Monitoring and Predicting the Movement and Degradation of Cultural Resources Through Active Public Participation

Summary

Scattered near the coastline of Assateague Island, along the Maryland/Virginia border, hundreds of ships met their demise through harsh weather conditions and treacherous shoals. Similar environmental factors have allowed archaeologists to document these sites through the establishment of a Historic Wreck Tagging Program. The author, working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, developed and implemented a system to track the degradation and movement of shipwreck timbers as a means to manage cultural resources through public participation. Each timber is documented and given a tag, which contains a quick response (QR) code and web address that the public can easily assess. This technological feature sends a digital form from which real time data acquisition is provided to archaeologists. As a result, the author has been able to conceptualize formation processes and predict potential site locations.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Practicing Maritime Cultural Resource Management: Directives for Assessment, Active Conservation in situ, Partial Excavations, and Public Stewardship   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 595