[OR_Archaeology] Fwd: NPS Archeology E-Gram November 2010

[Susan White]

November 2010 Archeology E-Gram

Students Excavate Ancestral Cherokee House
Archeologists in Great Smoky Mountains NP have undertaken an annual
summer
archeological field program that connects Eastern Band of Cherokee
Indian
(EBCI) high school students from the Cherokee and Snowbird communities
with
their ancestral past. During the 2010 field season, students excavated
an
ancestral Cherokee house and had an opportunity to learn archeological
field methods and regional culture history.

Students learned proper excavation and recording techniques including
mapping, archeological photography, and locational artifact
information
record keeping. Excavated features included storage pits and house
post
holes. Students found ceramic vessel fragments, quartz and chert used
for
making stone tools, groundstone tool fragments for pulverizing and
grinding
plant materials, and a small gaming stone used in game of chance.
Lectures
in topics such as Cherokee history, geology, zooarcheology, plant
ecology
provide the students with a holistic view of the science of
archeology.

Archeologists use the term Mississippian to refer to a time period (AD
1000- 1350) during which populations in southeastern North America
shifted
to large scale agriculture from gathered and hunted wild foods.
Mississippian populations relied on corn, beans, and squash for a
large
portion of their diet, and concentrated around large ceremonial mound
complexes. Social complexity, trade networks, communal cooperation,
and
warfare all expanded during the Mississippian period.

Radiocarbon dates indicated that the excavated house was built around
AD
970 ±70 years, offering an opportunity to learn about a poorly
understood
period in Cherokee development. The house is not associated with any
known
Mississippian mound center and offers an opportunity to examine rural
proto-Mississippian life in the southern Appalachian Mountains.

The site was discovered in 2007 during excavations for a utility
corridor
that provided municipal water and sewer service to an NPS campground.
The
project was made possible through the cooperative efforts of the
EBCI’s
Tribal Historic Preservation Office, the North Carolina SHPO, the
University of Tennessee’s Archeological Research Laboratory, and the
NPS.
The Smoky Mountain Archeological Field program was supported through a
Challenge Cost Grant.

(from story by Erik Skot Kreusch)

Archeological Investigation Underway At Fort Mason
NPS archeologists are uncovering a piece of history at Fort Mason in
Golden
Gate NRA – Euroamerican human remains, probably dating from the 19th
century. Human bones were found in lead contaminated soils around the
foundation of a historic building. Work halted while the archeologist
monitoring the work conferred with U.S. Park Police and the San
Francisco
medical examiner to determine whether this was a modern crime scene.
The
remains most likely date to the 1860s, when the area was used as a
military
hospital. The NPS Archeology Group finished excavating the remains
before
the lead contamination removal proceeded. The number of people
represented
by the bones has not been determined, but may be as many as 20.

For more information about Fort Mason, go to
www.nps.gov/goga/historyculture/fort-mason.htm 

(from story by Alexandra Picavet)

Man Sentenced For ARPA Violation
Kettle Falls, WA, resident Sandie McNeil pled guilty on November 2,
2010,
in Federal court to unauthorized removal of archeological resources
from
Lake Roosevelt NRA. Lake Roosevelt staff had repeated contacts with
McNeil
between 2005 and 2008 regarding his use of a metal detector in the park
and
behavior consistent with artifact collecting. A search warrant executed
on
McNeil’s residence and vehicle resulted in the recovery of over
3,000
artifacts. Among the seized items were projectile points, stone weights
and
tools, stone flakes, a gun flint, and a gun cartridge. McNeil was
sentenced
by a Federal judge to three years’ probation and ordered to pay a
$2,000
fine and an additional $2,000 in restitution. The judge also ordered
McNeil
to serve 30 days home detention and banned him from the recreation area
for
three years. Beth Lariviere was the case officer and was assisted by
park
archeologist Ray DePuydt. The prosecution was assisted by special
agent
Todd Swain.

(from story by Bill Archard)

Cultural Resources Stolen from NPS sites are Recovered
In July 2009, Bandelier NM protection rangers received information
about
thefts of natural and cultural resources from NPS sites. 
Investigative
Services Branch agents and Bandelier rangers conducted an
investigation
that eventually identified a number of affected NPS areas. In
September
2009, a search warrant was served at the suspect’s residence in
Montpelier,
Virginia, by NPS rangers and ISB and FWS agents. Numerous cultural and
natural resource items were recovered. On October 27, 2010 pursuant to
a
plea agreement, the defendant pled guilty to violations of the
Migratory
Bird Treaty Act.

(from story by Christopher Smith, Assistant Special Agent in Charge)

National Historic Landmarks Committee Recommends Two Archeological
Sites
The National Historic Landmarks Committee recommended that two
archeological properties be listed as National Historic Landmarks. The
nominated properties are the Lynch Quarry site, Dunn County, ND, and
Grand
Mound, Koochiching County, MN. The committee also recommended that the
boundaries of Medicine Wheel NHL, Big Horn County, WY, be expanded to
include Medicine Mountain, a traditional cultural property. The list
of
nominations is forwarded to the NPS Advisory Board, who approves and
forwards the list to the Secretary of the Interior for action.

Lynch Quarry
The quarry is the type site and a primary source for Knife River flint,
a
distinctive coffee-colored chert that was widely used and traded,
particularly during the Paleoindian and Middle Woodland periods. The
site
covers a minimum of 690 acres of spoil piles and associated pits
excavated
three to ten feet to the chert source. There are an estimated 20,000
pits
at the site. This must have been an impressive sight at a time of
active
use, as the quarry, located on the shore of Spring Creek, was bare of
vegetation. Lynch Quarry will be only one of three Native American
quarries
recognized as National Historic Landmarks.

Grand Mound
Grand Mound, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in
1972, is
located along the Rainy River at the mouth of Big Fork River. Despite
being
known and frequently visited since the 1870s, it was only recently
recognized that the conical mound has a long tail and is actually an
effigy
mound. Grand Mound may represent a muskrat “Earthdiver.” The mound,
which
dates to the Middle/Late Woodland period, continues to be a sacred site
to
the Ojibwa and Dakota peoples who reside in the area.


Medicine Wheel
This nomination expands the boundary of an existing landmark to
include
Medicine Mountain, the associated spirit lodge. Archeological and
ethnographic research since the 1970s demonstrates that the medicine
wheel
marks and honors the spirituality of the sacred site. The medicine
wheel is
important to many tribes in the region and spiritual and cultural
traditions associated with the site have developed over thousands of
years.
New evidence dates the use of the area from 6720 B.P. The new boundary
will
include ceremonial approaches to the medicine wheel and plant
gathering
areas, as well as Medicine Mountain.

For more information about the National Historic Landmarks Program, go
to
www.nps.gov/history/nhl/ 

Call for Papers for Park Science Volume on Wilderness
To celebrate the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, Park
Science, in cooperation with the NPS Wilderness Stewardship Division
Office, is soliciting contributions for the winter 2011–2012 issue
dedicated to the interface of science and wilderness stewardship. Case
studies, research reports, science features, literature summaries,
notes
from abroad, and field perspectives are welcomed. Topics for this
special
issue include climate change, cultural resources, fire, visitor
management/social science, wilderness character/monitoring, and
wilderness
education.

The NPS is responsible for the largest amount of wilderness acreage of
the
four Federal agencies with oversight for federally designated
wilderness.
There are currently 60 individual wildernesses in 49 units of the
National
Park System. Four out of five acres administered by the NPS are to be
managed under a wilderness prescription and one in six federally
managed
acres is designated wilderness.

Guest editors for this issue are Wade Vagias, NPS, and Ingrid
Schneider,
University of Minnesota. The deadline for 300-word abstract/draft
submissions is January 6, 2011. The abstract should include the topic,
including a summary of the research or resource management project,
key
findings and application to management, and why the research or project
is
significant to advancing knowledge of wilderness management. Include
authors' names and contact information. If possible, indicate the
category
that best fits the submission (e.g., case study, research report,
science
feature). Abstracts invited for further consideration will be subject
to a
peer and editorial review process. Full, contributed articles will be
invited by February 15, 2011. Final manuscripts will be due May 6,
2011.

Contact: Wade Vagias, (202) 513-7124
Author Guidelines for Park Science are found at
www.nature.nps.gov/ParkScience/guidance.cfm?staticPageTitle=Author 
guidelines (page 1): Writing for Park Science

Exploring the Past: Archeology in the Upper Mississippi River Valley
Walking beside thousand year old burial mounds, flaking raw stone into
tools, learning how potsherds tell us about human behavior, and
understanding how humans adapt to complex, ever changing environments -
the
2011 NEH Summer Institute in La Crosse, Wisconsin features all this
and
more! The Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, University of
Wisconsin–La
Crosse, will offer a three-week NEH Summer Institute July 11–29,
2011.

This dynamic learning experience for K-12 teachers will explore how
Native
Americans and Euro-Americans have adapted to the Upper Mississippi
River
Valley over the past 13,500 years, and how archeology leads to an
understanding of ways that human cultures change and adapt through
time.
The institute will feature a one-day excavation experience, field trips
to
archeological sites, hands-on laboratory, classroom and workshop
activities, and demonstrations.

Individual projects will help participants tailor the content to their
own
teaching areas. Participants receive a $2,700 stipend to help offset
their
expenses. The deadline for applications is March 1, 2011.

Applications and information about the Institute are available online
at
www.uwlax.edu/mvac/neh.htm.

National Trust for Historic Preservation has issued a major new report
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has issued a report
evaluating
the Federal Government’s efforts to meet its statutory obligations
under
NHPA Section 106. Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation
Act:
Back to Basics urges Federal agencies to take more seriously their
obligations to consider the effects of their activities on the
nation’s
heritage.

The report makes seven key recommendations, each accompanied by a set
of
more detailed suggestions to improve Section 106 compliance:

Federal agencies must endorse and compel compliance with Section 106.
Federal agencies need to ensure earlier and broader integration of
   preservation values in their planning processes.
The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation should vigorously assert
   Section 106 as its core mission.
Improvements are needed to increase consulting party access and public
   involvement in the Section 106 process.
State and tribal Section 106 programs should be supported by fees and
full
   appropriation of proceeds in the national Historic Preservation
Fund
   account.
Prior to further federal agency use of alternative approaches to
comply
   with Section 106, the Advisory Council should establish standards
to
   promote accountability for implementing these “program
alternatives.”
Section 106 stakeholders should pursue new ways of using technology,
while
   improving and expanding existing uses.

To read the full report, go to
www.preservationnation.org/resources/legal-resources/understanding-preservation-law/federal-law/section-106/back-to-basics.html?altcast_code=6645cbf1e7


National Trust for Historic Preservation Launches Cultural Heritage
Tourism
Survival Toolkit
The recent downturn in the economy has had a major impact on many
sectors
of the cultural and heritage tourism industry, including closing of
heritage sites and museums, eliminating state cultural resource
programs,
reduced budgets in tourism agencies, and limiting cultural heritage
tourism
programs and organizations.


Despite this, a number of attractions and marketing organizations have
found ways to survive and actually thrive despite the economic
downturn.
Many of these cultural and heritage sites have shown creative ways to
stay
true to their organization’s mission while reaching for new
opportunities.

To share these lessons, the National Trust for Historic
Preservation’s
Heritage Tourism Program received an award from NEA to create a
survival
toolkit with three key components:
   11 survival strategies developed from in-depth interviews with
hundreds
      of people and organizations nationwide;
   Case studies that illustrate those strategies in action; and
   Links to other online toolkits for additional information on moving
      forward in a bad economy.


The toolkit provides urgently needed assistance to the cultural and
heritage tourism industry, including the arts, preservation, tourism,
museums, humanities, and other related areas.

To access the toolkit, go to
www.preservationnation.org/issues/heritage-tourism/survival-toolkit/ 

The Archaeology Channel Interviews Tom King on NHPA and NEPA
Rick Pettigrew interviews Tom King on The Archaeology Channel's Video
News.
King, who handled Section 106 consultations for the Advisory Council
on
Historic Preservation for a decade, has pithy and critical comments on
Federal compliance with NHPA, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the
Cape
Wind project, Section 106 streamlining, and other cultural resource
topics.

Listen to the interview at www.archaeologychannel.org/VideoNews.html 

UNESCO approves a World Heritage Thematic Program on Prehistory
The government of Spain, at the 32nd UNESCO meeting, offered to fund a
thematic study on prehistoric sites. Properties with strong links to
human
origins are insufficiently represented on the World Heritage List and
are
located in all parts of the world. Abstracts invited for further
consideration will be subject to a peer and editorial review process.
The
values of these properties are under-recognized and it is often
challenging
for countries to conserve this heritage and manage its specific
vulnerability. The focal area of the study covers at least 2.5 million
years of human prehistory.

The thematic program will focus on the origins of human life and
subsequent
social development. The long evolutionary process transformed the
human
experience from life in a natural environment to life in a largely
built
environment, from a hunter-gatherer life style through the more
settled
ways of farmers, herds, and fishermen, to the urbanized environments
of
today. The diversity of human heritage is represented in archeological
sites across the world and preserves the invaluable record of early
human
history.

Key objectives of the program include establishing links between
scientific
research and conservation, broadening the definition of world heritage
to
better reflect the full spectrum of the world’s cultural and natural
sites
of outstanding universal value, preserving the identified properties
from
deterioration, and developing collaborative outreach and sustainable
initiatives to protect the sites. Outcomes include credibility for
importance of the sites, site conservation and preservation, capacity
building for management and conservation programs, communication venues
for
sites, and cooperative communities involved in care and nomination of
sites.

To read the prehistory theme study action plan go to
whc.unesco.org/document/104575

Projects  in  Parks:  An  Ancestral Puebloan Community in Morefield
Canyon,
Mesa Verde NP
The Mesa Verde National Park Community Center Survey (MVNP CCS) is a
multi-year study to understand the formation of large, aggregated
pueblo
villages from A.D. 600-1300 in the central Mesa Verde region of
southwestern Colorado. One goal of the project is to understand the
reasons
why populations moved from dispersed homesteads and hamlets into
larger
aggregated communities. During an eight week field season, the crew
found
evidence of public architecture and infrastructure in Morefield Canyon
that
had the potential to greatly enhance the agricultural productivity and
population carrying capacity. These initial population aggregations
sowed
the seeds for the later massive cliff dwellings that give Mesa Verde
its
fame.

To read the full report, go to:

http://www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/npSites/MEVEmorefieldCanyon.htm 


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 Research in the Parks web page
www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/npSites/index.htm or through individual
issues
of the Archeology E-Gram. Prospective authors should review
information
about submitting photographs on the Projects in Parks web page on
InsideNPS.

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
www.nps.gov/archeology/public/news.htm on the NPS Archeology Program
web
site.

Contact: dca at nps.gov  to contribute news items, stories for Projects
in
Parks, submit citations and a brief abstract for your peer-reviewed
publications, and to subscribe.
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