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Three Items from the Interagency Task Force Meeting
A representative of UPAC attended the June 4th meeting of the Interagency Task Force at SHPO and received the following information that may be of use:
Erin Hess, archaeologist for the Sacramento District of the US Army Corps of Engineers is leaving to take a new job with the Bureau of Reclamation. For now, Winston Zack, Division Archaeologist from Albuquerque, will be covering projects in Utah. He can be reached at Winston.S.Zack@usace.army.mil
SHPO is considering adding two checkboxes to Part A, Line 18 of the UASF to improve record-keeping. This is the site condition line. New options would be Subsumed (for sites subsumed under another site number) and Unable to Relocate. These options would allow more precise record-keeping.
Because of recent changes to NAGPRA regulations, the BLM will begin requiring a NAGPRA Plan of Action for any project with the potential to disturb cultural resources. This includes archaeological testing and excavation, and the POA will be required prior to issuance of an ARPA permit. The BLM is currently developing standard operating procedures and templates, so keep an eye out for more information. Similar programs are likely coming from other Federal agencies.
This is a great post, Maisie. Thank you! Once our friends at the BLM develop an SOP and templates, I wonder if we could ask them to provide some training? It could be as simple as a YouTube video that one could watch at their convenience.