Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Turner's falls decision - redacted

Found the documentation for registering Turner's Falls in the National Register of Historic Sites. Have a look. To me it reads a bit strange, as none of the parties had seen much, at the time they were having this discussion; and the hill next to the airport does not appear to be very unique.

6 comments :

Norman said...

Why were certain statements redacted? Does anyone have a copy of the original as posted?

pwax said...

I am guessign they redacted Doug Harris's statements refering to another hill that can be observed from the Airport Hill. I guess they are protecting archeoastronmy concepts or specific locations.

Tim MacSweeney said...

Ever see this: http://www.northfieldrelicensing.com/Lists/Document/Attachments/20/020613_Ltr_Town_of_Montague_Concept_Paper_for_Great_Falls_and_National_Register_Eligibility_Notice.pdf

Tim MacSweeney said...

http://www.northfieldrelicensing.com/Lists/Document/Attachments/178/20130715-5060(28555885).pdf

Tim MacSweeney said...

From that second document: “First Light’s response suggests that archaeological surveys will result in reports that will discuss cultural landscape as a result of the surveys, but they indicate they will not be looking at steep grades and wetlands, they also indicated they will not do TCP study. The Nolumbeka project will be requesting a TCP study. That request will be filed with this letter. Our request was clearly asking for studies of the built earthworks and trail systems that were created many thousands of years ago on the Wissatinnewag Village Site out of the need to access some of the most productive fishing in the river on what is now called the Bypass Reach. The Bypass Reach area abuts the Wissatinnewag Village site. This terrain is a steep rock ledge that goes right down to the ancient waters edge. These built trail systems were not simply ruts worn in the earth by thousands of years of use, but were engineered roadways that required the builders to cut into the upper ledge materials and redeposit that material down grade to create a safe traversing trail system to access fishing earthworks ledges on the ancient Lake Hitchcock shoreline and later down to the river. They included fishing, ceremonial sighting, and canoe-launching stations.”

Tim MacSweeney said...

“First light and trans Canada would like to eliminate steep slopes and or swamps or wetlands from study consideration. This request by the Licensee’s is exactly why we recommended the need for more culturally sensitive and better-trained researchers. To address wetlands, Nolumbeka feels there needs to be an educational component that might help First Light, Trans Canada and FERC understand how important to Native cultural values wetlands have always been. Wetlands have been for thousands of years one of the most powerful gathering places for healing resources and ceremony, as well as foraging and are very often associated with ceremonial stone landscapes. To disregard the need to look more closely at wetlands is to marginalize a culture’s ceremonial connection to the land, their history and values. Many important archaeological discoveries have been located in what were considered wetland areas. Nolumbeka would like to request that steep slopes and wetlands be included in the cultural studies, inventory and project boundaries discussions. If the Licensee’s choose not to look at steep slopes and wetlands they will not have a complete inventory of the cultural resources in their project areas.”