*February 2013 Archeology E-Gram*
* *
*Secretary of the Interior Historic Preservation Award Given to BLM
Archeologist*
Archeologist Robin Hawks, BLM FPO, has been awarded the Secretary of the
Interior Historic Preservation Award. The BLM historic preservation program
completed four major projects during 2012, including revision of the
Programmatic Agreement for Compliance with NHPA Section 106. During 2011,
BLM’s historic preservation program was responsible for nearly 900,000
acres of new cultural resources inventory that identified more than 11,000
archeological sites. BLM has now inventoried more than 21 million acres and
manages 16 National Historic Landmarks and five World Heritage Sites.
Active in a variety of federal interagency groups, Hawks is a Registered
Professional Archaeologist and a member of the Society for American
Archaeology. She currently serves as a Special Assistant for Historic
Preservation with the President’s Council on Environmental Quality.
The Secretary of the Interior Historic Preservation Award was created by
Section 110(h) of the National Historic Preservation Act. The Secretary’s
award is distinguished from other historic award programs because it was
established as a Cabinet-level of recognition through a statutory mandate,
focuses on accomplishments of individuals, rather than programs or
projects, and recognizes multiple levels of government. Current employees
of Federal Preservation Offices, State Historic Preservation Offices,
Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, and Certified Local Government are
eligible. While NPS employees are not eligible for the award, other DOI
bureau employees are.
*NPS Albright-Wirth Grant Program Award Recipients Announced*
The Horace M. Albright - Conrad L. Wirth Grant Program (AWGP) is a
prestigious developmental opportunity that annually awards funding for
personal and career development projects to NPS employees. The Learning and
Development Office in Washington administers and funds the program in
partnership with the National Park Foundation. This year, over 420 project
proposals were submitted and 33 were approved for the 2013 cycle, including
2 cultural resource projects.
Leslie Courtright of Zion NP received a grant for $3,480. She will use her
funding to obtain a Master of public administration degree from Southern
Utah University. Courtright intends to conduct research in cultural
resource management and public administration.
Diane Garcia from Casa Grande Ruins NM received a $848 grant to complete
several courses at Central Arizona College. The courses will provide her
with more detailed histories of the Casa Grande Ruins and will allow her to
provide visitors with an enhanced cultural experience.
Congratulations, Leslie and Diane! Keep an eye on future E-Grams for
announcements regarding the next cycle of Albright-Wirth grant proposals.
To learn more about the AWGP, go to the AWGP website at
http://share.nps.gov/awg.
*President Appoints Lynne Sebastian to Advisory Council on Historic
Preservation*
President Barack Obama has appointed Lynne Sebastian to the Advisory
Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) as an Expert Member. Sebastian is
Director of Historic Preservation Programs at the SRI Foundation and an
adjunct associate professor of Anthropology at the University of New Mexico
where she received her Ph.D. Sebastian is the President of the Register of
Professional Archaeologists and served as the President of the Society for
American Archaeology from 2003-2005. Prior to that, Sebastian was the State
Historic Preservation Officer for New Mexico from 1997-1999 and the State
Archaeologist and Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer from 1987-1997.
ACHP chairman Milford Wayne Donaldson noted that Sebastian “is well-suited
to help guide the government’s national historic preservation practices”
and that “the ACHP’s mission of promoting the preservation and appreciation
of the nation’s diverse cultural heritage will be greatly aided by Dr.
Sebastian’s expertise.”
For more information about ACHP, go to http://www.achp.gov/.
*Federal Archeologists Meeting Held*
On February 14, 2013, Federal archeologists met with the Departmental
Consulting Archeologist (DCA) in Washington, D.C. This was the first
meeting for the new DCA, Stanley Bond, who is also the NPS Chief
Archeologist. Participants in attendance represented various Federal
agencies that have a responsibility for archeological resources.
NPS Archeologist David Gadsby discussed completion of Section 12 (reserved)
of 36 CFR 79, the regulation for the curation of federally-owned and
administered archeological collections. The proposed amendment describes a
process for the disposal of material remains that are of “insufficient
archeological interest.” NPS Archeologist Karen Mudar led a discussion
about the Federal Archeology Report (previously known as the Secretary’s
Report to Congress on Federal Archeology). NPS Historian/GIS Specialist
Deidre McCarthy reported on spatial data standards and using geographic
information to integrate a variety of databases. Bond discussed changes to
the Secretary of Interior’s Professional Standards. NPS CRGIS Program
manager and archeologist John Knoerl discussed the impact of climate change
and rising sea levels.
Information about this and future meetings will be posted on the NPS
Archeology Program website at
http://www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/FEDARCH.HTM
*Museum Management Program Re-launches Web Catalog*
In support of the Director’s Call to Action item “Go Digital,” the NPS
Museum Management Program has re-launched its Web Catalog museum
collections website. Through the Web Catalog, park staff increase public
access to collections by making records and images available online.
Currently, 72 park collections are featured on the site, showcasing nearly
2 million objects and millions of archival items.
New features of the website include a dynamic, user-friendly interface that
allows visitors to perform simple or advanced searches by keyword, park
name, object name, people, places, and date; weekly collection highlights
of objects representing specific themes, types, or places; park and objects
of the week; and park collection summaries.
The Web Catalog can be accessed at http://museum.nps.gov/. A blog featuring
parks and collection highlights is also available at
http://npscollections.blogspot.com/.
*
*
*Contact:* Ronald C. Wilson, 202-354-2102.
*National Preservation Institute Offers Two Seminars on Cemetery
Preservation*
The National Preservation Institute is offering two seminars to be held in
Stafford, Virginia. The first seminar, “Cemetery Preservation” will be held
April 17-18, 2013, on initiating cemetery preservation and restoration
projects and ensuring sound choices are made. Discussions will focus on
current issues in cemetery preservation, such as recording and documenting
cemeteries, preservation efforts, and exploring conservation techniques and
issues. Instructors for this seminar are Michael Trinkley, Director, and
Debi Hacker, Conservation Administrator of Chicora Foundation, Inc., a
nonprofit heritage preservation organization specializing in research,
public education, conservation, and preservation for museums, archives, and
historic organizations.
Hacker will also teach the second seminar, “Cemetery Landscapes: A
Practical Guide to Care and Maintenance,” on April 19, 2013. The seminar
focuses on protecting historic cemetery landscapes, preserving the
integrity of design, and safeguarding tombstones and monuments, while
pursuing a practical outlook on maintenance and budget concerns. The
seminar will explore approaches to caring for softscapes, or plantings, and
hardscapes, including roads, pathways, and benches. Discussions will also
focus on effective pruning and cutting techniques, when chemicals and heavy
equipment can be safely and productively used, and the basics of short- and
long- term preservation plans.
Agendas are available online at www.npi.org. These seminars meet the
criteria for programs in the American Society of Landscape Architects
(ASLA) Continuing Education System. ASLA members will receive 6 learning
units each day.
The advance registration tuition rate is available through March 8, 2013. A
registration form is available online at www.npi.org/register.html.
Scholarships are available to cover the cost of tuition for qualified
applicants to attend NPI seminars in targeted cultural resource management
areas. For more information and the application form, go to
www.npi.org/scholarships.
Contact: National Preservation Institute (703) 765-0100; [log in to unmask];
www.npi.org
*Resource Specialists Needed for Post-Wildfire Response Teams*
The NPS is recruiting cultural resource specialists to serve on
post-wildfire Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) teams. While many
wildfires cause minimal damage and pose few threats to land or people
downstream, some fires cause damages that require special efforts to
prevent problems afterwards. BAER teams assist parks by conducting wildfire
assessments and developing plans to address post-wildfire situations.
The NPS BAER teams have needs for specialists such as team leaders, GIS
specialists, cultural resource professionals, and document specialists.
Participants are selected based on the skill sets that are needed during
the fire and the member's availability.
The NPS Fire Management Program Center maintains the roster of interested
employees to serve on NPS BAER teams. Anyone who has submitted an
application in the past must resubmit in order to update the database. The
application is completed online and should take no more than fifteen
minutes to complete. The application requests area of professional interest
and technical BAER-related qualifications. Applicants will be notified by
mid-March about a webinar that will be held prior to the western fire
season.
To apply or reapply, go to:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NPS_BAER_Recruitment
For more information about the BAER program, go to
http://www.nps.gov/fire/wildland-fire/learning-center/fireside-chats/BAER-case-study.cfm
(turn
your speakers on)
*Contact:* Rich Schwab, 202-513-7129.
*Francois Deloeuil website launched*
The Monroe County Historical Museum, Monroe, Michigan, has launched a new
website for the Francois Deloeuil house and blacksmith shop located.
Deloeuil was a Canadian blacksmith for the British Indian Department in
Canada during the Revolutionary War. He was stationed at Sandusky (Wyandot
Town, in present-day Ohio) and Shawnee Town (present-day Wapakoneta, Ohio)
in Ohio, repairing firearms and other items used by Native Americans. In
1789, he settled on the River Raisin in a newly established a Canadian
community known as “Frenchtown.” Deloeuil became an American citizen with
the jurisdictional transfer of the Old Northwest Territory from British to
American control in 1796. In June 1813, during the War of 1812, British and
Native Americans who evacuated the settlement destroyed the house and shop
as the American Northwest Army approached.
Test excavations were carried out in 1978, but the report went unpublished.
In 1988, 2400 square feet of the house cellar where the blacksmith shop was
located was excavated. The excavations produced 45, 255 man-made artifacts
and 6,165 animal bone, 591 shell fragments, and 94 fish bone. The website
documents and reports on the excavations and presents material culture that
has remained in storage for the last 24 years.
The website can be found at https://sites.google.com/site/20mr229.
From story by Patrick M. Tucker
*Man Pleads Guilty to Removal of Cultural Resources at Glen Canyon NRA*
William Adams has pled guilty to the unauthorized removal of archeological
resources from Glen Canyon NRA during a trip to the park in 2009. It was
initially believed that Adams removed a mummified infant from a Native
American gravesite. The object was later found to be an unusually large
mass of clay believed to have been gathered for the purpose of making
pottery. The artifact possibly dates no more recently than 1300 A.D. and
will be retained in the park’s museum collection. In addition to being
fined $1,000, Adams was ordered to pay $1,000 in restitution to the
Department of Interior Restoration Fund.
*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 *
pagewww.nps.gov/archeology/public/news.htm<http://www.nps.gov/archeology/public/news.htm_>
on
the NPS Archeology Program website. NCPE Intern Rachel Haines assisted in
the production of the E-Gram. Thanks, Rachel!
*Contact*: Karen Mudar at [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> to contribute news
items, stories for *Projects in Parks*, and to subscribe.
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