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Right Whale Paper Published

A paper by GMI marine scientists Amy Whitt, Kathleen Dudzinski, and Jennifer Laliberté has been published in the journal Endangered Species Research. The authors summarize right whale sightings and acoustic data collected from the first year-round study dedicated to marine mammals in New Jersey’s nearshore waters.

Cultural Resources TxDOT Win

The Cultural Resources group of the GMI Environmental Services Division was awarded an Archeological General Services contract by the Texas Department of Transportation in February. One of four awardees, GMI will be involved in archeological survey, test excavations for National Register eligibility determinations, and data recovery projects across the state of Texas.

Biological Inventory Study for Melrose AFR

GMI wildlife biologists, in conjunction with Cannon AFB and Melrose AFR, initiated surveys for a Biological Inventory Study of a 10,968 acre area of land gifted to Melrose AFR by the state of New Mexico.

GMI to Support Fishermen's Energy with Environmental Impact Efforts

As part of the Energy Department's broader efforts to launch an offshore wind industry in the United States, GMI will support the Fishermen's Energy team with R&D for the advancement of traditional thermal and video imaging systems related to the assessment of nocturnal animal (bird, bat) occurrence, strikes and behavior around offshore wind turbines.

GMI Researchers Contribute to Texas Archaeological Literature

Nancy Kenmotsu is a co-editor and author of a new book published by Texas A&M University Press: The Toyah Phase of Central Texas: Late Prehistoric Economic and Social Processes. The volume is about the hunter-gatherers living in central Texas from AD 1300 – 1700.

Estabrook Heads Cultural Resources Dept.

Following 20+ years working as a Project/Program Manager for several of the largest cultural resources firms in Florida, Rich Estabrook has joined GMI as Cultural Resources Program Manager in the Plano corporate office.

Cultural Resources

Archeological Investigations • Human Osteology • Historic Architecture • Ethnography •
3D Laser Scanning • Public Outreach

Ethnography

Ethnographic research has moved to a more prominent position within cultural resources management studies due to the enactment of AIRFA and NAGPRA, the issuance of Executive Order 13007 (Indian Sacred Sites), and the political activism of Native Americans.

Documenting traditional cultural properties, assessing the potential impacts of proposed federal actions on sacred sites and traditional cultural properties, and determining cultural affiliation require the skills of an ethnographer. Equally important is an approach that is both sensitive to the subject community and focused on an objective assessment of the data. Our team has experience in:

Ethnographic analysis
Traditional cultural property research
Lineal descent/cultural affiliation
Oral histories
Native American Graves Protection Repatriation Act compliance

PORTFOLIO

Fort Sill Apache Prisoner-of-War Experience, Voicing Other Voices

Members of the Apache tribe The Apache prisoner-of-war project, funded by the Legacy Program, was a unique study combining the results of ethnographic, ethnohistorical, and archaeological investigations. Historical/archival investigations were conducted at several repositories, including the National Archives and Records Administration and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Ethnographic data were collected, and interviews were conducted with six former prisoners of war, who were living at the time of this project, and with 10 first-generation descendants. Archaeological recording of the former sites of the villages was conducted.

A close working relationship with members of the Chiricahua/Warm Springs Fort Sill Apache Tribe and employment of a tribal member as a consultant and researcher culminated in both an extensive, in-depth analysis of an event that had previously received little scholarly attention and the preservation of historic sites important in the history of U.S./Native American interaction. The project’s primary purpose was to nominate the 12 former Apache prisoner-of-war village sites (identified through archival and archaeological research conducted by GMI) at Fort Sill Military Reservation for inclusion in the NRHP.

Environmental Assessment for Proposed Establishment of IR-323

Ethnographic and ethnohistorical research was conducted to determine the existence and potential impact to traditional cultural properties (TCPs) and sacred sites of a proposed military flight (bomber) training corridor across central Utah. After ethnohistorical research, consultations were arranged with members of the Paiute and Ute tribes to solicit their concern for TCPs and sacred sites. Subsequent consultations were arranged between representatives of Air Combat Command and members of the Paiute and Ute tribes. The successful implementation of the consultation and early input from Native American tribes enabled Air Combat Command, the Paiute, and Ute to establish an alternative training corridor that was less likely to impact areas of concern to the Paiute and Ute, yet still meet the needs of Air Combat Command.

Historic Ranch Oral History

The primary objective of this project was to document the history of ranching families associated with historic sites located on Holloman AFB. The project involved accumulating a comprehensive list of pre-military historic sites on Holloman AFB and associating their location with pre-1942 grazing allotment boundaries. Based on these and archival data, local informants who were associated with these historic properties were located and interviewed (audio and video) to learn about the early ranching and farming history of the Tularosa Basin and the material remains these activities left behind. These data were then used to re-evaluate the NRHP eligibility of previously recorded historic sites on Holloman AFB.