(The following is a transcription of a Memorandum issued on Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA) letter head a as an addendum to the Phase I guidelines. Number 8 deals with Phase II [National Register Eligibility and Significance Testing] guidelines.)
MEMORANDUM TO:
Illinois Archaeologists and Archaeological Contractors
FROM: Mark E. Esarey, Chief Archaeologist DATE:
December 18, 1996
RE:
SURVEY and REPORTING REQUIREMENTS ADDENDUM (effective
all field work after 1 January 1997)
1. Limit the site location data revealed in maps
and reports to the specific project boundaries. Site location data
is exempt from requests for disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act,
this FOIA exemption exists in both state and federal law. In discussing nearby
sites in the previous work section of the ASSR form or other report, refer
to approximate locations, do not give specific location data for sites outside
the project area. You may NOT provide information about sites outside
of project areas by written description or by map to anyone.
2. It
has come to our attention that several of you have started to do pedestrian
field survey at survey intervals higher than 5 meters. This is
not acceptable quality field work. For field work conducted after
1 January 1997, any report showing pedestrian survey conducted at greater
intervals will be rejected due to inadequate field work. The reject letter
will be sent to the hiring agency of firm and copied to you.
In areas of less than 25% surface
visibility, you must supplement your pedestrian survey with screened shovel
probing in low visibility areas. When surface visibility is less than 10%,
you must switch to screened shovel probing on not greater than 15 meter grid
intervals.
3. At Phase I, a sketch map (base map) of each site is required in New Site Form or Revisit Form. Show local landmarks.
4. Two copies of all final reports are required to be submitted to the SHPO when the project is completed. One copy will be kept on file at the SHPO while the other will be transferred to Nick Klobuchar who keeps the GIS site file at the ISM Collection Center after documents and log numbers have been assigned to it. Nick uses the second copy and our review letter to update the review status of survey areas and sites in the GIS site file.
5. You are required to report as a site any prehistoric or historic cemetery or burial area containing burials over 100 years old and also not Registered with the Comptrollers office (at Thompson Center, Chicago) under the Cemetery Care Act. You should always state in your reports' recommendation section that vandalism to, disturbance to, or excavation of these cemeteries and/or burials is prohibited by the Human Skeletal Remains Protection Act (20 ILCS 3440).
6. You must include historic maps as part of your ASSR and other reports, including as appropriate county plats, county atlases, city fire insurance maps, GLO maps (especially in the northern 1/3 of the state), etc. In general we want to see the oldest map for the project area that shows structures (or other eary historic period sites or early land claim boundaries), and then newer maps as appropriate to show continued presence of, disturbance to, or abandonment of potential sites.
7. Geomorphology. To supplement what is said in the Survey and Report Guidelines about this, you must check for buried deposits on floodplains of ALL major rivers where floodplains are over 1/2 mile wide. You of course do not have to do this in disturbed areas or in naturally low areas such as sloughs, abandoned channels, and wetland, but should document these conditions by map or reference to geological report. Remember to check for loess fall buried sites too, especially in the western counties.
8. Stopping
Phase II field work after locating a single cultural feature
is not acceptable, your report will be rejected. Phase II should always determine
the density and distribution of artifacts and density and distribution of
features across the ENTIRE site, as well as occupation age(s) and probable
function(s) of site. A site with a total of only a few features may not necessarily
be eligible for the National Register. You should always excavate a sample
of several features at Phase II, but not any feature that is likely to be
a burial. Phase II report recommending NR eligibility MUST state WHAT DATA
site is likely to yield.
Mechanical checking for features
after gridded surface collection (not greater 10m by 10m units) is almost
always acceptable on plowed sites. We recommend stripping about 100 sq. meters
in at least 4 spatially separated blocks for sites less than 2000 sq. meters
(1/2 acre) in size, 200 sq. meters in not less than 6 spatially separated
blocks for sites less that 8000 sq. meters (2 acres), and about 2% of site
for larger sites. You should always place one block at either highest density
area or location of diagnostics commonly associated with features. Short Testing
forms are only acceptable when a site is recommended as not eligible. Sketch
maps are not acceptable as site base maps Phase II or Phase III.
9. Photographs of buildings should be full frame and must be cross referenced to map data accompanying ASSR or other report. No Photocopies of Photos in original copy to SHPO. Any building eligibility evaluations must be done by persons meeting 36 CFR part 51, Appendix A as a Historian or Architectural Historian.