Idaho National Laboratory Cultural Resource Management Plan

multi-component. A descriptive term for archaeological sites that exhibit artifacts from more than one
cultural time period.
National Historic Landmark (NHL). A building, site, structure, object, or district that is officially
recognized by the U.S. government for its exceptional historical significance. All NHLs are listed in the
National Register of Historic Places. On INL, Experimental Breeder Reactor-I (EBR-1) is an NHL.
National Park Service (NPS). A bureau of the United States Department of the Interior that manages
national parks, monuments, and historic sites. The NPS acts as a steward for historic areas in the National
Park System, administers preservation programs, maintains the National Register of Historic Places, sets
standards for preservation-related activities, and provides technical preservation information and
guidance.
National Register criteria. The criteria established by the Secretary of the Interior for use in evaluating
the eligibility of properties for the National Register of Historic Places. [36 CFR § 800.16(r)]
National Register of Historic Places (NRHP; also referred to as “National Register”). A list of
formally nominated and recognized properties judged important to national and local history due to their
significance to American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, and culture. The National
Register is maintained by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. It was created by the
NHPA in 1966 and authorized and expanded by 36 CFR 60, which also describes the protocol for
nomination to the National Register. 36 CFR 63 provides the procedures for federal agencies and state
historic preservation offices to follow when agreement is reached on the eligibility of property to the
National Register.
Native American (also American Indian). Of, or relating to, a tribe, people, or culture that is indigenous
to the Americas.
northwestern plains. The area somewhat arbitrarily described as including all of Wyoming, the drainage
of the Yellowstone and Madison Rivers up to the Missouri River in northern Montana, western South
Dakota and Nebraska, the southwestern corner of North Dakota, and the area along the northern border of
Colorado.
object. A material item of functional, aesthetic, cultural, historical, or scientific value that may be, by
nature or design, movable yet related to a specific setting or environment. [36 CFR § 60.3(j)]
obsidian. Volcanic glass that, because it can be worked to an extremely sharp edge and point, was highly
prized for chipped-stone implements in the INL region.
obsidian hydration. The technique of dating obsidian artifacts by measuring the microscopic amount of
water absorbed from the surface into the rock.
oral history. Verbally transmitted information about past events, usually in the first person. Although
information about unwritten events can be useful and may be the only information available for some
events, as with some written history, it is subject to the vagaries of human perceptions and mental recall.
paleo-Indian period (also early prehistoric period). An archaeological period or tradition comprising
several cultures and complexes that date to at least 13,500 B.P. and end about 8,000 years ago. This
period is best known for the nomadic hunters of now-extinct big game at the close of the Pleistocene or
glacial period.
petroglyph. Any form of prehistoric rock art or carvings that are ground, etched, or carved onto a stone
surface. Carvings in rock thought to express artistic or religious meaning.
pictograph. A rendering, often painted on the walls of caves or on cliffs, which represents a form of
nonverbal communication often employed by prehistoric people. Paintings on rock thought to express
artistic or religious meaning.
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