Jackson Group is currently contracted by URS through a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) solicitation to undertake a cultural resources monitoring project in the city of Blountsville, Florida. This project was requested prior to the construction of a 48-inch reinforced concrete pipe with a headwall at each end. Ground disturbance was anticipated to be confined to existing roadways and adjacent stream beds; however, due to the potential for disturbance to previously undisturbed ground close to waterways, the Tribal Historic Preservation Office (THPO) for the Seminole Tribe of Florida requested archaeological monitoring during ground disturbing activities. To conduct this project Jackson Group is conducting limited amount of research with the Florida Division of Historical Resources (DHR) which serves as the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). The project is lead by an archaeological monitor who exceeds the Secretary of the Interiors standards for archaeology. This project is NEPA and NHPA compliant.
Due to the history of the area, a material which encountered throughout the course of the project is projected to include cultural material from late paleoIndian through the Spanish colonial occupation to turpentine industry of the late 19th and early 20th century. Any and all materials encountered throughout the survey will be brought to the 400 sq. ft. artifact laboratory at Jackson Group to be cleaned, photographed and analyzed prior to being handed to the client. In the event human remains are encountered, an existing unexpected finds policy would is enacted, including tribal consultation with appropriate nations involved.
