Battling the Rising Sea: Investigation and Protection of Turtle Mound, Castle Windy and Seminole Rest Shell Mound Sites

Summary

Massive shell midden mounds were once common in the Canaveral region, but since the 1880s an estimated 68% of these sites have been destroyed. The shell mounds preserved within Canaveral National Seashore include one of North America’s tallest shell mounds (Turtle Mound), one of the last remaining vestiges of an extensive shell mound culture that inhabited the region. Recent investigations of Turtle Mound, Castle Windy and Seminole Rest inform about interactions and influences between people, environment, coastal landscapes, and climate change (past, present and future). Unfortunately, these sites are undergoing severe erosion due to sea-level rise and climate change impacts. The development of a successful program combining ecosystem restoration, living shorelines and soft stabilization techniques to protect sites is presented, recognizing that a key component to this success is youth and civic engagement, and public outreach for community support.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage