Part 2

People who have archaeological sites on their land have many ways of protecting the sites. A site covered by natural vegetation usually is camouflaged and has limited access. As long as the owner does not clear the land, disturbance to the site will be minimized. A site already in a cultivated field probably will not suffer significantly from continued plowing at the same depth. Although initial plowing altered artifact relationships in the plow zone, the materials beneath remain well protected.

A landowner who is interested in protecting a site may want to have it recognized by placing it on the Registry of State Cultural Resource Landmarks. The Registry is established as an authoritative guide to the state’s most important archaeological sites. Once a site is placed on the Registry, there is an agreement between the owner and the State of Louisiana to help protect it. This process ensures that important sites will be recognized, preserved, and protected to the maximum extent possible.

A landowner who is unable to protect a site because of plans to plow deeper, cultivate an unplowed area, or do construction, should alert the Division of Archaeology. If he gives enough advance warning, an archaeologist may be able to evaluate the site before the changes begin.

Recently, the tax advantages available to site owners have been clarified. One landowner paid half of the excavation cost at a site on his land and claimed his cost as a tax deduction. Later, he donated the artifacts from the site and also deducted their worth, equivalent to the entire cost of the excavation.

Federal tax incentives also apply to the gift of an important archaeological site to a governmental or nonprofit organization. This donation can be either an outright gift or an easement (in which the owner gives up certain control of the land, but retains ownership). In either case, the transaction qualifies as a charitable contribution for federal income tax, estate tax, and gift tax purposes.

YOU CAN HELP

Most archaeological sites are first discovered not by professional archaeologists, but by ordinary people who live or work near the sites. Usually these people do not know how to report a site to the proper authorities. If you find a site, you can help protect Louisiana’s heritage by letting archaeologists know about it. The Division of Archaeology has prepared a form especially for you to use, and one is in the center of this booklet.

You should fill out the form as completely as possible, without attempting to dig in the site. Mark its location on a map, and photograph the site area. Try to draw the artifacts you see; you don’t need to be an artist, just trace around them on a piece of paper and sketch in any designs. If you find artifacts in a protected area where they are not being disturbed, it is best not to collect them; they may tell an archaeologist a great deal if they are left in place. If, however, you do collect something from the site, be sure to store it carefully with information about exactly where you found it.

Please mail the form, map, photographs, and drawings to the Division of Archaeology. Your information will be carefully reviewed, and added to the permanent file stored in Baton Rouge. A staff archaeologist will write a letter, telling you if the site has been assigned an official state number, and possibly asking for more information. By reporting a site, you will be helping to record the history of the state.

If you want to learn more about Louisiana archaeology, you can enroll in a class at a local university, visit museums, read archaeology books, or tour one of the state archaeological commemorative areas.

You may also want to join the Louisiana Archaeological Society (LAS). The Society’s chapters throughout the state have monthly meetings with programs discussing local and state-wide archaeology. The LAS publishes a quarterly newsletter with information about current research, and an annual bulletin with in-depth reports. Often the LAS chapters also are involved in archaeological survey or excavation. The organization’s members are both professional and avocational archaeologists who come together to advance Louisiana archaeology.

You will also find other opportunities to help protect Louisiana’s heritage throughout the year. You can encourage your elected officials to support legislation protecting sites. You can help friends record and preserve sites on their land. Most importantly, you can explain to others the importance of archaeological sites, and the reasons for preserving them. By doing these things, you will be working with concerned people throughout the state to preserve Louisiana’s legacy for the future.

Your Name ______________________________

Your Address ______________________________ ______________________________

Your Telephone Number ______________________________

Date ______________________________

Additional Comments: ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

Please mail this to:

Division of Archaeology P. O. Box 44247 Baton Rouge, LA 70804

Site Name ______________________________ Parish ______________________________

Instructions for Reaching Site from Nearest Major Road ______________________________ ______________________________

Owner’s Name ______________________________ Owner’s Address ______________________________ ______________________________

Tenant’s Name ______________________________ Tenant’s Address ______________________________ ______________________________

Characteristics of Site: [_] mound(s), [_] scatter of artifacts, [_] shell heap(s), [_] old building(s), [_] other ______________________________

General Site Description ______________________________

Site Size ______________________________

Kinds of Artifacts: [_] projectile points (arrowheads), [_] stone chips, [_] Indian pottery pieces, [_] bones, [_] shells, [_] beads, [_] pieces of old dishes, [_] old bottles, [_] other ______________________________

Estimated Number of Artifacts ______________________________

Present Use of Land ______________________________

Type of Erosion, Development, or Other Site Disturbance ______________________________ ______________________________

People Who Have Collections from the Site:

Name ______________________________ Address ______________________________

Name ______________________________ Address ______________________________

IF POSSIBLE, PLEASE ACCOMPANY THIS FORM WITH A ROAD MAP WITH THE SITE MARKED, PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE SITE, AND SKETCHES OF REPRESENTATIVE ARTIFACTS.

Anthropological Study Series

No. 1 On the Tunica Trail by Jeffrey P. Brain

No. 2 The Caddo Indians of Louisiana, second edition by Clarence H. Webb & Hiram F. Gregory

No. 3 The Role of Salt in Eastern North American Prehistory by Ian Brown

No. 4 El Nuevo Constante by Charles E. Pearson, et al.

No. 5 Preserving Louisiana’s Legacy by Nancy W. Hawkins

No. 6 Louisiana Prehistory by Robert W. Neuman & Nancy W. Hawkins

No. 7 Poverty Point by Jon L. Gibson

No. 8 Bailey’s Dam by Steven D. Smith and George J. Castille III

These publications can be obtained by writing:

Division of Archaeology P. O. Box 44247 Baton Rouge, LA 70804

Transcriber’s Notes

—Silently corrected a few typos.

—Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook is a government public document, and can be freely copied and distributed.

—In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by _underscores_.

End of Project Gutenberg's Preserving Louisiana's Legacy, by Nancy W. Dawkins