Last updated: February 2, 2024
Article
MRDAM Resources and Updates
MRDAM Information
February 2, 2024
Updated from Erin Tooher, M.A., M.S., ABD
Staff Ethnographer, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Human Development and Family Science,University of Louisiana Lafayette
Louisiana’s coastal residents are facing an unprecedented crisis. Communities are experiencing land loss from coastal erosion, subsidence, storm surges, and sea-level rise. More than 1,860 square miles (4,8332km) were lost between 1932 and 2016.* Coastal protection and restoration efforts focused on Louisiana’s economy, infrastructure, and environment have not addressed the ongoing and projected impacts of land loss on coastal communities, including cultural heritage, traditional knowledge, and the loss of place. Cultural heritage throughout Louisiana’s coastal zone is endangered by ongoing and impending land loss.
A cooperative agreement between the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will provide an up-to-date overview and assessment of at-risk cultural heritage on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast. Project partners will work with coastal communities, Tribes, and participants to document traditional cultural properties, landscapes, archaeological sites, traditional knowledge, and cultural practices. An overview and assessment of cultural heritage will assist cultural resource management planning and decision making on Louisiana’s imperiled coast.
January 3, 2024
Update from David Watt,
Tulane University, PhD Candidate.
In October 2023, MRDAM geologists and archeologists with Louisiana State University (LSU) and Tulane University conducted field reconnaissance at two at-risk archeological sites in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana: Adams Bay and Buras Mounds. Aerial drone photography, pedestrian survey of exposed surfaces, and field photography was conducted to assess ongoing impacts of subsidence, erosion, and land loss at these critically endangered cultural sites.
The ‘Adams Bay’ site is situated in the open waters of Adams Bay and has been known to archeologists for decades for its precarious situation regarding coastal land loss. A large shell midden that once buttressed the eastern margin of the site has undergone significant erosion. Pit and thermal features once exposed along the face of the site are now submerged. Trees that had grown into the mounds themselves are now nearly all dead and those along the northern and eastern flanks of the site have since fallen into the marsh. Despite these significant impacts, cultural materials at surface are a testament to the longevity of the site, its research potential, and most importantly, the cultural significance of Adams Bay as an important space to the Native peoples of South Louisiana.
Wave-worn ceramics identified at the surface of the site were photographed in the field and consisted of Woodland grog tempered sherds and Mississippian shell tempered pottery. Two decorated ceramic sherds included a ‘cross in circle’ motif and punctuated rim, not seen previously at the site and are consistent diagnostic markers of the Mississippian period.
‘Buras Mounds’, the second location visited in 2023, is an important cultural site just west of Buras, Louisiana. The site consists of four mounds arranged around a central plaza. Buras is an interesting example of a subsiding site as each of the four mounds are at different stages of submersion. The southern mound is no longer visible by boat or on foot, having been nearly completely subsided and partially submerged. The western mound is partially subsided and surrounded by 3-4 ft deep water except at its summit. The northern mound is largely intact; however, it is surrounded by moat of 2-3 ft deep water which is undercutting the flanks of the mound causing erosion and progressive loss of vegetation. The eastern mound however is nearly completely intact, dry, and tall, rising nearly 10ft out of the surrounding marsh. The mound has a vibrant ecosystem consisting of rosette spoonbills, alligators, and nutria in addition to the local flora.
Vegetation loss at these sites and the delta at large is unfortunate as the roots of the trees and plants are providing integrity to the soils. When they are killed through saltwater intrusion, the mounds begin to slump and erode further in addition to the gradual subsidence. Ongoing analysis of the recent fieldwork will involve shoreline mapping and evaluation of local conditions of land loss at these sites. Part of the broader monitoring program by MRDAM, periodic visits of these sites and others will allow for a nuanced understanding of how these are impacted and at what rate. Being able to measure and quantity impacts to at-risk cultural resources will serve as a baseline for future planning of cultural resource management in the delta.
August 1, 2022
MRDAM begins the project titled “Understanding and Managing the Impacts of Climate Change and Land Loss on Native American Archaeological Sites in Coastal Louisiana” Funding is provided by the USGS, Climate Adaptation Science Center (CASC) Program, South Central CASC. Projects - Climate Adaptation Science Centers (cascprojects.org)
December 2022
Department of Geography and Anthropology, Louisiana State University, announces the project start date and recognizes faculty Dr. Kory Konsoer and Dr. Jill Trepanier. "[Project Title]” Led by G&A Faculty – Kory Konsoer and Jill Trepanier (lsu.edu)
January 15, 2021
Dr. Mark Rees and Tad Britt are interviewed by Shannon Harlow for the Popular Archaeology Magazine. Heritage at Risk – Popular Archeology (popular-archaeology.com)
Update from David Watt,
Tulane University, PhD Candidate.
In October 2023, MRDAM geologists and archeologists with Louisiana State University (LSU) and Tulane University conducted field reconnaissance at two at-risk archeological sites in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana: Adams Bay and Buras Mounds. Aerial drone photography, pedestrian survey of exposed surfaces, and field photography was conducted to assess ongoing impacts of subsidence, erosion, and land loss at these critically endangered cultural sites.
The ‘Adams Bay’ site is situated in the open waters of Adams Bay and has been known to archeologists for decades for its precarious situation regarding coastal land loss. A large shell midden that once buttressed the eastern margin of the site has undergone significant erosion. Pit and thermal features once exposed along the face of the site are now submerged. Trees that had grown into the mounds themselves are now nearly all dead and those along the northern and eastern flanks of the site have since fallen into the marsh. Despite these significant impacts, cultural materials at surface are a testament to the longevity of the site, its research potential, and most importantly, the cultural significance of Adams Bay as an important space to the Native peoples of South Louisiana.
Wave-worn ceramics identified at the surface of the site were photographed in the field and consisted of Woodland grog tempered sherds and Mississippian shell tempered pottery. Two decorated ceramic sherds included a ‘cross in circle’ motif and punctuated rim, not seen previously at the site and are consistent diagnostic markers of the Mississippian period.
‘Buras Mounds’, the second location visited in 2023, is an important cultural site just west of Buras, Louisiana. The site consists of four mounds arranged around a central plaza. Buras is an interesting example of a subsiding site as each of the four mounds are at different stages of submersion. The southern mound is no longer visible by boat or on foot, having been nearly completely subsided and partially submerged. The western mound is partially subsided and surrounded by 3-4 ft deep water except at its summit. The northern mound is largely intact; however, it is surrounded by moat of 2-3 ft deep water which is undercutting the flanks of the mound causing erosion and progressive loss of vegetation. The eastern mound however is nearly completely intact, dry, and tall, rising nearly 10ft out of the surrounding marsh. The mound has a vibrant ecosystem consisting of rosette spoonbills, alligators, and nutria in addition to the local flora.
Vegetation loss at these sites and the delta at large is unfortunate as the roots of the trees and plants are providing integrity to the soils. When they are killed through saltwater intrusion, the mounds begin to slump and erode further in addition to the gradual subsidence. Ongoing analysis of the recent fieldwork will involve shoreline mapping and evaluation of local conditions of land loss at these sites. Part of the broader monitoring program by MRDAM, periodic visits of these sites and others will allow for a nuanced understanding of how these are impacted and at what rate. Being able to measure and quantity impacts to at-risk cultural resources will serve as a baseline for future planning of cultural resource management in the delta.
August 1, 2022
MRDAM begins the project titled “Understanding and Managing the Impacts of Climate Change and Land Loss on Native American Archaeological Sites in Coastal Louisiana” Funding is provided by the USGS, Climate Adaptation Science Center (CASC) Program, South Central CASC. Projects - Climate Adaptation Science Centers (cascprojects.org)
December 2022
Department of Geography and Anthropology, Louisiana State University, announces the project start date and recognizes faculty Dr. Kory Konsoer and Dr. Jill Trepanier. "[Project Title]” Led by G&A Faculty – Kory Konsoer and Jill Trepanier (lsu.edu)
January 15, 2021
Dr. Mark Rees and Tad Britt are interviewed by Shannon Harlow for the Popular Archaeology Magazine. Heritage at Risk – Popular Archeology (popular-archaeology.com)
Britt, Tad, Mark A. Rees, Samuel M. Huey, David J. Watt, and David G. Anderson
2019 A Perfect Storm: Alternative Mitigation Strategies for Louisiana’s Gulf Coast (25752). Paper presented at the Tidally United Summit, Pensacola, FL.
2019 A Perfect Storm: Alternative Mitigation Strategies for Louisiana’s Gulf Coast. Paper presented at the 84th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology Conference, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Britt, Tad, Samuel M. Huey, David J. Watt, Kory Konsoer, and Mark A. Rees
2019 Archaeological and Geomorphic Assessment on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast: A Report on Recent Site Monitoring and Reconnaissance. Paper presented at the 76th Annual Southeastern Archaeological Conference, Jackson, MS.
Britt, Tad, Mark A. Rees, David J. Watt, and Marian Feinberg
2018 Mississippi River Delta Archaeological Mitigation (MRDAM) Project. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Louisiana Archaeological Society, Metairie, Louisiana.
Britt, Tad, Samuel M. Huey, Mark A. Rees, and David J. Watt
2018 MRDAM and Heritage Lost: Cultural Resources Crisis Management and Site Triage on Louisiana’s Coast. Paper presented at the 75th Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Archaeological Conference, Augusta, Georgia.
2018 Shell Middens and the Mississippi River Delta Archaeological Mitigation Project. Paper presented at the 38th Annual Mid-South Archaeological Conference, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Watt, David J.
2020 Risk, Mitigation, and Heritage Loss along Louisiana’s Gulf Coast. Paper presented at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum Lunchtime Lagniappe Series.
Watt, David J., Tad Britt, Mark A. Rees, Kory W. Konsoer, Christopher B. Rodning, Jill C. Trepanier, and Navid Jafari
2022 Interdisciplinary Research, Actionable Science, and Community Engagement: The Mississippi River Delta Archaeological Mitigation Project. Paper presented at the 86th Annual Society for American Archaeology Conference, Chicago, Illinois.
Watt, David J., Tad Britt, Kory Konsoer, Mark A. Rees, and Samuel M. Huey
2020 Archaeological and Geomorphic Assessment on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast: A Report on Recent Site Monitoring and Reconnaissance. Paper presented at the 12th Annual Louisiana Studies Conference, Natchitoches, Louisiana.
Watt, David J., Tad Britt, Mark A. Rees, and M. Feinberg
2019 Mississippi River Delta Archeological Mitigation (MRDAM) Project. National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, National Park Service. Report on file at NCPTT.
Watt, David J., Tad Britt, Samuel M. Huey, Dayna Lee, and Mark A. Rees
2019 From MRGO to MRDAM: Can Archaeologists Mitigate Engineered Disaster on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast? Paper Presented at the 76th Annual Southeastern Archaeological Conference, Jackson, MS.
Britt, Tad, D. J. Watt, M. Rees, K. Konsoer, and S. M. Huey
2020 A perfect storm: An archaeological management crisis in the Mississippi River Delta. Parks Stewardship Forum 36(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.5070/P536146376
Konsoer, Kory, David Watt, Mark Rees, Macy Linton, Tad Britt, and Sam Huey
2022 Using sUAS to Map and Quantify Changes to Native American Archaeological Sites Along Coastal Louisiana Due to Climate Change and Erosion. In sUAS Applications in Geography, edited by Kory Konsoer, M. Leitner, and Q. Lewis, pp. 71-93. Geotechnologies and the Environment, Vol. 24, Jay D. Gatrell, and Ryan R. Jenson, series editors. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-01976-0_4.
Watt, David J., M. Rees, T. Britt, K. Konsoer, and S. M. Huey
2020 Mitigating Engineered Disaster on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast. SAA Archaeological Record 20(5). http://onlinedigeditions.com/publication/?i=680611&p=18&view=issueViewer.
Watt, David J., Tad Britt, Mark A. Rees, and M. Feinberg
2019 Mississippi River Delta Archeological Mitigation (MRDAM) Project. National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, National Park Service. Report on file at NCPTT.