Florida Division of Historical Resources

Education

Cultural Resource Protection for Private Landowners - Helpful Resources, Site Stabilization

Site Stabilization
Site stablization is an important part of archaeological site preservation and protection. Factors that effect the stabilization of sites, such as erosion, foot traffic, and looting, can lead to extensive site damage and in some cases, complete site destruction. Bureau of Archaeological Research has compiled case studies of solutions and outcomes to various stablization problems in Archaeological Stabilization Guide: Case Studies in Protecting Archaeological Sites. Click here to order a printed version of the Stabilization Guide or any of the Bureau's publications on site protection and preservation.

The sources below provide background information on managing site stablization issues and problems and are listed by stabilization topic. Because there are a wide range of options for archaeological site stabilization, we recommended that various sources be consulted before selecting an approach to your specific problem.

General Archaeological Site Stabilization (top)

Aten, Lawrence E.
1986 "Planning the Preservation of Archaeological Sites" in Rescue
        Archeology, Papers from the First New World Conference on Rescue
        Archaeology. Edited by Rex L. Wilson and Gloria Loyola. National Trust
        for Historic Preservation, Organization of American States,
        The Preservation Press, Washington, D.C.

Fowler, Don D.
1986 "Conserving American Archaeological Resources" in American
        Archaeology Past and Future. Edited by David J. Mitzer, Don D. Fowler,
        and Jeremy A. Sabloff, pp. 135-162. Society for American Archaeology,
        Washington, D.C.

Thorne, Robert M.
1991 Intentional Site Burial. A Technique to Protect Natural or Mechanical
        Loss. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service,
        Washington, D.C.

Internet Resources

Bibliography on Cultural Resource Management Publications

This is a list of publications produced by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

Intentional Site Burial: A Technique to Protect Against Natural or Mechanical Loss

This is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers publication derived from Thorne (1991) above.

Site Stabilization Information Resources

This is a list of publications produced on archaeological site stabilization produced by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

Soil Stabilization Products Company, Inc.

The Soil Stabilization Products Company (SSPCo) supplies earthwork, environmental and transportation services to related projects.

Shoreline Erosion (top)

For general sources on shoreline erosion, see

Anonymous
1981 Low Cost Shoreline Protection. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Rogers,
        Golden & Harpern, Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

This brochure discusses effective and inexpensive ways to protect shorelines, and, in turn, archaeological sites located along them. It includes useful diagrams and glossary.

Gilbert, S.
1986 "America Washing Away", Science Digest (94)8:29-79.

Hayes, Miles O.
1984 "Beach Erosion". In Coastal Resource Management: Development Case
        Studies, pp. 67-190, edited by John R. Clark. National Park Service,
        U.S. Department of the Interior and U. S. Agency for International
        Development. Research Planning Institute, Inc., Columbia,
        South Carolina.

See Section 4 of this publication for a discussion on methods for preventing beach erosion.

Heede, Burchard H.
1989a "Control of Coastal Erosion to Protect Archeological Resources". In
         The Archeological Sites Protection and Preservation Notebook,
         ASPPN III-8, pp. 1-9. Environmental Impact Research Program, U.S.
         Army Corps of Engineers, Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg,
         MS.

Hemphill, R.W. and M.E. Bramley
1989 Protection of River and Canal Banks: A Guide to Selection and Design.
        Construction Industry Research and Information Association,
        Butterworths, London.

Hemphill and Bramley discuss processes of bank failure, planning and design, natural bank protection, vertical bank protection, and revetments.

Keown, Malcolm P.
1983 Streambank Protection Guidelines. U.S. Army Engineer Waterways
        Experiment Station, Vicksburg, MS.

This publication is written in layman terms and is intended to provide general information to the public on the subject of streambank stabilization. The nature of streams and reasons for streambank erosion and failure are discussed. A variety of standard streambank stabilization techniques are presented for consideration.

Pilkey, O. H. Jr., D. C. Sharma, H. R.
Wanless, L. J. Doyle, O. H. Pilkey, Sr., W. J. Neal, and B. L. Gruver
1984 Living with the East Florida Shore. Duke University Press, Durham N.C.

National Research Council (NNR)
1990 Managing Coastal Erosion. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C.

Thorne, Robert M.
1988 Guidelines for the Organization of Archeological Site Stabilization
        Projects: A Modeled Approach.U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
        Washington, D.C.

This publication has a useful table listing the advantages and disadvantages of different methods of shoreline protection.

Walton, T.D., Jr.
1979 "Coastal Erosion- Some Causes and Some Consequences: With
        Special Emphasis on the State of Florida", Shore and Beach 47:7-12.

Internet Resources

International Erosion Control Association

A non-profit, member organization that provides education, resource information and business opportunities for professionals in the erosion and sediment control industry.

Florida Department of Environmental Protection Office of Beaches and Coastal Systems

Provides information about shorline erosion and control in Florida.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association

Provides general information about shoreline erosion and control in the United States.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District Office

For local access to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Jacksonville District Office covers the area of Florida east of the Appalachicola River.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District Office

The Mobile District Office covers the area of Florida west of the Appalachicola River.


For information on solutions to shoreline erosion employing construction or artificial means, see

Anonymous
1985 "Erosion Control Mesh Has Environmental Advantages" in Grounds
        Maintenance, p.50.

Describes the cost and use of Enkamat, a nylon mesh, as an alternative to concrete riprap and asphalt for lining ditches and covering embankments.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
1986 Coastal Construction Manual. FEMA-55/February.

This is a detailed manual on the construction of seawalls, revetments, and other forms of engineered coastal protection.

Godfrey, K.A., Jr.
1984 "Retaining Walls: Competition or Anarchy?" in Civil Engineering
        Magazine ASCE.

Godfrey summarizes various construction techniques for erecting stabilizing walls. Design companies and suppliers addresses provided.

For information on solutions to shoreline erosion employing natural and minimally invasive solutions, see

Bates, A. Leon, Sidney S. Harper, Kenneth R. Kelley, David H. Webb
1997 Banks and Buffers: A Guide to Selecting Native Plants for
        Streambanks and Shorelines. Clean Waters Initiative Program,
        Environmental Research Center, Tennessee Valley Authority, Muscle
        Shoals, Alabama.

A guide for selecting native plants for stabilizaton of streambanks and shorelines in Tennessee and other parts of the eastern U.S.

Broome, S. W., E. D. Seneca, and W. W. Woodhouse, Jr.
1982 Building and Stabilizing Coastal Dunes with Vegetation. UNC Sea Grant
        College Publication UNC-SG-82-05, NOAA, U.S. Department of
        Commerce, Washington, D.C.

Heede, Burchard, H.
1989b  "Control of Shoreline Erosion by Means of Revegetation". In The
          Archeological Sites Protection and Preservation Notebook, ASPPN
          V-2, pp. 1-6. Environmental Impact Research Program, U.S. Army
          Corps of Engineers, Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, MS.

1990  "Vegetation Management on Archeological Sites". In The Archeological
          Sites Protection and Preservation Notebook, ASPPN IX-2, pp. 1-4.
          Environmental Impact Research Program, U.S. Army Corps of
          Engineers, Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, MS.

Kautz, Harold M. 1969 "Streambank Protection" in Engineering Field Manual
        for Conservation Practices. U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil
        Conservation Service, Washington, D.C. (Reprinted 1985).

The author discusses streambank erosion and protection methods such as channel clearing and snagging, use of vegetation, setted willow poles, tree revetment, piling revetment with wire facing, sacks, brush mats and rock riprap.

1990 Revegetation: The Soft Approach to Archeological Site Stabilization.
        Technical Brief No. 8, Archeological Assistance Division, National Park
        Service, Washington, D.C.

Thorne, Robert M.
1989 Filter Fabric: A Technique for Short-term Site Stabilization. Technical
        Brief No. 1. Archaeological Assistance Program, U.S. Department of the
        Interior, National Park Service, Washington, D.C.

Discusses filter fabrics and their uses in archaeological site stabilization.

Young, W.C.
1973 "Plants for Shoreline Erosion Control in Southern Areas of the United
        States". Modified by W.C. Ackerman, G.F. White, E.B. Worthington in
        Man-Made Lakes: Their Problems and Environmental Effects.
        Geophysical Monograph Series No. 17, American Geophysical Union.

Discusses various species of plants used for stabilizing eroding shorelines.

Internet Resources

Filter Fabric: A Technique for Short-term Site Stabilization

This is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers publication derived from Thorne (1989) above.

Literature on Florida Plants

A bibliography compiled by the University of Florida Herbarium of selected publications, which may be helpful to the study and use of the native, naturalized, and cultivated vegetation of Florida.

University of Florida Aquatic, Wetland and Invasive Plant Information Retrieval System

A computerized bibliographic database (Copyright University of Florida, 2000) devoted to freshwater aquatic and wetland plants as well as terrestrial and aquatic invasive plants. The database includes citations for more than 51,000 research articles, books, and reports about aquatic plant ecology, physiology, utilization and control.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Land Cover Map showing the difference vegetation areas in Florida

Bioengineering Group, Inc.

A firm "with expertise in the use of vegetation for construction projects designed to optimize environmental benefits". It provides a full range of consulting services in the field of bioengineering for erosion control, water quality, and habitat restoration. Techniques employed are most successful in revegetating areas where flowing water or soil instability causes accelerated erosion. This firm is located in Salem, Massachusetts, but works nationwide.

Holmburg Technologies, Inc.

Patented beach restoration technology that reverses erosion without the addition of artificial fill, and without causing adverse side effects to adjacent shorelines. This firm is located in Sarasota, Florida.

Pedestrian Traffic (top)

For information on solutions to pedestrian or foot traffic damage, see

MacDonald, Anne
1990 Surface Erosion and Disturbance at Archeological Sites: Implications
        for Site Preservation.

This publication discusses surface erosion and other disturbances to archaeological sites.

Looting (top)

For information on solutions to looting problems, see

Ehrenhard, J. E. (editor)
1990 Coping with Site Looting, Southeastern Perspectives: Essays in
        Archeological Resource Protection. National Park Service, Interagency
        Archeological Services Division, Atlanta, Georgia.

Nickens, Paul R.
1993 Use of Signs as a Protective Measure for Cultural Resource Sites.
        Technical Report EL-93-6, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Waterways
        Experiment Station, Vicksburg, MS.

This publication discusses the use of signs in protecting archaeological sites.

Ryan, Jan S.
1991 Preventing Cultural Resources Destruction: Taking Action Through
        Interpretation. United States Department of the Interior, National Park
        Service, Washington, D.C.

This source discusses various approaches to deterring vandalism and looting, such as the use of signs and site monitors.