As an update to our previous post regarding the upcoming spring meeting, the CTA will be hosting the meeting virtually on Zoom on April 17 at 9:00 am. Additional instructions and a link to the meeting will be distributed to members via email. Only members will be able to participate in the meeting so please renew your membership on the CTA website by logging in, if you have not done so already!

Additionally, if you are not receiving emails from the CTA but have already renewed your membership, please check your spam/junk folder to ensure our emails are not being filtered out of your inbox.

If you have questions, please email counciloftexasarchaeologists@gmail.com. We look forward to connecting with you soon and be safe!

In response to COVID-19, several companies have developed guidelines to ensure safe working conditions for their employees both in the office (or telecommuting) and during fieldwork. In an effort to support our community during this time, the CTA is interested in providing various examples of introduced guidelines/safety plans which members might find useful in developing their own plans or using as a guiding resource. 

If you would like to share your company's COVID-19 safety plan to be included in this post, please email counciloftexasarcheologists@gmail.com. 

A current list of examples is below:

Safety Plans:

• SWCA Field COVID-19 Safety Plan (added 3/20/2020)

• Terracon COVID-19 Pre-Task Planning (added 3/20/2020)

As a brief follow up to yesterday's announcement, the Bayesian workshop scheduled for Thursday, April 16 is officially canceled. Considering the current circumstances, this is the best decision for all involved. We may look at rescheduling this exciting training in the future.

Please see the below message from CTA President, Dr. Jon Lohse: 

Dear Members,

It is with deep regret but an appreciation for the importance of keeping our members and community safe from unnecessary exposure to the Coronavirus that the spring 2020 meeting (April 17) has been cancelled. This includes our morning business meeting, as well as the afternoon session featuring USACE training, and the later-afternoon social. Most local governments are urging people not to gather in large groups, and it simply doesn't make sense for us to try and conduct the meeting as planned. I am in touch with Derek Hamilton about the Thursday Bayesian training and will have an update about that as soon as one is available, so for the present time, this notice applies only to all events scheduled for April 17.

We are working on plans to have an on-line meeting in place of the regularly scheduled event, and our hopes are to have these details worked out in time to have the meeting in the same Friday morning time slot. The difference is that those of you who attend can do so from your computers (home or office) rather than meeting in person. 

My goal will be for our on-line meeting to include as much of our expected agenda as possible. This will include officer, agency, and committee reports, or those that can be arranged, as well as some items for vote. Items that need to be voted on will include the 2021 budget, new officers, a by-law change for curation, and (perhaps) some revised Standards and Guidelines documents. We are working with our Communications Committee to arrange details for just how the on-line voting will work, so please look for those details soon. It is likely that this will include having to sign into the Members Only section and cast a one-time vote per issue. For officers, we typically open the election to nominations from the floor; we'll endeavor to make this available but these will need to be submitted early on, for obvious reasons. 

I realize this is far from our ordinary experience, and I appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through the details. Our goal will be to make this as normal and convenient as possible for the majority of our members, but we understand that the shift to an on-line platform for this meeting may result in some people not being able to attend or participate as they otherwise would. And of course, we'll all miss the opportunity to see and catch up with our friends and colleagues. Please be on the lookout for more details soon about what this will look like and how it will work. If you're working on a submission for the newsletter (deadline is March 27), please keep to that schedule. 

Let me know if anyone has any questions or concerns. More information will be available soon.

Yours sincerely,

Jon Lohse

The CTA would like to congratulate Dr. Andrea Roberts on winning a Whiting Public Engagement Fellowship for The Texas Freedom Colonies Storytelling Project!

https://jobs.utsa.edu/postings/14860

On January 30 from 9:30 – 10:45 AM, CTA Lost Cemeteries Task Force members Andrea Stahman Burden and Dr. Ashley Lemke will be presenting at the Texas Historical Commission’s Real Places Conference:

Lost and Found: The Nexus of Cemetery Identification, Archeology, Urban Planning, and Community Involvement

Abstract: With the rapid growth and development of cities in Texas, one unfortunate side effect is the damage and disturbance to “lost cemeteries,” which is occurring at an unprecedented level. In order to understand how this occurs, in-depth research is necessary to examine how rapid urbanization, gentrification, and changing social structures of neighborhoods have contributed. Detailed case studies will demonstrate how the intersection of archival research, archeological investigations, and preservation efforts can prevent inadvertent destruction of cemeteries. When cemeteries are rediscovered, the outcome is complex—attendees will learn which preservation laws are applicable, dictated by public or private land ownership, and how communities can proceed. Recommendations will also be provided for urban planners, historic preservationists, and city leaders to develop a preservation toolkit to identify partners and stakeholders prior to development.

For more information on Real Places: https://web.cvent.com/event/4c8adf82-83fe-4c3f-aab8-e0b99e78e289/summary

https://www.daacs.org/2019/11/21/apply-for-a-daacs-fellowship-deadline-april-1-2013/

The Digital Archaeological Archive of Comparative Slavery is offering a four‐week program in the in‐depth study of 18th and 19th century archaeological material culture, and certification to enter data into DAACS. The program includes roundtrip travel to/from Charlottesville, housing, and includes a $1000 stipend. It also covers travel and lodging during field trips to archaeological collections in the Chesapeake and to Winterthur.

*****

The DAACS‐NEH Fellowship Program in Material Culture and DAACS Database Certification is designed for archaeologists who 1. Wish to contribute data to DAACS, 2. Plan to pursue research using DAACS data and/or 3. Want to use the DAACS database for curation and research with their collections. Priority is given to scholars committed to using DAACS’s online archive (www.daacs.org) and the DAACS database for long‐term research, curation, and teaching.

The fellowship program is open to advanced graduate students (Ph.D. Students) through senior scholars. Applicants might wish to enter their dissertation site into DAACS, thereby making it comparable to other sites of slavery in the Archive. Other applicants might be archaeologists working in museums, CRM firms, or government organizations that foresee regularly contributing sites to DAACS, and who wish to use the database for long‐term collections management and data analysis are also encouraged to apply. These fellowships are also ideal for professors who wish to use DAACS for their own collections and for teaching.

Details: The training and certification program will be held at Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia between July 19‐August 14, 2020. Successful applicants are expected to arrive in Charlottesville on Sunday, July 19th and stay through August 14. All fellows must make a full‐ time commitment to the program. This generally means 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with training and cataloging sessions scheduled for shorter periods on Saturdays and Sundays.

Fellowship Requirements: Applicants must be pursuing their Ph.D., or have graduated with their Ph.D., or be committed to long‐term research and use of DAACS. Half of the fellowships are reserved for scholars from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in the fields of archaeology and anthropology.

Apply: Please submit a detailed letter of interest, describing your proposed research with DAACS and your long‐term research goals, cv, and two recommendations to Jillian Galle (jgalle@monticello.org), Project Director for DAACS, by February 15, 2020. Feel free to contact Jillian with any questions. Your personal statement is the primary consideration for the advisory committee when selecting fellows.

Selection: The DAACS Fellowship Committee, comprised of DAACS Advisory Board members, will select fifteen fellows from the applicant pool.

Funding: Successful applicants will receive a $1000 stipend. Fellows will be reimbursed for pre‐approved round‐trip travel costs. Group housing with other fellows will be provided. Travel and lodging to field trip sites (Williamsburg, Winterthur, and Alexandria) will be provided.

Because Monticello is located in a rural setting with no public transportation, it is necessary for fellows to either rent a car, bring their own car, or arrange car‐pools with other fellows.

These fellowships are funded by a Sustainability Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, which was matched by generous private donors to Monticello.

Early voting starts on Monday, October 21 and Texans will have the opportunity to vote on Proposition 5, which would dedicate 100% of sporting goods sales tax to Texas state parks and historic sites.

For more information: https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/improvement/?fbclid=IwAR1MuYOB8ttCMXZqDj3sa5eE2wPrAprbg30tEr3-5Hzo4clj3PkYnZb0ypw