Morganza to the Gulf Feasibility Study: Cultural Resources Sample Survey, Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes, Louisiana. Volume II

摘要

This volume presents the results of a sample Phase I cultural resources survey and archeological inventory of 405 ha (1,000 ac) in Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes, Louisiana. Select portions of two proposed levee alignment corridors (the Highway 57 500 Year Future Plan and the Recon 500 Plan) were examined during survey. This work was designed to test a site predictive model previously developed for the feasibility study by R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates, Inc. (Brown et al. 2000; Volume I), as well as to identify and evaluate all cultural resources situated within the examined acreage. In general, the predictive model hypothesized that archeological sites in the project corridors generally will be located on natural levees and crevasse land bridges and preferentially at distributary confluences. Fieldwork for this investigation consisted of boat survey augmented with probing and shovel/auger testing, or pedestrian survey augmented with shovel testing. Of the total examined acreage, 318 ha (786 ac) fell in areas characterized as having a high probability for containing cultural resources; the remaining 87 ha (214 ac) were classified as low probability areas. The results of the current investigation, in general, confirm the site predictive model previously developed by Brown et al. (2000; Volume I). All of the archeological sites identified during survey were located on natural levees in areas predicted to contain sites. No sites were identified in the low probability areas. Sites 16TR19 and 16TR33 were assessed as significant; avoidance or mitigation of these sites is recommended. These results demonstrate that additional archeological sites are likely to be present in those high probability areas of the proposed levee alignment corridors that have not been surveyed for cultural resources. Phase I cultural resources survey and archeological inventory of these areas is recommended.