*January 2013 Archeology E-Gram*
*NPS Archeologist Mark Lynott Retires*
Mark Lynott has retired after 34 years as the supervisory archeologist at
the NPS Midwest Archeological Center (MWAC). Lynott came to the center in
1978 and served as Regional Archeologist until 1996 when he was appointed
Center Manager. While serving as Regional Archeologist, he worked closely
with center and park staff to initiate archeological research and
management across many parks. In 1996, he implemented a team approach to
management and research of archeological resources, and despite increased
demands associated with the position of Manager, Lynott has maintained
direct involvement in archeological research with the development of active
research programs in several NPS Midwest Region parks as a result.
Lynott also held an adjunct position in the University of Nebraska
Anthropology Department and has frequently taught courses in archeological
methods and cultural resource management, and many field schools. Through
these courses and his support for hiring students in part-time positions at
MWAC, Lynott has trained hundreds of students in all aspects of
archeological research and management.
Lynott’s ability to collaborate and his interest in innovative and
multidisciplinary research have resulted in significant advances in
knowledge. He has promoted the application of geoarcheological and
geophysical methods to archeological resources and has played a pivotal
role in research projects at Ozark NSR and Hopewell Culture NHP. His
innovative and inclusive research methods at Hopewell Culture NHP are a
model for excellent in archeological research and management.
Mark’s friends and colleagues wish him all the best in his retirement.
*Submitted By Jill K. Lewis*
* *
*NPS Chief Archeologist Receives Award*
NPS Chief Archeologist Stanley Bond became the 31st recipient of St.
Augustine city’s de Avilés Award during a presentation at the beginning of
the city commission’s meeting on January 28, 2013. Bond devoted much of his
early career to conducting archeological surveys and excavations in St.
Augustine and St. Johns County for the Historic St. Augustine Preservation
Board (HSAPB).
While working with the HSAPB, Bond was instrumental in drafting the city’s
archeology ordinance. The ordinance requires that archeological
investigations be conducted on public and private properties before and
during ground-penetrating construction activities. It applies to projects
that occur within an archeological zone and that exceed more than 100
square feet in area and more than three inches in depth.
The ordinance, promoting the collection of archeological data, is one of
the most comprehensive in the country. Since its adoption, a quarter of a
century ago, more than 650 archeological projects have resulted in
documentation of 10,000 years of human history in St. Augustine. In order
to develop a cadre of citizen scientists to assist with archeological
projects in St. Augustine, Bond was a founding member and first president
of the St. Augustine Archaeological Association. It is largely for Dr.
Bond’s leadership in the creation of the archeological ordinance that led
to his being presented with the de Avilés Award.
The de Avilés Award was initiated by the commission in 1988 and, since
2002, has been presented annually to an individual “...identified in the
field of public service or those well-known and respected by the citizenry
who have dedicated and honorable service to the community of St. Augustine
and St. Johns County.” The award is named in honor of St. Augustine’s
Sister City, Avilés, Asturias, Spain. Avilés is the birthplace of Don Pedro
Menendez de Avilés who founded St. Augustine in 1565.
For a list of past recipients of the de Avilés Award, visit
www.citystaug.com.
For more information about NPS Chief Archeologist Stanley Bond, see *NPS
Selects New Chief Archeologist *in the August 2011 Archeology E-Gram at
http://www.nps.gov/archeology/pubs/egrams/1108.pdf
* *
*Passing of Physicist John Weymouth*
John Walter Weymouth, emeritus professor of physics at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln, died December 20, 2012, from complications of Parkinson's
disease. John was born on the Stanford campus in Palo Alto, California,
where his father and grandfather were professors. He attended both Stanford
and Berkeley and earned a PhD in physics. He taught and did research in
physics at the University of California, Vassar College, Clarkson
University, and the University of Nebraska where he retired in l989.
In mid-career John became interested in the application of scientific
methods in archeology and worked with the NPS on many U.S. sites, for
NATO-sponsored work in Greece, and other agencies. His pioneering work in
the use of magnetometers and other remote sensing tools for subsurface
mapping of sites transformed geophysical prospection in North American from
a type of special analysis to an invaluable and standard part of
contemporary archeology. He has been recognized with awards from the
Society of American Archaeology and Nebraska Historical Society and, most
recently, The Geological Society of America for lifetime achievement in the
field of archeological geology.
*Poverty Point State Historic Site and National Monument to be nominated as
a World Heritage Site*
Located in northeastern Louisiana, Poverty Point State Historic Site and
National Monument is an integrated complex of earthen monuments constructed
3,100 – 3,700 years ago. It consists of six enormous, concentric earthen
ridges with an outer diameter of more than a half-mile, and several large
mounds, including one of the largest in North America. This constructed
landscape was the largest and most elaborate of its time on the continent
and not duplicated anywhere else in the world.
In a podcast from October 2011 regarding earthwork stability and
dendrogeomorphology, The National Center for Preservation Technology and
Training (NCPTT) discussed the importance of Poverty Point with Diana
Greenlee, Station Archeologist at Poverty Point. Greenlee explained that
Poverty Point was built by hunter-gatherers, and when archeologists first
began work on the site, they did not believe that hunter-gatherers would
have the time or energy to build such a monument. The site also contains
tons of stone brought from much of eastern North America, including sites
in Georgia, Ohio, and Arkansas. Greenlee’s research focuses on mound
preservation strategies.
The mounds were originally covered by mature trees that would die and fall
over in windstorms. As trees toppled, they brought up root balls coated in
dirt that disturbed the archeological deposits. The disturbances could
potentially start hard-to-control erosion on the steep slopes. It was
decided that the trees needed to be removed from the mounds and the
groundcover transitioned to more stable grasslands. In order to contribute
more information regarding the risks of such a change, Greenlee and others
decided to compare rates of erosion when the site was under tree cover with
erosion rates that occurred while making the transition to grasslands.
If the World Heritage Committee approves the nomination of Poverty Point,
it will become the 22nd World Heritage Site in the United States, most
managed by the NPS. Eight American World Heritage Sites were designated
because of their cultural resources. If designated, Poverty Point will join
962 sites in 157 countries listed as the most significant cultural and
natural sites on the planet. Two other potential nominations of U.S. sites
are now in development: the San Antonio Franciscan Missions in Texas, and
eleven buildings of Frank Lloyd Wright, located throughout the U.S.
For more information about Poverty Point, go to
http://www.crt.state.la.us/parks/ipvertypt.aspx
For more information about the World Heritage Program, go to
http://www.nps.gov/ola/topics/worldheritage/worldheritage.htm and
http://whc.unesco.org.
* *
*NPS Launches New Cultural Landscapes Webpage***
The NPS Associate Director, Cultural Resources, Stewardship and Science and
the Park Cultural Landscapes program recently launched the first park
cultural landscapes website. The site answers basic questions about
cultural landscapes and serves as a gateway for more in-depth discoveries.
The website includes links to preservation briefs, National Register
bulletins, Landscape Lines, and other important cultural landscapes
guidance documents. Climate change and sustainability are included, and
cultural landscape case studies for both are currently being developed.
The site also provides feature stories on cultural landscapes in NPS units,
key people related to landscapes, and public versions of selected cultural
landscape inventories (CLI’s). Over the next year, additional stories and
CLI’s will be made publically available, so check back often.
As a companion to the webpage, the NPS Park Cultural Landscapes Program has
also created a Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/NPSCLP. Check it
out for weekly features, announcements and quizzes, and be sure to "like"
the program.
To visit the website, go to http://www.nps.gov/cultural_landscapes,
*By Susan Dolan*
*Park Cultural Landscapes Program Manager***
* *
*John L. Cotter Award for Excellence in NPS Archeology Call for Nominations*
NPS archeologists created the John L. Cotter Award for Excellence in NPS
Archeology to honor the long and distinguished career of Dr. John L. Cotter
and his pioneering contributions to professional archeology within the
National Park System, and to inspire student and professional archeologists
to continue Dr. Cotter’s model of excellence in scientific archeology.
The Cotter Award recognizes two categories of achievement: Project and
Professional Achievement.
Eligible projects may be a single fixed year or multi-year efforts of
inventory, excavation, testing, mitigation, planning, or collection
analysis. The professional achievement award is open to senior career
still-practicing professionals, recently retired, recently deceased
(posthumous recognition), and those who have recently left and demonstrated
long-term service to the NPS.
Submit nominations no later than February 28, 2013. Nominations should be
submitted via the NPS Awards Nomination portal,
http://share.inside.nps.gov/sites/WFM/Awards/SitePages/Home.aspx. If an
electronic submission is not possible, you may submit a hard copy
nomination package before the deadline to:
Ebonee Mayo-Mitchell, Acting NPS Awards Program Coordinator NPS Division of
Human Resources
1201 Eye Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20005
Attn: Cotter Award Nomination
* *
Nominations for the Cotter Award should include a cover sheet with the
following:
Name and contact information
Name and contact information of Nominator
Type of Nomination (Project or Cumulative Achievement)
Include supporting information in no more than six pages of double-spaced
12-point font text. Up to three illustrations, photos, or figures may
accompany the submission, in .jpeg or .pdf format. Nominations should
address the following elements of eligibility with supporting details:
For a *Project *Nomination:
a. Name and type of project and years covered;
b. Park or Program that benefited from the project;
c. Description of the research design including testable inquiries and
data that addresses park management and scientific objectives;
d. Description of involvement of participating students;
e. Evidence of thorough scientific methods, technologies and
appropriate specialists’ studies that are integrated with curatorial
standards to meet project goals
f. Components of public education program to share results and
benefits
g. Descriptions of pro-active consultation or involvement with
affiliated indigenous communities and/or other communities with
associations to the project area
h. Descriptions of dissemination of project results through
presentations, reports, events or electronic media.
For a *Professional Achievement* Nomination:
1. Description of work in archeology and any innovations;
2. Park(s) or Program(s) that benefited from the project;
3. Description of excellent resource stewardship and specific examples
4. Description of broad-based public benefit activities, such as
repeated, reliable, and significant contributions to the dissemination of
archeological knowledge to diverse publics and stakeholders, including
involvement with indigenous communities and/or other communities
5. Clear evidence that the candidate has significantly contributed to
the dissemination of archeological knowledge to the non-NPS professional
archeology sector
If the nominator is not an archeologist, including one on your writing
team will make for a stronger nomination, especially in the scientific
areas. See the WASO Archeology Sharepoint site
http://inpniscsfern1:7000/sites/WASO/WCR/default.aspx) for winning
nominations from previous years.
Nominations will be forwarded to the Cotter Award Committee, who will make
the selection. The Committee Chair will present the award at the SAA or in
another venue as appropriate.
*Contact:* Pei-Lin Yu, Cotter Award Committee Chair (406) 243-2660.
*Interior Departmental Consulting Archeologist Requests Data for Federal
Archeology Report*
The DOI Departmental Consulting Archeologist solicits information about
Federal archeology through an annual questionnaire. Agencies also report on
resolved cases of archeological resources law violations on Federal and
Indian lands. The questionnaire solicits important summary information
about activities that Federal agencies carry out as part of their
stewardship responsibilities for archeological resources. The questionnaire
is the only source for data about archeological activities and resources
managed by Federal agencies that are collected separately from information
about other cultural resources.
Letters soliciting archeological data are being sent to Federal agencies
that managed land, supported Federal undertakings, or issue permits for
undertakings that have the potential to affect archeological resources.
Responses are due on March 30, 2013, but the Archeology Program will accept
data at any time. Quantitative data will be posted to “Secretary’s Report
to Congress on Federal Archeology” webpages on the NPS Archeology Program
website at *http://www.nps.gov/archeology/SRC/index.htm*.
*Contact: *Karen Mudar, NPS Archeologist (202) 354-2103
*Section 106: Agreement Documents Seminar*
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the National Preservation
Institute (NPI) are offering an advanced seminar focuses on memoranda of
agreement and programmatic agreements under NHPA Section 106 on February
20-22, 2013, in Austin Texas. The seminar will train students how to
negotiate the agreement process through careful analysis, clear writing,
and good consultation. Review of guidelines, alternatives—and
non-alternatives—to reach a favorable conclusion to the process is
included. An agenda is available online at www.npi.org.
The instructor is Claudia Nissley, President of Nissley Environmental
Consultants;a former Director of the ACHP Western Office; Wyoming SHPO;
and a specialist in preservation issues relating to NHPA, NEPA, CERCLA,
ARPA, and NAGPRA. The seminar meets the criteria for programs in the
American Society of Landscape Architects Continuing Education System. ASLA
members will receive 6 learning units each day.
A registration form is available online at www.npi.org/register.html.
Advanced registration is available until January 11 for $600. After that
date, the regular registration rate is $650.
The National Preservation Institute, a nonprofit organization founded in
1980, educates those involved in the management, preservation, and
stewardship of cultural heritage. The 2013 National Preservation Institute
seminar schedule is now available online at www.npi.org.
*Contact:* Jere Gibber, Executive Director, NPI, P.O. Box 1702, Alexandria,
VA 22313; (703) 765-0100;
*NPS Archeology Program Posts More Webinars on Current Topics in Archeology*
The NPS Archeology Program has posted webcasts from an on-going webinar
lecture series devoted to dissemination of information about current
research in archeology. The newest postings are
- *History in Bits and Pieces: The Battle of Cedar Creek** by *Clarence
R. Geier, James Madison University. Geier and students have documented
evidence of the Civil War Union encampment of the Cedar Creek Battlefield,
interpreted parts of the battle flow, and reconstructed the cultural
setting. This presentation discusses approaches used in analyzing
battlefield remains; methods and procedures used to study the land
involved; and the results gained from the application of the layers of
field research.**
- *The Windover Site—Voices from the
Past<http://www.nps.gov/archeology/tools/videos/doran.wmv>
by *Glen H. Doran, Chairman, Florida State University. The Windover
cemetery in Brevard County, Florida, has yielded preserved organics
including woven materials, antler tools, wood bottle gourds, food remains,
and bone tools with 168 burials dating in excess of 7,000 radiocarbon years.
* *
Previous topics include recent developments in our understanding of Native
American colonization of the New World to archeological investigations of
World War II Japanese internment camps.
To listen to the webcasts, go to
http://www.nps.gov/archeology/tools/webinars.htm
*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.
*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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