Fort Stewart & Hunter Army Airfield Cultural Resources Management Annual Report

The Fort Stewart & Hunter Army Airfield Cultural Resources Management Report: Fiscal Year 2012 (Annual Report) was developed in accordance with a Programmatic Agreements (PA) between the Installation and the Georgia State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) regarding compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). The PA, executed and in effect since May 13, 2011, is key to the efficient management of cultural resources by the Installation. The PA documents the procedures necessary to allow for the streamlining of project review under Section 106 of the NHPA, avoiding SHPO consultation on every project. The PA also exempts the need for archaeological surveys of particular areas of the Installation that have little or no possibility for intact cultural resources. Without the PA, consultation with the SHPO on every proposed project would be necessary, resulting in the potential to adversely delay implementation and impact the Installation's mission. The purpose of this Annual Report is to meet the requirements of the PA to provide a comprehensive compilation of all activities carried out during the year. The Annual Report also meets the requirements of the PA by providing the SHPO and federally recognized Indian Tribes an opportunity to review and comment on the activities of the Installation's Cultural Resource Management program (CRM). The Annual Report is comprised of eight sections and six appendices as follows: Section 1 is an introduction, establishing the purpose of the report and outlining its organization. Section 2 describes the managerial framework of the program. Section 3 outlines Section 106 review of Fiscal Year 2012 projects. The section includes projects approved in accordance with established categorical exclusions, projects that had some concern but did not require additional fieldwork, and projects that required additional fieldwork or coordination. Sections 4 and 5 describe Phase I Survey and Phase II Testing, respectively. Section 6 details efforts in archaeological site, cemetery, or historic building protection or mitigation. Section 7 provides an overview of curation activities. Section 8 is the list of references utilized. Section 9 provides a list of acronyms used within this report. 1 - 2 Appendix A is a list of projects that were reviewed for cultural resource concerns and approved without conditions. Appendix B documents the condition of the collections and paperwork in the Curation Facility. Appendix C consists of corrections to the Fiscal Year 2010 Annual Report. Appendix D consists of corrections to the Fiscal year 2011 Annual Report. Appendices E and F detail the completion of the delineation of 11 sites originally surveyed by Prentice Thomas and Associates, Delivery Order 11, and historic research on three of these resources. The delineation was also conducted by a contractor.