Archeology E-gram August 2021

Stephanie Stephens New Deputy Associate Director, Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science

The NPS Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science Directorate has announced the selection of Stephanie Stephens for the position of Deputy Associate Director for Park Programs and National Heritage Areas. Stephens began her NPS career in 1989 at Joshua Tree NP as a museum aide. In 1998, Stephens moved to the Alaska Region as the curator/registrar for the Alaska Regional Curatorial Center (ARCC). In 2003, she became the Regional Curator for the Alaska Region and the manager of the ARCC. In 2016 Stephens moved to Washington, D.C. as the Chief Curator. Stephens has served as the acting Deputy Associate Director for Park Programs and National Heritage Areas since 2017.

Stephens earned a BA in anthropology from California State University, San Bernardino, and an MA in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Museum Studies and Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma, Norman. She also attended the Harvard Kennedy School.

NPS Region 1 Trains VIPs as Archeological Resource Monitors

The NPS Northeast Archeological Resources Program (NARP) has a fresh approach to community engagement: training Volunteers-in-Parks (VIPs) as archeological resource monitors. This new program reflects the region’s commitment to public outreach and superior resource management by engaging the public through hands-on site monitoring experiences in parks.

This year, NARP has partnered with the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt NHS, Eleanor Roosevelt NHS, Vanderbilt Mansion NHS, and the Martin Van Buren NHS to initiate trials of an archeological site monitoring program among the parks. Through this program, volunteers are provided an opportunity to learn more about resource stewardship, archeological methods and ethics, and the human past, while providing invaluable support in the protection and preservation of our shared heritage.

To date, 16 new VIPs have been trained to identify and record any site disturbances and threats. They will continue monitoring sites throughout all four park units through September 2021. The insight and feedback from these trials will be used to implement a sustainable region-wide monitoring program to support archeological compliance in park units in Interior Region 1.

Stay tuned for program updates on NARP’s Facebook and Instagram (@nrapnps), or check out the website at: https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1422/index.htmContact: NARP Archeologist Amy Fedchenko, e-mail us.

NPS FriYay Podcast Interviews Archeologist Emily Caselman about Naked and Afraid

FriYAY is a podcast and webinar series that delves into a variety of topics spanning practical things like how to stay motivated, ways to expand creativity, connect with others, and tips for keeping grounded. In Episode 36, FriYay staff interview NPS archeologist Emily Caselman about her experiences as a survivalist on Naked and Afraid.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, Naked and Afraid is an American reality series that airs on the Discovery Channel. Each episode chronicles the lives of two survivalists - one man and one woman - who meet for the first time (naked!) and are given the task of surviving in a wilderness for 21 days. Each survivalist is allowed to bring one helpful item, such as a machete or a fire starter. After they meet in the assigned locale, the partners must build a shelter and find water and food.

Emily and her fellow survivalist, Lincoln, were landed in west Texas in September. Emily, who has a BA in Anthropology from the University of Central Missouri, and a double MA in Archeology and Museum Science and Management from the University of Tulsa, says that she utilized quite a few of her archeological skills to find food, build shelter, and create tools.

Emily designed and created their shelter based on tipi design. She found a stone scraper in an ant hill and used that scraper the entire time she was in the wilderness to cut yucca and cordage. She used her knowledge of yucca processing to create cordage for the shelter as well as fishing line and temporary shoes, and kept them warm at night with heated non-exploding rocks. Her knowledge of fishing spears helped her to design the spear that Lincoln used to catch a fish.

Not only did Emily and Lincoln survive, but they embraced the experience; Emily said that she would do it again! The episode is Tangled Web in Texas and aired on March 28th, 2021. It is still available on Discovery and Discovery+.

James M. Skibo is Wisconsin State Archaeologist

The Wisconsin Historical Society has selected James M. Skibo, Ph.D., as the next Wisconsin State Archaeologist. Skibo is a Michigan native who previously served in roles at Illinois State University for 27 years, first as a professor of anthropology and later as chair of the department.

Skibo received his BA from Northern Michigan University. He earned a MA and Ph.D. at the University of Arizona where he developed an interest in prehistoric pottery, studying with with Michael Schiffer and the late William Longacre. He joined Longacre as a member of the Kalinga Ethnoarchaeological Project, one of the longest-running ethnoarchaeological projects ever undertaken, with research focused on pottery producers in northern Luzon, Philippines.

Skibo developed pottery use-alteration analysis, a strategy that is used today by archaeologists worldwide and which was the subject of his first book. Skibo followed his book on the subject with ten more publications, serving either as author or editor, about various aspects of pottery, technological change, and archeological theory. He has also written numerous journal articles and book chapters, and co-edited the “Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory” for 17 years.

Skibo has directed the Grand Island Archaeological Research Program since 2000, and in 2012 was presented with the Excellence in Archaeological Analysis award by the Society for American Archaeology. He looks forward to taking on new challenges in his role as Wisconsin State Archaeologist.

Underwater Archeological Investigation in Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor

A multi-agency partnership is taking underwater exploration to new depths in the Finger Lakes. The Seneca Lake Archaeological and Bathymetric Survey Project aims to preserve the treasured history of New York's canals by using state-of-the-art equipment to capture images of intact canal shipwrecks from the early 1800s in the deepest waters of the lake.

The bathymetric survey will map the underwater terrain while collecting information on water quality and Seneca Lake's ecosystem. Earlier expeditions in 2018 and 2019, previously uncovered the remains of up to 16 canal boats from the early 19th century—including what is believed to be the first-ever identified intact remains of a canal packet boat dating back to the early 1800s. The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor team will work with teachers from school districts throughout the Finger Lake Region to develop lesson plans which will be easily adaptable for classroom use.

New York Times Examines NAGPRA Progress

A New York Times article published on August 6, 2021, reports on the effects of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and changes that the NPS is making to the regulations. The Biden administration supports regulatory adjustments that would help expedite repatriation proceedings and require museums to complete the process of identifying human remains and cultural affiliation.

“Changes to NAGPRA regulations are long overdue,” Secretary Haaland said when she announced the reform initiative. The NPS has drafted changes and reorganized the regulations, and will consult tribal and Native Hawaiian communities before making the details of those changes public when it publishes an official notice for comment in October 2021. Changes will streamline existing regulatory requirements by eliminating ambiguities, correcting inaccuracies, simplifying excessively burdensome and complicated requirements, clarifying timelines, and removing offensive terminology. To read the full article, go to https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/06/arts/design/native-american-remains-museums-nagpra.html

GRANTS AND TRAINING

National Park Service awards nearly $570,000 to Native American Preservation Projects

The NPS has announced $569,086 in grants for 12 preservation projects from across the country to support the protection of America’s Indigenous cultures. Two of the projects target archeological resources. These projects are:

• Survey and Inventory of Adobe and Wamkish sites, $50,000 awarded to the Rincon Band of Luisen͂o Indians.

• Protecting the Sacred: A Targeted Survey of Rock Feature Sites in the Moses Coulee Region

$50,000 awarded to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.Congress appropriated funding for the Tribal Heritage Grant Program in 2020 through the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF). The HPF uses revenue from federal oil leases on the Outer Continental Shelf, to assist with a broad range of preservation projects without expending tax dollars, with the intent to mitigate the loss of a nonrenewable resource to benefit the preservation of other irreplaceable resources.Applications for at least $500,000 in 2022 funding will be announced in Fall 2021. For more information about the grants and the Tribal Heritage Grant program go to http://go.nps.gov/tribalheritage.

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.