Idaho National Laboratory Cultural Resource Management Plan

Formal recording of sites is completed using Intermountain Antiquities Computer System (IMACS)
site forms modified to reflect INL needs (see Figure 35). These forms require detailed administrative,
environmental, and descriptive information in a standardized regional format. They are designed to obtain
the maximum amount of information from each resource without test excavations and with only minimal
collection of artifacts. Isolates are documented with an abbreviated version of the standard INL IMACS
form (see Figure 35).
Scaled planimetric maps are also prepared for all “sites,” while less formal sketch maps are drawn for
“isolates.” The purpose of these maps is twofold: (1) to locate the resource in relation to features of the
surrounding environment, both natural and cultural; and (2) to illustrate the spatial relationships between
diagnostic artifacts, artifact concentrations, cultural features, and collected items within the perimeter of
the site. To complete this site mapping, datum positions are established at each resource location. To aid
in future relocation, prominent modern features, such as power poles or fence posts, are often utilized. In
some instances, small cairns constructed of basalt cobbles or pebbles are constructed. Site datum positions
are always noted on the INL IMACS form, particularly when they consist of cairns constructed by the
survey crew. Directions to all important features of each site are typically obtained with GPS technology,
or if necessary, using a compass and hard copy map.
Artifacts and information collected during the survey may be subject to a variety of analyses. At a
minimum, this will include basic functional and stylistic description of any collected artifacts and
incorporation of each recorded archaeological resource into the comprehensive INL archaeological
database and GIS coverage. Other technical analysis (e.g., predictive modeling, GIS analysis, obsidian
hydration analysis, X-Ray fluorescence, and blood protein analysis) may also be conducted. Reporting of
all archaeological investigations is mandatory and follows guidelines described in a subsequent section of
this appendix.
Excavations
As appropriate, plans for archaeological excavations at INL may be reviewed in advance by the Idaho
SHPO, Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, and INL safety and environmental personnel. Several types of
excavation are possible:
Test excavations
Full-scale excavations
Salvage excavations
Excavations involving human remains
Paleontological excavations.
These excavations share a common methodological foundation while varying considerably in their
overall goals.
Test Excavations
Test excavations are small in scale and primarily designed to assess future research potential and
establish National Register eligibility. At INL, they are patterned after an existing framework established
for National Register evaluations of large dispersed artifact scatters (e.g., Henrikson and Holmer 1991;
Ringe 1988, 1990, 1992a, 1992b, 1993, 1994; Thompson and Lohse 1992) and are generally guided by
the practical objective of determining if buried cultural deposits are present and, if so, to assess their
general nature and extent.
This objective is achieved through an approach that involves intensive systematic surface
reconnaissance, small systematically placed shovel probes, and formal 1 × 1m test units. The exact details
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