At the Precipice of Change: 50 years of Underwater Resource Management at the Texas Historical Commission

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Perspectives on the Future, and the Past, of Underwater Archaeology in the Cultural Resource Management Industry" , at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

With one of the earliest state-level underwater programs in the nation, the Texas Historical Commission’s (THC) Marine Archeology Program (MAP) has been a leader in underwater regulatory management and guidance for 50 years. In resource management, changes in industry development and technology (and expectations) often necessitate change and adaptation in management perspectives, agency guidance, and requirements for investigative methods. The MAP has evolved and transitioned during the last half century to meet such challenges in response to federal and state policy implementation/augmentation, shifting industry priorities, and, importantly, innovations in archeological data collection and interpretation. This paper examines the historic role of the THC MAP in developing effective statewide policies and its ongoing endeavor to forecast, improve, and expand effective underwater management practices. Such work is directed at maximizing site detection, protection, and management and streamlining coordination/consultation with regulatory partners, contract archeological firms, corporate entities, and other such stakeholders.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Perspectives on the Future, and the Past, of Underwater Archaeology in the Cultural Resource Management Industry   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2022

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology