The Archaeological Conservancy
Encyclopedia
The Archaeological Conservancy is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that acquires and preserves archaeological sites in the United States. Whereas nearly every other nation protects all archaeological sites within its borders as part of its national patrimony, in the United States archaeological resources on private land are the private property of the landowner. As a result archaeological sites in the United States are subject to destruction by urban development and sprawl, mechanized agricultural and land-leveling, and commercial looting to fuel the antiquities trade. By the 1970s the extent of archaeological site loss was increasing recognized as a crisis for the scientific study of the nation's past.
; and archaeologist Steven A. LeBlanc
using $300,000 in start-up funds from the Rockefeller Brothers Foundation and the Ford Foundation. The organization received a boost in stature and fund-raising ability in 1982 when former Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall
joined its board of directors, where he served until his death in 2010.
The organization is headquartered in Albuquerque
, New Mexico
, but also operates regional offices in Mississippi
, Maryland
, Ohio
, and California
. In 2010 it reported a membership of about 23,000.
The Archaeological Conservancy uses the nation's private property laws to protect archaeological sites. Typically it buys the land encompassing the sites, stabilizes the site to protect against erosion and other natural degradation, and prepares a management plan to guide the use of the property as an archaeological research preserve. The organization works closely with amateur and professional archaeologists, particularly State Historic Preservation Offices to identify sites worthy of acquisition. Funding for the organization comes from membership dues, individual contributions, corporations and foundations.
s. Andrews Ranch Ruin and Candelaria Pueblo are outliers of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. The former was transferred to the Bureau of Land Management
, and the latter has been incorporated into El Malpais National Monument
. The Archaeological Conservancy owns three parcels at Cahokia Mounds, Illinois. The Fingerhut tract is an area of Cahokia that may have included the workshop for basalt figurine production. The Powell tract contains the remnants of the Powell Mound, the marker mound for the western boundary of the site, and Cahokia Mound 1 may have been the marker mound for the eastern boundary. In addition The Archaeological Conservancy acquired then transferred to Hopewell Culture National Historical Park
major portions of the Hopewell Mound Group and the High Bank Earthworks, which along with other Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks are on the World Heritage Conventions tentative list.
The Archaeological Conservancy has preserved seven National Historic Landmarks. The ruins of Mission Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi
, and 18th century Spanish Mission in southern Arizona, were transferred to the National Park Service and incorporated into Tumacácori National Historical Park
. The Lamoka Lake site
, New York provided the evidence establishing the existence of a pre-agricultural culture in the Northeastern United States. The Silver Mound Archaeological District
, Wisconsin preserves the remains of a complex of quarry pits and associated lithic workshops where Native Americans mined Hixton Orthoquartzite over several millennia. The New Philadelphia Town Site
is the original site of the first town in the United States platted and registered by an African-American. The Jaketown Site
in Mississippi, preserves a mound and village center associated with the Poverty Point culture
. Watson Brake
, Louisiana, has provided the earliest evidence of mound-building in the prehistoric United States. The Archaeological Conservancy transferred its portion of the site to the state of Louisiana.
History, organization and means of operation
The Conservancy was established in 1979 by Mark Michel, who continues to serve as its president; California businessman Jay LastJay Last
Jay T. Last is a silicon pioneer and a member of the so-called Traitorous Eight that founded Silicon Valley.He was born in 1929 in Butler, Pennsylvania. He earned his bachelor's degree in Optics at the University of Rochester in 1951 and his Ph.D...
; and archaeologist Steven A. LeBlanc
Steven A. LeBlanc
Steven A. LeBlanc is an American archaeologist and director of collections at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University's Peabody Museum....
using $300,000 in start-up funds from the Rockefeller Brothers Foundation and the Ford Foundation. The organization received a boost in stature and fund-raising ability in 1982 when former Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall
Stewart Udall
Stewart Lee Udall was an American politician. After serving three terms as a congressman from Arizona, he served as Secretary of the Interior from 1961 to 1969, under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B...
joined its board of directors, where he served until his death in 2010.
The organization is headquartered in Albuquerque
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, but also operates regional offices in Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. In 2010 it reported a membership of about 23,000.
The Archaeological Conservancy uses the nation's private property laws to protect archaeological sites. Typically it buys the land encompassing the sites, stabilizes the site to protect against erosion and other natural degradation, and prepares a management plan to guide the use of the property as an archaeological research preserve. The organization works closely with amateur and professional archaeologists, particularly State Historic Preservation Offices to identify sites worthy of acquisition. Funding for the organization comes from membership dues, individual contributions, corporations and foundations.
Notable acquisitions
The Archaeological Conservancy has preserved portions of two World Heritage SiteWorld Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
s. Andrews Ranch Ruin and Candelaria Pueblo are outliers of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. The former was transferred to the Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
, and the latter has been incorporated into El Malpais National Monument
El Malpais National Monument
El Malpais National Monument is a National Monument located in western New Mexico, in the Southwestern United States. The name El Malpais is from the Spanish term Malpaís, meaning badlands, due to the extremely barren and dramatic volcanic field that covers much of the park's area.-Geography:The El...
. The Archaeological Conservancy owns three parcels at Cahokia Mounds, Illinois. The Fingerhut tract is an area of Cahokia that may have included the workshop for basalt figurine production. The Powell tract contains the remnants of the Powell Mound, the marker mound for the western boundary of the site, and Cahokia Mound 1 may have been the marker mound for the eastern boundary. In addition The Archaeological Conservancy acquired then transferred to Hopewell Culture National Historical Park
Hopewell Culture National Historical Park
Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, formerly known as Mound City Group National Monument, is a United States national historical park with earthworks and burial mounds from the Hopewell culture, indigenous peoples who flourished from about 200 BC to AD 500. The park is composed of five...
major portions of the Hopewell Mound Group and the High Bank Earthworks, which along with other Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks are on the World Heritage Conventions tentative list.
The Archaeological Conservancy has preserved seven National Historic Landmarks. The ruins of Mission Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi
Mission Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi
Mission Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi was founded by Jesuit missionary Fathers Kino and Salvatierra in 1691 as La Misión de San Gabriel de Guevavi, a district headquarters in what is now Arizona, near Tumacácori...
, and 18th century Spanish Mission in southern Arizona, were transferred to the National Park Service and incorporated into Tumacácori National Historical Park
Tumacácori National Historical Park
Tumacácori National Historical Park is located in the upper Santa Cruz River Valley of southern Arizona. The park protects the ruins of three Spanish mission communities, two of which are National Historic Landmark sites, and it also contains the Tumacácori Museum, a historic landmark building...
. The Lamoka Lake site
Lamoka Site
Lamoka is an archaeological site near Tyrone, in Schuyler County, New York, USA that was named a National Historic Landmark in 1961. According to the National Park Service, "This site provided the first clear evidence of an Archaic hunting and gathering culture in the Northeastern United States...
, New York provided the evidence establishing the existence of a pre-agricultural culture in the Northeastern United States. The Silver Mound Archaeological District
Silver Mound Archeological District
Silver Mound is a sandstone hill in Wisconsin where American Indians quarried quartzite for stone tools. Tools made from Silver Mound's quartzite have been found as far away as Kentucky. The oldest have been dated to around 11,000 years ago, so they provide clues about the first people in Wisconsin...
, Wisconsin preserves the remains of a complex of quarry pits and associated lithic workshops where Native Americans mined Hixton Orthoquartzite over several millennia. The New Philadelphia Town Site
New Philadelphia Town Site
The New Philadelphia Town Site is the original site of the now-vanished town of "New Philadelphia", Illinois. It is located near the city of Barry, in Pike County. Founded in 1836, it was the first town in the United States platted and registered by an African American before the American Civil War...
is the original site of the first town in the United States platted and registered by an African-American. The Jaketown Site
Jaketown Site
Jaketown Site is an archaeological site with two prehistoric earthwork mounds in Humphreys County, Mississippi, United States. While the mounds have not been excavated, distinctive pottery sherds found in the area lead scholars to date the mounds' construction and use to the Mississippian culture...
in Mississippi, preserves a mound and village center associated with the Poverty Point culture
Poverty Point culture
Poverty Point culture is an archaeological culture that corresponds to an ancient group of Indigenous peoples who inhabited the area of the lower Mississippi Valley and surrounding Gulf coast from about 2200 BCE - 700 BCE...
. Watson Brake
Watson Brake
Watson Brake is an archaeological site in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana from the Archaic period. Dated to about 5400 years ago , Watson Brake is considered the earliest mound complex in North America. It is the earliest dated, complex construction in the Americas...
, Louisiana, has provided the earliest evidence of mound-building in the prehistoric United States. The Archaeological Conservancy transferred its portion of the site to the state of Louisiana.