Unearthing Narratives from an Appalachian Hollow: The Benefits of Environmental Mitigation Banking in Cultural Resource Management

Summary

Since the creation of the National Historic Preservation Act, a pairing has developed between environmental and cultural resource management.  Wetland and stream mitigation banking is a common way to offset the environmental impacts of activities permitted under the Clean Water Act.  These projects are intended to create or enhance aquatic resources in order to offset impacts within the same geographic region.  Their location within perpetual conservation easements and need for Section 106 review can lead to the discovery and preservation of archaeological sites.  However, while environmental restoration is driven by financial opportunity, there are no financial drivers for archaeological preservation.  This poster will examine how recent fieldwork at a mitigation bank led to the reconstruction of local events and family narratives across a West Virginia hollow and will call for policies which provide similar financial incentives for the preservation of cultural resources within conservation easements.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Poster Submission 2016   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 807