Archeology E-gram May 2021

National Park Service Announces Cotter Award Winners

The NPS has announced the winners of the 2021 John L. Cotter Award for Excellence in NPS Archeology. This award is presented to individuals and teams who demonstrate innovation in archeological practice, resource stewardship, and public outreach, among other criteria. The award celebrates the kind of work that should be standard in the National Park system. This year’s winners are:

Jed Levin (Professional Achievement): Jed Levin’s work illustrates the importance of archeology in revealing the hidden histories of our past and ways it can inform us about human relations in the present. Throughout his career with the NPS Northeast Region Archeology Program, where he led archeological efforts at Steamtown NHS, the Path of Progress National Heritage Tour Route, and Independence NHP, Levin has focused on America’s complex and sometimes troubling history. His passion for public engagement is evident in his work, whether interacting with visitors during excavations at Independence NHP or in the public Archeology Lab, meeting with stakeholders, or supporting the Philadelphia Archeological Forum to advocate for the protection of archeological resources in the city. Through his dedication and leadership, Levin’s work has led to meaningful changes in ways that archeological resources are identified, mitigated, and represented within the NPS.

Michael Seibert and Eric Bezemek (Project Excellence): The project Locating the African American Cemetery at Fort Frederica National Monument resolved a long-standing question of the location of burials of enslaved and freed populations of African Americans on St. Simons Island, Georgia. Working closely with stakeholders, Seibert and Bezemek developed a research methodology to locate burials with minimal ground disturbance, established a committee who participated in the decision-making process, and hosted a re-dedication ceremony involving four different religious sects. The project culminated in a day-long festival celebrating Gullah Geechee cultural heritage. They supervised and mentored students and volunteers who played integral roles in researching biographies of the interred individuals, developing outreach events and materials, and contacting stakeholder groups. A new museum exhibit at Fort Frederica will highlight the insights gained from this project.

Jim Nepstad, Bob Palmer, David Barland-Liles, Caven Clark, Albert LeBeau III, Keeley Renee-Tucker, Jeff Richner, Sheila Oberreuter, Jeremy Parker, and Alex Coté (Award of Special Recognition): The Cotter Award committee recognizes the “Resolving United States v. Thomas A. Munson” project team for their work investigating and prosecuting a case of stolen indigenous human remains from Effigy Mounds National Monument and for efforts that led to successful, repatriation, and reburial that concluded in 2020. With the help of the team, the park initiated open and honest relationships with Tribal partners. These relationships contributed to the long-sought return of indigenous ceremonies within the monument and fostered management activities increasingly enhanced by Tribal partner knowledge and government-to-government transparency.

Congratulations to all the winners!

New Website Promotes Archeological Site Protection in Southwest

SaveHistory.Org is a collaborative effort of Tribal organizations, archeologists, federal and state law enforcement, and supporters dedicated to ending the theft and destruction of archeological resources on Tribal and public lands. In response to these unacceptable and illegal acts, a growing collective of archeologists, land managers, legal experts, and Tribal members and organizations are joining forces in the Save History movement. Savehistory.org leads a regional effort to end archeological resource crime on Tribal lands. Goals include:

• Detecting archeological resource crimes through site monitoring and community reporting

• Responding to reported crimes and investigate swiftly and effectively

• Preventing archeological resource crime through education and amplification of Tribal perspectives on the value of ancestral sites

• Restoring damaged sites to restore remediation and healing in Tribal communities

The organization works closely with Tribal historic preservation officers, law enforcement, and Tribal and federal land managers to bring criminals to justice and force them to return artifacts and belongings to their rightful owners. Through community and Tribal partnerships, it strives to raise awareness of the educational, spiritual and scientific importance of archeological sites and cultural landscapes, especially in Arizona, Southern California, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.

To learn more, go to https://www.savehistory.org/

No National Garden of American Heroes

By Executive Order issued on May 14, 2021, President Biden has revoked the EOs of the previous administration that required construction of the National Garden of American Heroes, as well as one that addressed federal punishment of individuals who damage public monuments and statues. The orders that have been rescinded are:

• Executive Order 13934, Building and Rebuilding Monuments to American Heroes
• Executive Order 13978, Building the National Garden of American Heroes
• Executive Order 13933, Protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statues and Combating Recent Criminal Violence

The Federal Archeologist’s Bookshelf:

Geophysical Detection and Assessment of Leveled Mounts: an Example from the Upper Mississippi Valley by William Green, Adam S. Wiewel, and Steven L. De Vore American Antiquity vol. 86(2): 305-326.

NPS archeologists Steve De Vore and Adam Wiewel, along with Bill Green, Iowa State Archeologist Office, review geophysical methods for assessing the potential for intact features associated with leveled man-made mounds. The authors use the Gast site, archeologically assessed in the early 1990s, as a test case. The Gast site, located on the western edge of the Mississippi River floodplain, was discontinuously occupied over a 500-year period, and contained Middle and Late Woodland habitations and at least one mound. The mound had been leveled in the 1950s for agricultural purposes, as have many of the more than 100,000 recorded mounds in eastern North America.

Analysis that incorporated results from magnetometry and GIS techniques, along with visual inspection, identified not one but six mounds that had existed at some time in the past, and predict that the underlying burials are intact. In addition, the analysis, confirmed the location of the two areas of habitation, identified a “plaza” in each, and concluded that potential earthworks were simply smearing from the leveled mounds. In addition, the authors compared mound diameters to existing mounds to estimate Gast mound heights at 1.5-1.8 m tall.

The authors point out that aerial photography relies on differential soil colors and vegetation differences, which can be subtle, and that LiDar is of limited utility for identifying flattened mounds. Magnetometry was fast, repeatable, and not affected by soil moisture. The Gast site was a great example of the projects that De Vore and others at the NPS Midwestern Archeology Center have been conducting in formal and informal partnerships with colleagues.

This volume of American Antiquity also provides opportunities for self-reflection. “The Future of Archaeology is Antiracist: Archaeology in the Time of Black Lives Matter” and “Documenting Cultures of Harassment in Archaeology: A Review and Analysis of Quantitative and Qualitative Research Studies” reminds us to conduct our research and ourselves in an ethical manner.

GRANTS AND TRAINING

National Park Service Develops New ARPA Classes
The NPS is launching a series of monthly webinars, called ARPA Snapshots, on various ARPA topics beginning in June. The ARPA Snapshot Series is designed as a resource for cultural resource professionals to refresh their skills, look more closely at a particular topic, or explore new directions that ARPA may take them in their work. These classes are intended as a gateway to other, more in-depth training in the ARPA Focus Series.

This class is offered as a 1.5-hour virtual training using the MS Teams platform. Classes are scheduled on a monthly basis, featuring a new topic every month. Registration is required, but there are no prerequisites or outside assignments. All learners should join the ARPA Forum on the NPS Common Learning Portal prior to class to have access to class materials. Learners can register for as many or as few as their schedule and interests permit. There is no size limit, but registration is required. For best results, attendance at all classes is recommended.

Later in the summer, ARPA Focus Modules will be offered. These webinars will be more in depth and parallel to the 40-hour classroom training. Watch for an announcement about the ARPA Focus Modules in the E-Gram.

Upcoming ARPA Snapshot Sessions (all sessions led by NPS archeologist (retired) Caven Clark):

• ARPA BasicsTuesday, June 8, 2021, 2:00-3:30 ET
• ARPA Planning & ResponseTuesday, July 6, 2021, 2:00-3:30 ET
• ARPA Field Damage Assessment (FDA)August 3, 2021, 2:00-3:30 ET
• ARPA Resource Damage Assessment (RDA)August 31, 2021, 2:00-3:30 ET

For more information and to register, go to: ARPA Snapshot Series

Emergency Paid Leave for Federal Employees

On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which authorized Emergency Paid Leave (EPL) to ease the impact of COVID-19 on Federal employees. This leave is available when an employee is unable to work, including telework, due to the impacts of COVID-19. The leave provisions became effective on March 11, 2021, and extend through September 30, 2021.

For more information on EPL for DOI employees, FAQs are available on the All DOI Employees COVID-19 Information Portal

SLIGHTLY OFF TOPIC: will be back soon.

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 on the NPS Archeology Program website.

Contact: Karen Mudar at e-mail us to contribute news items and to subscribe.