Archeology

Archeological sites are an important component to fostering a sense of our national identity and mutual experience.

The Ottery Group strives to advance our understanding of the past through a research-oriented approach, balancing the need for development with the requirements for understanding and conserving important cultural resources.

Each state has established procedures for conducting archeological investigations and reporting the findings. Typically, Phase I cultural resource management identification surveys are required to locate, document, and record archeological sites, historic standing structures, and other types of cultural resources. The scope of work to conduct a Phase I survey typically includes a site walk-over and the excavation of subsurface tests to document the presence or absence of artifacts and to identify whether or not archeological sites are present on a development tract.

Phase II evaluation studies are conducted to assess the integrity, research potential, and relative importance of cultural resources in order to present options for project planning and to provide preservation or management recommendations, if warranted. Phase II evaluations may develop from archeological sites identified through the Phase I investigation, or as a result of known archeological sites within a project area. Typically, a Phase II involves additional subsurface testing to identify the boundaries of the site and the excavation of larger excavation units to gather sufficient data to document the site characteristics and to evaluate the significance of the archeological site.

If an archeological site is considered to be significant, consultation with the State Historic Preservation Officer and the project planners may be required to determine if the archeological site can be avoided or otherwise preserved in place. When avoidance is not possible, the mitigation of impacts may be conducted through the documentation of the archeological site.

The Ottery Group effectively implements theoretical and academic approaches at a practical level. The firm’s services are directed at meeting the regulatory requirements associated with a planned undertaking, while ensuring that stakeholders can make informed decisions, and with a goal of managing project risk and cost to our clients.