*September 2018 Archeology E-Gram*
*NPS NEWS*
*Archeologist Thadra Stanton wins the National Achieving Relevance in
Education Award.*
NPS archeologist Thadra Stanton has won the National Achieving Relevance in
Education (ARE) award for archeological presentations to Southeast Region
school children and initiation of a Girl Scouts of America Archeology
Ranger patch at regional parks. Stanton’s outreach and education programs
teach youth about the need to protect and preserve archeological resources,
as well as participate in simulated archeological projects. Stanton is the
first archeologist to win the award.
Given annually by NPS in five categories related to NPS interpretation
programs, the ARE award in education reflects achievement in one of NPS’s
primary missions—“to collaborate on teaching and learning about the
interconnections of human culture and nature, natural systems, and the
values of America’s diverse heritage.”
*National Park Service Recognizes Palo Alto National Historical Park
Archeologist*
The NPS has awarded Palo Alto NHP Rolando Garza the 2017 Trish Patterson
Student Conservation Award for Natural Resource Management in a Small Park. The
awards committee cited Garza’s integrated approach to managing and
restoring natural resources as a means of preserving the cultural landscape
as well as his efforts to leverage local, state, federal and
non-governmental organizations to lend help, support and research for
resource and educational programs at Palo Alto.
Garza spearheaded the restoration of the cultural landscape, which involved
returning the battlefield to the way it looked in the mid-1800s. In those
days, the coastal prairie was dominated by Gulf cord grass, which has a
high tolerance for salt water. Around the turn of the century, after
repeated flooding from hurricanes, engineers undertook massive drainage
projects, which changed the hydrology of the area and allowed establishment
of native woody species. Although the hydrology cannot be restored to its
original state, native cord grass is being planted and vegetation managed.
“ We’ll plant 60,000 to 100,000 plugs this fall,” Garza said. “The overall
goal is to use fire as a natural element to maintain the grassland
prairie.” The FWS, The Nature Conservancy, the Natural Resources
Conservation Service Kika de la Garza Plant Materials Center in Kingsville,
and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Service all assisted. Garza also credited
the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Texas Master Naturalists,
support and guidance from the NPS Intermountain Regional Office, members of
the NPS Gulf Coast Inventory and Monitoring Network, and “the hard work of
dedicated volunteers.”
Garza earned his BA in anthropology from the University of Texas and worked
on cultural resource projects in Texas and New Mexico, including field
director for the Texas DOT on the Freedman’s Cemetery project in Dallas.
This entailed the restoration of a neglected and partially paved-over
burial place for hundreds of freed slaves and their descendants. Garza
joined the NPS Southeast Archeological Center in 1998 and investigated
battlefields from the American Revolution, the War of 1812 and the Civil
War as well as other historic and prehistoric sites in the NPS Southeast
Region.
He returned to the Rio Grande Valley in 2001 for a job at Palo Alto NHP.
Since his return, Garza has directed archeological investigations at the
battlefield and the related Resaca de la Palma battle site, the original
military earthworks at Fort Brown, and the Civil War-era Palmito Ranch
Battlefield NHL. Garza also serves on the city’s Historic Preservation
Design and Review Board and the Brownsville Historical Association board of
directors.
*From story by Steve Clark, Brownsville Herald*
*Retired National Park Service Archeologist Given Award*
Greg Burtchard, retired NPS archeologist, was awarded the Director's
Appleman-Judd-Lewis Award for Excellence in Cultural Resource Management
for 2015. Mr. Burtchard is a 16-year veteran of Mount Rainier National Park
who has earned the recognition this award represents for his outstanding
achievements in researching, understanding, protecting and managing park
cultural resources. Mr. Burtchard’s passion for pre-contact and historical
archaeology is inspirational and his dedication, integrity, humanity and
technical skills have expanded the knowledge of early human use,
strengthened relationships with affiliated tribes, and earned the respect
and appreciation of park staff, professional peers and academics.
The Director's Appleman-Judd-Lewis Award for Excellence in Cultural
Resource Stewardship is awarded to recognize expertise and outstanding
contributions to cultural resource stewardship and management. The awards
were created to encourage creativity in cultural resource stewardship and
management practices, particularly those that serve as examples or models
for projects and programs throughout the NPS. The Appleman-Judd-Lewis
awards recognize cultural resource contributions at the field level, as
well as by superintendents and our colleagues in facilities maintenance.
Jeremy Sweat to Head National Park Service Intermountain Region's
Planning & Compliance
Jeremy Sweat, chief of resource management at Bandelier NM, has been named
chief of the NPS Intermountain Region Planning & Compliance Division.
<https://sites.google.com/a/nps.gov/insidenps/home/people-news/bandeliernmsjeremysweattoheadintermountainregionsplanningcompliance/INSIDE%20NPS%20-%20J.%20Sweat%20-%208-2018.png?attredirects=0>
At Bandelier NM, Sweat supervised management of natural and cultural
resources, and the environmental compliance program. Prior to his time at
Bandelier NM, he served for six years as a program analyst in the Office of
Policy, and as a legislative specialist in the Office of Legislative and
Congressional Affairs.
Sweat joined the NPS in 2006 as a seasonal archeological technician at
Great Smoky Mountains NP. Sweat earned his BA and MA in anthropology at
the University of Tennessee. He will begin his new duties on October 14.
*National Park Service Archeologist Experienced Plenty in 20-year
National Guard Career* NPS archeologist Linda Plock had many jobs during
her 20 years with the Nebraska Army National Guard: helicopter mechanic;
flight medic/crew chief; journalist for the Guard newsletter; and Combat
Lifesaver instructor. Now, she is an ethnobotanist at the NPS Midwest
Archeological Center.
On September 24, she was more than 130 veterans on the first Female Honor
Flight to Washington, D.C. Bill and Evonne Williams of Patriotic
Productions in Omaha have taken more than 3,500 veterans on one-day Honor
Flights to the nation’s capital. This is the first time they have
exclusively honored female veterans, all of whom volunteered for military
service.
The flight consisted entirely of women, including Loretta Swit, who played
Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan on the TV series "M*A*S*H." While in
Washington, the veterans visited military memorials, attended a
wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National
Cemetery and had lunch at the Women in Military Service for America
Memorial.
Plock always wanted to fly; she was a member of the Civil Air Patrol while
at Lincoln High. Barred from flying in the military because of her gender,
she became the first female copter mechanic in the U.S. Armed Forces. She
was a member of the 24th Medical Air Ambulance Company based in Lincoln.
The first 17 years of her service were spent in the U.S. In November 1990,
however, the 24th Medical Company was activated for the Persian Gulf War,
becoming the first Nebraska group to be called to combat since World War
II. Plock was among nearly a dozen women deployed with her company. She
retired from the National Guard in 1993.
*Ocmulgee National Monument holds 27th Annual Indian Celebration*
Ocmulgee NM held its 27th annual Ocmulgee Indian Celebration on September 14
-16, 2018, which drew about 15,000 visitors to the park. More than 200
American Indians, representing over 24 federally recognized tribes,
participated in this year’s event. The American Indian groups demonstrated
dancing, storytelling, and games from their different cultures. Other
activities included living history demonstrators and pottery, basket
weaving, and beading demonstrations. On September 14, during the “school
day” portion of the event, approximately 1,800 area school children
attended.
Additional support came from local deputies, Ocmulgee National Monument
Association staff, AmeriCorps, and 150 volunteers who collectively
contributed 1400 hours of service.
For more information about Ocmulgee National Monument, go to
https://www.nps.gov/ocmu/index.htm
*Archeology Project Underway at Fort Union National Historic Site *
Archeologists from the NPS Midwest Archeology Center are excavating at the
Garden Coulee site, within the boundaries of Fort Union NHS. The
Crow-Flies-High band of Hidatsa occupied the site from approximately 1867
to 1884. NPS archeologist Jay Sturdevant says the main goal of the team at
the Garden Coulee site is preservation, rather than excavation. Teams are
working to stabilize the riverbank to prevent site loss. New survey will
help to identify what types of artifacts are at the site, as well as
identifying other resources that could be impacted by the bank's erosion.
Alongside the work being done at the Garden Coulee site, work is being done
with ground-penetrating radar to identify structures located near the fort.
Fred MacVaugh, park ranger at Fort Union noted that while the geophysical
surveys may identify structures’ footprints, there are no plans to for
excavation at this time. New structures and artifacts add to the history of
the fort, and give a better insight into the lives of people who lived and
worked there. Learning more about Fort Union helps to add to the history of
residents in the area, as some are directly descended from those who lived,
worked and traded at the fort.
For more information about Fort Union Trading Post, visit www.nps.gov/fous
*From story by Mitch Melberg, Williston Herald*
*Yellowstone Science Issue Devoted to Archeology*
*Yellowstone Science Volume 26-1 is all about archeology! Here is a list of
relevant titles:*
*The Yellowstone Story* *by Tobin Roop* *A Brief History of Archeology at
Yellowstone National Park *by Elaine Hale and Ann Johnson [Note: The
Archeology E-Gram interviewed Elaine Hale about her work in 2013. To read
the interview, go to
https://www.nps.gov/archeology/pubs/egrams/1309.pdf] *Obsidian:
The MVP of Yellowstone’s “Stones”* *by Robin Park* *Historical Archeology* *by
Elizabeth James & Thomas James* *Archeology along the Nez Perce National
Historic Trail* *by Daniel H. Eakin & Elizabeth James * *[Note: This
research was presented in a webinar by another author, Staffan Peterson.
Watch the webinar at
https://www.nps.gov/training/NPSArcheology/html/by_park.cfm
<https://www.nps.gov/training/NPSArcheology/html/by_park.cfm>]*
*Dendrochronology:
The Study of Tree Rings** by Dan Eakin & Elizabeth Horton* *Archeology &
Adaptation to Climate Change in Yellowstone* *by Staffan Peterson * *Seasonal
Use of Yellowstone* *by Thomas James* *Archeological Significance of
Yellowstone Lake* *by Douglas H. MacDonald * *[ Note: The Archeology E-gram
presented research by MacDonald at Yellowstone Lake in the series “Projects
in Parks.” Read about MacDonald’s research at
https://www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/npSites/yellowstoneLake.htm
<https://www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/npSites/yellowstoneLake.htm>.]* *Fear
of Yellowstone* *by Thomas James* *A Volunteer's Impressions* *by John
Reynolds*
*Yellowstone Science*, first published in 1992, features articles about
research, conferences, or other special events in the Greater Yellowstone
Ecosystem. The publication provides scientists with an opportunity to share
ideas and keeps the public informed about scientific endeavors in and
around Yellowstone National Park.
To read these articles, go to https://www.nps.gov/yell/
learn/yellowstone-science.htm
*FEDERAL NEWS*
*Students and Bureau of Land Management Staff Participate in Archeological
Excavation*
The BLM Green River District Office and Arizona State University are
conducting the second annual archaeological excavation at a historic site
in Nine Mile Canyon with students from Utah. The excavation will be a
hands-on experience, working side by side with archaeologists, educators
and volunteers. Experts will be on hand to tour the site and answer
questions. The public is invited to visit the excavation site while the
work is being done.
Excavation at the site will be conducted over five weekends starting Labor
Day weekend. Each weekend, students will camp near the site, excavate a
Fremont pit structure, tour nearby rock art sites, make clay pots, and
listen to speakers from archeology and historical organizations.
Partners include Montgomery Archaeological Consultants, Colorado Plateau
Archaeological Alliance, Utah State University Eastern Prehistoric Museum,
Utah Division of State History, Nine Mile Canyon Settlers Association, Nine
Mile Canyon Coalition, Project Discovery Utah, Utah Rock Art Research
Association, Project Archaeology and the Utah Statewide Archaeological
Society (Castle Valley Chapter).
*Contact:* https://ninemilevolunteer.weebly.com
*GRANTS AND TRAINING*
*Workshop for Advanced 3-D Imaging and Morphometrics for Archeology*
The NPS National Center for Preservation Technology and Training will hold
a workshop on Advanced 3-D Imaging and Morphometrics for Archeology on 15-18
October 2018 at the Arizona State Museum Conservation Laboratory.
The objective of this workshop is to share and discuss the latest uses of
3D imaging of archeological artifacts in order to improve the utility and
precision of analyses that employ 3D data to assess morphological
variation. Additional discussions will cover topics related to digital
curation and public archeology. This four-day event will include lectures,
a hands-on practicum, data analysis demonstrations, and discussions of best
practices and data curation.
*Contact:* Tad Britt, [log in to unmask]
*Workshop for Ground Penetrating Radar*
The NPS National Center for Preservation Technology and Training will hold
a workshop on Ground Penetrating Radar on November 5-8, 2018 in Marksville,
Louisiana. Attendees will collect, process, and analyze data from a site of
archaeological significance, although numerous other examples will be also
offered. Workshop staff will include representatives from key hardware
manufacturers, software engineers, and leading exports in archaeological
geophysics. The workshop is aimed at professional archaeologists from
universities, consulting companies, governmental agencies, and elsewhere.
Lectures will be at a meeting room in the Paragon Casino Resort. Field
exercises will take place at the Marksville State Historic Site. Lodging is
available at the Paragon Casino Resort. Refer to NPS Ground Penetrating
Radar-NPAN10G when making hotel reservations for the workshop rate of $93
per night. The workshop is limited to 30 participants. Cost $400.00,
Student Rate $200.00.
Co-sponsors for the workshop include the National Center for Preservation
Technology and Training, the Friends of NCPTT, the Marksville State
Historic Site and the Office of Cultural Development, Division of
Archaeology of the Louisiana State Historic Preservation Office.
*Contact:* Tad Britt, [log in to unmask]
*Workshop: Working Together- Fire Managers & Archaeologists*
*The *Southwest Fire Science Consortium is offering* an interactive
workshop that brings together fire and archaeology staff! Held November
27-29, 2018, the first day will consist of a one-day workshop on fire
effects to archaeological resources**. November 28-29th will be an
interactive workshop and will cover the following topics:*
· Importance of fire on the landscape and the importance of
protecting cultural resources within that context
· How fire managers and archaeologists can more effectively work
together.
· Basic fire effects on resources
· Process- roles and responsibilities and how to better communicate
before and during wildfire events
· How to build an inclusive planning process pre-fire
· How to build relationships
*The intended audience for the workshop have an interest in building
relationships between fire and archeology staff, including (but not limited
to): *Fire managers and planners at *ALL LEVELS* (Fire Staff Officers/FMOs,
Fuels Specialists, IMT members, Operations, etc.), Line Officers/Agency
Administrators, Archaeologists, and READs. The workshop is funded by the
Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP).
For more information, go to http://www.swfireconsortium.
org/2018/06/26/november-27-29-2018-working-together-fire-
managers-archaeologists.
*SLIGHTLY OFF TOPIC:* *How to Collect Samples to Get the Best C14 Dates? *
*By Beta Analytic*
Beta Analytic has developed sampling advice to help you select and prepare
samples to ensure the best radiocarbon results from *any* radiocarbon
dating service.
*Bone & Teeth*
We recommend you collect good cortical bone fragments from larger bones of
the body, since these bone fragments preserve well. Larger bones include
the femur, tibia, upper limb bone, skull plate and mandible. For human
teeth, preferred samples are single complete incisor or canine. If a molar
is the only choice, all 4 roots must be attached.
*Charcoal*
To separate charcoal from sediment matrix, you may use tweezers or micro
tweezers. For larger pieces of charcoal that are not covered in a lot of
clay, you can use water flotation. It is best you wear gloves during water
flotation and dry charcoal samples at temperatures less than 70°C for 12-24
hours prior to shipping.
*Pottery*
You can extract charred food residue from the interior surfaces of a
sherd. The burned food residue has to be a patina that can be removed in
small bits or chunks rather than a sooty powder. If you cannot extract
burned food residue, you may collect "bulk sherd organics" - the total
organic material from the clay or that the clay was in contact
with. Extracting organic tempering agents for dating is a third option when
either the organic material is charred or the firing temperature was too
low to burn the material away. Please contact us if you’re not sure what
might be dated for your pottery sherd.
*Wood*
You can use water flotation to separate wood from sediment matrix. For
conserved wood, make sure to select samples from a section that does not
show any signs of insect activity or rot and does not seem like it has been
treated with preservatives or additives. We recommend you collect conserved
wood samples from the outermost section of the piece to make sure the outer
growth rings are dated if you want to know the approximate time of death of
the tree as close as physically possible.
*Packaging samples for shipping*
We recommend you place samples in ziplock bags or in aluminum foil for
small samples. To protect the samples from being crushed during shipment,
you may send them in small boxes rather than envelopes.
*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 NPS 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
at www.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] to contribute news items and
to subscribe.
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