
the foundation people, "so we wouldn't start bidding against each other."
The foundation lost out on only two items, both times, participants said,
because of miscommunication.
The Hopi did not learn of their tribe's good fortune until several hours
later when the foundation sent an email alerting them to its clandestine
purchases. The Annenberg Foundation, which focuses on civic and community
projects, is consulting with the Hopi on how best to return the Katsinam.
The objects, made from wood, leather, horsehair and feathers and painted in
vivid reds, blues, yellows and oranges, cannot be encased in bubble wrap,
for example, because it would be seen as suffocating the divine spirits.
The Hopi have not identified their plans for these artifacts on their
return, but they are not viewed as art objects or housed in museums.
Typically, Katsinam are still used in spiritual ceremonies or are retired
and left to disintegrate naturally.
*From story **by **Tom Mashberg, New York Times*
*SAA Announces Scholarship for New Mexico Women*
On December 31, 2013, the Society for American Archaeology received over
$1.5 million from the estate of J. Francy Wase to establish the Cheryl L.
Wase Memorial Scholarship for the Study of Archaeology. The scholarships
will be awarded to female New Mexico residents pursuing a BA in
anthropology with an emphasis in archeology.
Wase was born in 1951, in New Jersey and passed away in Albuquerque, New
Mexico, in December 2004. She received a B.A. in Anthropology and English
from Rutgers University in 1973 and an M.A. in Anthropology from Columbia
University in 1975; she began course work toward a Ph.D. at the University
of New Mexico in the early 1980s, but left without completing her degree.
Although she was raised and educated in the Northeast, it was only when she
came to New Mexico in the mid-1970s to work for Cynthia Irwin-Williams that
Wase found the "home of her heart" as she put it. She lived and worked for
the rest of her life in the high desert of northwestern New Mexico. Wase
worked at various times for the NPS, the BLM, the State of New Mexico's
Historic Preservation Division, and a variety of public and private sector
cultural resource management organizations.
Former SAA president Lynne Sebastian remembers her friend as a woman of
"great intellectual curiosity who read voraciously. She was a fiercely
loyal friend and could be a nearly implacable foe. She was a marvelous
cook, a giver of epic dinner parties, and a devotee of good wine and
Southwestern jewelry.
This memorial bequest from her mother to SAA brings together three major
themes that defined Wase's life: her dedication to archeology, her love of
New Mexico, and her constant willingness to help and support other women.
She would be happy to know that generations of young New Mexico women will
be assisted in building careers in archeology by this scholarship in her
name."
*Project Archaeology Offers Investigating Shelter to Teachers*
Join Project Archaeology for an exciting trip back in time! Project
Archaeology is offering an online course at a teacher-friendly price. All
teachers need for the course is the curriculum guide, *Project
Archaeology* *Investigating
Shelter*, for only $45. Also, teachers can get two graduate credits for an
additional $60. The 8-week online course begins February 3, 2014.
Teachers can complete assignments anytime during the week, at their
convenience. Teachers can choose which shelter they want to investigate - a
slave cabin, plains tipi, a colonial home, and more. Attendees will use the
virtual workshop to practice the basics of scientific inquiry (observation,
inference, evidence, and classification) using authentic archeological
data. They will learn firsthand how to help students apply archeological
concepts as they investigate a shelter using primary data sources such as
maps, artifact illustrations, historic photographs and oral histories. This
curriculum fulfills many Common Core State Standards requirements in social
studies, English Language Arts, and math (CCSS alignments).
Registration forms are available online:
http://projectarchaeology.org/ai1ec_event/online-professional-development?instance_id=153.
*Contact:* Courtney Agenten at (406) 994-6727, CourtneyAgentenatmontana.edu
*Archaeological Institute of America* *Offers Grants*
The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) is offering Site Preservation
Grants, which funds projects that uphold the AIA's mission to preserve and
promote the world's archeological heritage. The goal of the grant, which
carries a maximum value of $25,000 awarded over 1-3 years, is to maximize
global preservation efforts and awareness through AIA support. The AIA
targets projects that not only seek to directly preserve archeological
sites, but also emphasize outreach, education, and best practices to
positively impact the local community, students, and the discipline of
archeology as a whole.
Applicants must first submit an inquiry form. If approved, applicants will
be invited to
complete a full application, due February 15, 2014. All application
materials must be received, not postmarked, by that date.
For more information or to submit an inquiry, go to
http://archaeological.org/grants/706.
To learn about past winners, visit the projects page at
http://archaeological.org/sitepreservation/projects.
*National Center for Preservation Technology and Training Offers Training
in Mapping*
The National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT) and
Death Valley National Monument are partnering to host a three-day workshop
on archeological mapping. Participants will learn the fundamental of
archeological mapping using a variety of technologies and techniques,
including compass and tapes, GPS, and total station mapping. Laying out a
grid, piece-plotting artifacts and mapping features will all be covered in
the three-day course.
The workshop will be held March 11-13, 2014 at Death Valley NM. The
workshop is limited to 20 participants. Tuition for the workshop is $350
and there is a reduced rate of $250 for students.
*Contact: *Tad Britt, NCPTT, 318-356-7444, tad_brittatnps.gov.
*Interest in 2014 TICRAT?*
For over 10 years, the NPS Missions Initiative has administered bi-national
adobe workshops, known as TICRATs (Taller Internacional de Conservación y
Restauración de Arquitectura de Tierra), in partnership with INAH
(Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia).
This year, INAH Sonora will be hosting a TICRAT in the 17th century town of
Alamos, Sonora, tentatively scheduled for the week of May 5-9, 2014. Given
the recent budget challenges and lead-time required to facilitate
international travel, NPS will gauge potential interest from parks to
determine how many people might attend and, therefore, the level of
Missions Initiative funding that would be allocated to support INAH's
workshop planning efforts. If there is not sufficient interest, TICRAT
will be postponed until 2015 and most likely conduct it at an NPS site in
the US.
Participating parks would be responsible for travel/accommodation costs,
the amount for which will be determined once NPS participants are
identified.
*If you are interested in participating in TICRAT in 2014, contact R.
Brooks Jeffrey directly by February 7, 2014**, *with the names, park
affiliation, and contact information for anyone who is interested in the
2014 TICRAT Adobe Workshop in Alamos Sonora, May 5-9, 2014.
*Contact: *R. Brooks Jeffery, *Director, Drachman Institute, *rbjeffer at
email.arizona.edu
*Projects in Parks: *I*ce Patch Archeology and Paleoecology in Glacier
National Park*
A multi-disciplinary team of tribal experts, university researchers, and
park managers is carrying out a project to survey, map, protect, and, if
necessary, collect and curate cultural and paleobiological items from the
Glacier NP's high altitude ice patches.
To read the full report, go to
http://www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/npSites/glacierIcePatch.htm
*Slightly Off-Topic: Ask a Slave!*
It's 1795, and George Washington's most acerbic-tongued housemaid is
answering questions -- on YouTube. Her name is Lizzie Mae, and she is not
here for your foolishness; she's got shirts to sew and chamber pots to
scrub. *Ask A Slave* is a new comedy web series hosted by comedian Azie
Mira Dungey, an actress who spent two years posing as a slave at Mount
Vernon. So many absurd questions were posed to Dungey as she portrayed
Caroline Branham, who "belonged" to Washington back in the 1700s, that she
created the character of Lizzie May, "personal housemaid to president and
Lady Washington," as she puts it in her introduction, "and I'm here to
answer all of your questions."
There's a message behind "Ask a Slave." "I am not talking about slavery in
my show," Dungey said. "I'm talking about modern racism, and I'm talking
about modern ignorance. You're an irresponsible person if you don't know
American history, because it's connected to politics. It's connected to
racism that still exists. It's connected to everything."
This provocative series provides much food for thought for NPS
interpreters, cultural resource specialists, and others striving to present
balanced and accurate interpretations about history and prehistory to
inform current perspectives on social issues. Archeologists who interpret
archeological research findings for visitor audiences and work with
interpreters will be particularly interested.
To watch the series, go to http://www.askaslave.com/
For an interview with the actress, go to
http://www.msnbc.com/craig-melvin/watch/ask-a-slave-web-series-tackles-race-91110467856
*Projects in Parks *is a feature of the *Archeology E-Gram *that informs
others about archeology-related projects in national parks. The full
reports are available on the *Projects in Parks *web page
http://www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/npSites/index.htm or through individual
issues of the *Archeology E-Gram*.
*Archeology E-Gram*, distributed via e-mail on a regular basis, includes
announcements about news, new publications, training opportunities,
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pagewww.nps.gov/archeology/public/news.htm<http://www.nps.gov/archeology/public/news.htm_>
on the NPS Archeology Program website.
*Contact*: Karen Mudar at [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> to contribute news
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