Moderator: Cindy Stankowski, Acting Director, San Diego Archaeological Center, San Diego,
    CA
 

Stanley C. Bond, Jr., Ph.D., US Army Environmental Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground,
    Aberdeen, MD

The Department of Defense owns or leases over 25 million acres of land essential to maintaining its mission of military readiness. Army lands alone contain over 32,000 known archeological sites; 7,961 are eligible for or are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Activities on DoD lands include typical mission requirements such as military training and weapons testing along with civilian activities such as grazing and timber harvesting. Compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act has required numerous archeological site inventories, evaluations and data recovery projects across the full spectrum of DoD installations and these projects will continue into the foreseeable future. All this is meant to illustrate that artifact holdings from DoD installations are quite significant and will continue to grow. In many instances collections from a single installation are scattered among several entities located off post.

In most cases DoD collections are not curated to the standards set in 36 CFR 79. Beginning in 19-- DoD took an active role in assessing its archeological collections and developing guidelines for appropriate and long-term collections management. This session is intended to present DoD and specific Services programs designed to bring archeological collections into compliance with 36 CFR 79.

SUMMARY OF PAPERS AND PROGRAMS

The DoD Archeological Collections Management session contains two types of presentations. The first four papers will detail current initiatives intended to meet DoD needs for archeological collections management. These programs are being carried out by the Mandatory Center for Archeological Curation and Collections Management, St. Louis District, Army Corp of Engineers and directed by Dr. Sonny Trimble. Dr. Trimble and Ms. Toni Patton-Miller of the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense, Environmental Security will present the first paper outlining the overall DoD curation strategy. The primary collections management strategy consists of assessing DoD archeological collections and associated records and evaluating archeological collections repositories as potential DoD curation partnerships. Many of the components of the DoD Strategy have been adopted by the Army in the newly published Army Regulation 200-4, Cultural Resources Management and associated guidance document Army Pamphlet 200-4, Cultural Resources Management. Specifically, Army policy is for installations to establish partnerships with professional curation facilities for the management of their archeological collections. As this paper will demonstrate, the partnership strategy produces a significant savings while providing professional curation for Army archeological collections.

The primary basis of the DoD Archeological Collections Management strategy consists of determining what constitutes DoD archeological collections. DoD collections are currently defined as those archeological collections held by the Army, Navy, Air Force, National Guard, and Army Corp of Engineers. The first step in managing archeological collections and associated records is determining the volume of collections, where the collections are located, and their present condition. Therefore the first project initiated was an inventory of DoD archeological collections. This project is scheduled to be completed in December of 1999. Ms. Kelly Wissehr, Mr. Kenneth Shingleton and Mr. Eugene Marino will discuss the inventory methodology and current status of the project.

Along with partnerships and an archeological collections inventory DoD is establishing curation guidelines and a field collection strategy. This effort began with the development of curation guidelines, protocols for artifact storage, and a draft standard curation agreement that could be used by installations with professional curation partners. These documents were funded by the US Army Environmental Center and created by the Mandatory Center for Archeological Curation and Collections Management. DoD is building on these documents to produce DoD-wide guidance for archeological collections management. Dr. Suzanne Griset and Mr. Marc Kodack will present on this on-going program.

The final DoD-level paper will cover the analysis of database needs for DoD collections. The size, extent, diversity, and broad location of DoD archeological collections requires that the military establish some form of intellectual control over these materials. Appropriate management of collections data will facilitate the use of collections by researchers, museums, educators, and the installations themselves. The paper presented by Ms. Teresa Militello and Ms. Natalie Drew will cover the preliminary findings of this project.

Two papers in this session cover specific strategies for maintaining and managing archeological collections. The fist outlines the Army efforts at inventorying NAGPRA-related materials in its collections. This program was carried out in cinque with the overall DoD collections inventory. Collections in all 50 states were examined and Section 5 and 6 Reports were completed for all Army installations. A significant outgrowth of this effort was the important positive community feelings engendered by the Army. Specifically, the completion of the NAGPRA inventory fostered better relationships between the army and Native peoples across the United States. The use of this collections for broader community support is an important example of how archeological collections can be an asset rather than a liability to installations and DoD. Dr. David Guldenzopf, Chief of the Cultural resources Section, Army Environmental Center, will present this paper for Lee Foster.

The final paper is an example project on the use of partnership arrangements for the benefit of archeological collections management. Collections from the Naval Air Station, North Island, San Diego, CA have been successfully repackaged and cataloged to 36 CFR 79 standards. The process made extensive use of professional curation partners. Benefits include cost-effective storage and greater access to collections. Mr. Andy Yatsko will detail this project in his paper.

The end of the session is reserved for discussion and audience questions and comments. Dr. David Guldenzopf will act as moderator. Everyone is encouraged to contribute. Your comments and concerns will help guide DoD efforts in the area of collections management. The First Paper.

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM

As the largest land manager in the Department of Defense, the U.S. Army is responsible for over 12 million acres of land across the United States. These lands are critical to the Army=s mission and it=s ability to maintain a well trained fighting force. However, the U.S. Army recognizes its role as steward of the land it manages and the importance of protecting these lands for use by future generations. An important aspect of this stewardship role is the custodial care of a wide variety of Native People=s (Native Americans, Native Hawaiians and Native Alaskans) cultural resources located on this land, in the Army=s possession, or affected by its activities.

On November 16, 1990, Public Law 101-601, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) was signed into law. NAGPRA was implemented for two basic purposes: to protect the graves and sacred sites of Native Peoples and to ensure that human remains, artifacts from graves and certain other artifacts, held by Federal agencies and museums, would be returned to appropriate Native Peoples. Since many of the Army=s installations are located near current or former ancestral homelands of Native Peoples, complying with NAGPRA became a major responsibility. Sections 5 and 6 of NAGPRA outline specific requirements for every Army installation including: 1) identification of human remains and associated funerary objects, 2) review of archeological investigations conducted on their property and location of cultural items that may have been generated by these efforts; (3) assessment of cultural items for NAGPRA-related items; (4) identification of and consultation with potentially culturally affiliated Native tribes or descendants, and (5) preparation of appropriate compliance documents. NAGPRA set deadlines for completing the collections summaries required by Section 6 and the physical inventories required by Section 5.

Few federal agencies had sufficient funding or expertise to meet these deadlines. The Army with its large number of installations and vast land holdings was no exception. In fact, many Army installations did not have the professional cultural resource managers on staff or the resources to hire expertise to manage such an effort. Given a clear mandate to comply and the the deadlines established, the Army needed an innovative, efficient and cost effective program to ensure all Army installations met their responsibilities and were complying with both the letter and intent of the law. The U.S. Army Environmental Center, the Army agency responsible for implementing Army environmental and cultural resource policies, undertook the task to create such a program. Working closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mandatory Center of Expertise for the Curation and Management of Archaeological Collections at the St. Louis District, a highly successful, centrally funded and managed, nation-wide program was created. This program minimized bureaucracy, took maximum advantage of economies of scale and cost-effective contracting and utilized partnerships with other public and private organizations. The end result was a program designed to ensure full compliance; provide accurate, consistent and comparable information, and serve as the groundwork for a more consistent and open Native Peoples policy for the Army.

PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS

In less than 2 years collections from almost 180 installations were fully surveyed and brought into compliance with NAGPRA. Additionally 37,737 archeological site records and 2062 reports were reviewed. The end result is Army-wide NAGPRA compliance, up-to-date information on the Army=s archeological collections to be used to prepare a comprehensive plan to bring them into full compliance with other federal regulations, and improved Army-wide consultation and dialog with Native Peoples. The Army=s NAGPRA and Native People=s Program is recognized as the most successful, far-reaching and comprehensive in DOD, if not the federal government as a whole.

NATURAL RESOURCE CONSERVATION

The protection of Cultural Resources, especially those involving Native Peoples, is an important part of the United State=s and the U.S. Army=s natural and cultural resource management effort. Indeed, the preservation of Native People=s culture and protection of their sacred sites is a national priority as well as an important element in maintaining our American heritage. The creation of the Army=s NAGPRA and Native Peoples programs provided a comprehensive means to ensure the protection and dignity of these sites, the protection of the rights of Native Peoples for access to these sites and to ensure compliance with the law. The creation of this program is not the end of the process. Many challenges remain, especially in the area of ensuring access to these sites while maintaining the Army=s ability to train our forces and conduct the missions given to us by the American people. However, the mechanism is now in place to resolve these issues and to foster honest and open dialog with Native Peoples.

ECONOMIC PROGRESS

The implementation of this program is estimated to have saved the Army over $3 million dollars. Using economies of scale; centralized technical expertise; and partnerships with numerous archaeological and historical preservation organizations, museums and Native Peoples= organizations, the U.S. Army was able to achieve an estimated savings of over $18,000-$22,000 per installation for this work. Additionally, the data and information collected proved to be of much higher quality and usefulness than would have been expected if installations had undertaken this effort on an individual basis. Over 120 NAGPRA Section 5 and Section 6 reports have been generated that are at a high level of professionalism and consistency. Installations have initiated government-to-government consultations with many Indian tribes for the purpose of repatriating these items that are so important to the cultural survival of many tribes.

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

A critical outcome of the Army=s NAGPRA compliance program is the creation of a comprehensive Army-wide Native Peoples program. During the initial research phase of the NAGPRA Program over 200 different Native Peoples groups were contacted by the Army. These contacts laid the foundation for further communication and discussions and opened a dialog on issues important to Native Peoples and to the Army. As a result, all appropriate groups are being invited to consult with the Army on matters regarding NAGPRA and other issues of mutual interest to the Army and Native Peoples. For the last two years the Army has sponsored a national Army/Native Peoples Cultural Resources Workshop. This workshop brought together over 150 representatives from Native Peoples groups and the Army to learn more about each other and to discuss issues of mutual importance. Some specific items discussed included: consultation issues involving traditional cultural properties; sacred sites identification, evaluations, treatments and access; and NAGPRA. These workshops significantly improved communications between Army installation personnel, Native People representatives and senior Army leadership. They were also extremely successful in providing the opportunity to compare perspectives and to foster a mechanism to discuss and resolve remaining issues.

BOTTOM LINE:

A highly successful, cost effective, Army-wide compliance project has been further developed into an agency-wide program that recognizes the contributions of Native Peoples to this nation's history and future, while supporting the critical military mission of the Army.
 

Dr. Michael K. Trimble, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis, MO
Toni Patton-Miller, Deputy Undersecretary of Defense, Environmental Security, Washington, D.C.

The Department of Defense (DoD) has collected archaeological materials from federal lands for decades. These collections are a non-renewable resource that document our country=s prehistory and history. DoD is the permanent steward of these important collections, and as such, is developing a long-term strategy for continued care and public access to these materials.

To this end, the U.S. Army Engineer District, St. Louis= Mandatory Center of Expertise for the Curation and Management of Archaeological Collections (MCX-CMAC) has assigned the task of locating and documenting collections from all branches of DoD, including Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, National Guard, and the Corps of Engineers. To date, inventories have been completed or are nearing completion in 30 states documenting a total of approximately 66,855 cubic feet of artifacts and 4,952 linear feet of records. This presentation will detail the process MCX-CMAC follows to ensure accurate and detailed information on the location, content, extent, and curatorial condition of DoD collections.

By way of summary, the following can be said. The current condition of many of these collections is substandard. Once all the collections are located and assessed, it will be necessary to find facilities that meet the curatorial standards outlined in federal laws and regulations for archaeological materials. In order to determine what facilities would be adequate for the task, the MCX-CMAC is in the process of documenting potential curation partners across the country. To date, 71 repositories in 33 states have been visited as potential curation partners. These visits are slated to be complete by January 2000. There are several nationwide options for implementing this program. These options are discussed, and the advantages and disadvantages of each are enumerated.

Kelly Wissehr, Kenneth Shingleton, and Eugene Marino, US Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis,
    MO

Since the early twentieth century, Federal laws and regulations have directed that Federal archaeological collections be properly curated for the benefit of the public. Adequate funding and management for this goal have not been forthcoming, however. In response to this, and under the direction of the DoD Legacy Program, in 1991 the US Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District, began implementing a standardized approach to locate and assess DoD collections. To date, the St. Louis District has evaluated the nature, extent and condition of more than 11,777 cubic feet of archaeological materials and 1920 linear feet of associated documentation.
 

Suzanne Griset and Marc Kodack, US Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis, MO

From Paleoindian to Cold War materials, DoD has some of the most significant archaeological collections in North America. In an effort to manage efficiently these collections and to streamline the acquisition of new materials, DoD, the US Army Environmental Center, and the St. Louis District are developing field collection and curation guidelines. The guidelines, through the use of intensive preliminary land-use research, scientifically based field sampling procedures, and the use of professional collections management services, will provide the first integrated approach to the long-term curation of the DoD=s archaeological collections.
 
 

 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CURATION DATABASE REQUIREMENTS
Teresa Militello and Natalie Drew, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis, MO

National curation assessments have documented that Department of Defense (DoD) archaeological collection management has been inconsistent and inadequate. DoD has addressed this problem by initiating the Department of Defense/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Curation Options Program. This initiative will identify facilities and institutions interested in entering into a partnership with DoD for long-term collections care.

The U.S. Army Engineer District, St. Louis is going to identify the requirements of an electronic information management system to be used to manage the huge volume of information associated with these collections. This study will assess the current requirements of DoD, government agencies, and institutions electronic information management systems. The project will identify and test three off-the-shelf systems using DoD archaeological collections data. An in-depth discussion on the applicability of the use of each of these systems as a nationwide curation database will be provided to DoD.

Lee Foster, US Army Environmental Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Aberdeen, MD

As the largest land manager in DoD, the US Army is responsible for over 12 million acres of land across the United States. Recognizing the Army=s stewardship role, in 1995 the US Army Environmental Center contracted the St. Louis District to begin a centrally funded NAGPRA inventory for all of its US installations. In less than two years, collections from almost 108 installations were fully surveyed and brought into compliance with NAGPRA. Additionally, 37,737 archaeological site records and 2062 reports were reviewed. The end result is Army-wide NAGPRA compliance, up-to-date information on the Army=s archaeological collections, and improved Army-wide consultation and dialogue with Native peoples.
 

Andy Yatsko, Cultural Resources Manager, Naval Air Station, North Island, San Diego, CA

Since the mid-1980s, the Naval Air Station (NAS), North Island Cultural Resources Management Program (CRMP) has implemented programs to progressively improve the curation of its San Clemente Island (SCLI) archaeological collections for compliance with Federal law and regulation. Well before the Navy formulated a comprehensive curation plan, and prior to promulgation of 36 CFR Part 79, the CRMP proactively addressed this administrative responsibility by developing cooperative curation agreements with institutions holding SCLI collections.

Beginning in 1993, this initiative took the form of a Legacy Demonstration Project to upgrade all its administered collections in the Southern California region to meet 36 CFR Part 79 standards. Starting with the University of California, Los Angeles Fowler Museum of Cultural History=s 600 ft. collection, this program has successfully repackaged and, where necessary, recatalogued SCLI collections held in seven regional universities and museums. Besides the Fowler Museum, these include California State University, Northridge; the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County; the Southwest Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara; San Diego State University; and the San Diego Museum of Man. Collectively, this effort has brought all these NAS North Island-administered archaeological collections into a common standard of archival-quality packaging, with a common artifact nomenclature and standard electronic database format. Because of the CRMP=s history of academic research and collaborations with the various institutions, the collections upgrading process proved very cost-effective. It also produced important mutual benefits, including making these collections more accessible to academic and contracted research.