East Base Historic Monument, Stonington Island, Antarctic Peninsula: Part I: A Guide for Management, Part II: Description of the Cultural Resources and Recommendations

Summary

In October 1989 East Base, Stonington Island, Antarctic Peninsula, was designated as a historic monument under the Antarctic Treaty. The monument was described in the treaty as follows:

East Base, Stonington Island (6811S, 67W). Buildings and artifacts and their immediate environs. These structures were erected and used during two U. S. wintering expeditions: the Antarctic Service Expedition (1939-1941) and the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition (1947-1948). The historic area is 1000 meters in the north-south direction (from the beach to Northeast Glacier adjacent to Back Bay and 500 meters in the east-west direction.

The United States, through the National Science Foundation, which manages the site, is mandated by the terms of the agreement to adopt all adequate measures to protect the cultural resources associated with East Base's significant history. With concern for the protection of the East Base Historic Monument as well as the necessity to remove debris and hazardous materials, the National Science Foundation requested the assistance of the National Park Service to prepare recommendations for the management of the site and its environmental cleanup. This report is a result of that cooperative effort. During the austral summer, February and March 1991, National Park Service personnel traveled to Antarctica to prepare a site plan and to assess the cultural resources of East Base and vicinity. Resources and recommendations are discussed in this report. A lengthier discussion of the resources is in East Base Historic Monument, Antarctica, Part II: Description of the Cultural Resources and Recommendations.

Keywords

Temporal Coverage

Calendar Date: 1940 to 1948

Spatial Coverage

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