APPENDIX D Cultural Resources Survey Report - US Environmental ...

character at that time or is incapable of yielding important information about the period, or c) it
does not independently meet the National Register criteria.
2.2 Research Design
The Stage IA cultural resources survey was performed in accordance with the Phase I archaeological
survey and reporting guidelines of the HPO (New Jersey Historic Preservation Office 1994, 1996,
and 2003). The first step of the survey was to identify the areas where project activities had the
potential to affect archaeological sites through below-ground disturbance, referred to as the APE.
After defining the APE, documentary research was conducted to determine which locations could
have been used by people during the prehistoric (i.e., Native American) or historic periods and to
identify areas where intact archaeological evidence, such as foundations, structural remains, or
Native American artifacts and activity areas, may be present.
The second step of the Stage IA survey consisted of a site visit or reconnaissance to observe the
existing conditions and to determine the extent to which the original topography was still present
and the effects that subsequent landscape alterations may have had on potential archaeological
resources. Archaeologically sensitive areas based on topographic features, vegetation, and soils were
noted, as were disturbances that would have compromised archaeological resources. The results of
the site visit were used to assess whether significant archaeological resources may be affected by the
proposed project.
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