Your firm requested that Southeastern Archeological Services conduct an initial assessment of the likelihood of significant cultural resources existing on a 3 2-acre tract of land in Athens-Clarke County Georgia that is owned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The 32 acres is the proposed area of potential effect (APE) for a major reconstruction project for the Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory. You are preparing an Environmental Assessment for the project and one aspect of that assessment is assessing effects of the undertaking on cultural properties that are listed or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. In September of2007 we conducted a cultural resources survey that included a records search and field investigations. As will be detailed in this letter report of our findings, we found that there are no National Register properties, no historic structures (standing structures more than 50 years old), and no known archeological sites in the tract. Furthermore, our surface inspection and shovel testing of the tract indicates that it is extremely unlikely that any archeological sites exist on the tract. The tract is almost entirely steeply sloping or heavily graded for existing buildings. The few remaining areas of undisturbed land contained no sites. We conclude that the proposed reconstruction of the facility will not affect cultural properties eligible for listing on the Register of Historic Places and that no further investigation is warranted.
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