The Role of Geophysical Remote Sensing in the Management of Archaeological Resources within the US Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District’s Missouri River Main Stem Dam System

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Crucial Issues in United States Department of Defense Cultural Resources Management " session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District (USACE) has approximately 850,000 acres of land within its jurisdiction. Much of this land is rich in both historic and prehistoric archaeological resources and located on reservoir shoreline that is subject to erosion. Erosion is exacerbated by reservoir level fluctuation and fluctuations are intensified by frequent flood-drought cycling associated with climate change. To abate the destructive effects of erosion on archaeological resources, USACE has spent millions of dollars on bank stabilization and shoreline armoring to protect historic properties. However, with over 6,000 miles of shoreline under Omaha District management and ever-present budgetary concerns, USACE cannot protect every archaeological site. It is essential that significant sites under threat are identified and protected in a timely manner. Traditional phase II testing is invasive and disturbance to these areas creates conflicts within and between Tribal Nations and often fails to provide the information on archaeological deposits necessary to plan effective mitigation. Increasingly, USACE has turned to geophysical remote sensing to establish significance, identify deposit locations, and plan effective mitigation. This presentation will provide an overview of recent experiences and lessons learned in contracting for geophysical remote sensing services rather than traditional phase II testing.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Crucial Issues in United States Department of Defense Cultural Resources Management   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 35953.0