What We Do
AHS provides services for cultural resource management (CRM) projects. Cultural resources include archaeological sites; historic buildings; historic engineering structures such as bridges, dams and railroads; historic landscapes and cemeteries; and traditional cultural properties. We identify cultural resources, assess their significance, and help clients preserve important resources or mitigate development-related impacts.
We assist clients with historic resource management, including advising on appropriate rehabilitation of buildings and structures and developing integrated CRM plans that include a mix of cultural resources. We prepare state and federal documentation of significant resources, such as National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmark nominations, HABS and HAER documentation, and Traditional Cultural Properties documentation.
Most of our clients are required to conduct studies of archaeological or historical resources in order to comply with federal, state or local regulations. Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, for example, requires projects that receive federal funds, or need federal permits, to consider the project’s effects on archaeological and historical resources that are listed (or eligible for listing) in the National Register of Historic Places. Other federal regulations that require such review are the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act.
State laws, such as the Connecticut Environmental Policy Act (CEPA) and Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA), mirror NEPA and Section 106, requiring that state-permitted or funded projects identify and consider effects to potentially significant cultural resources. Some towns also have regulations regarding historic and archaeological resources.
Complying with these regulations typically involves surveys to identify and evaluate cultural resources that could be potentially affected by our clients’ projects, and the preparation of technical reports, along with relevant sections of Environmental Assessments, Environmental Impact Evaluations and Environmental Impact Statements. If adverse effects to cultural resources are unavoidable, we recommend impact mitigation measures that typically involve archaeological removal of significant buried sites, historic resource documentation, and the preparation of publications, interpretive exhibits, and/or web sites.
Cultural resource management is most of what we do. But regulatory compliance is not really why we do it. Unearthing our tangible history, preserving historic bridges and buildings, and telling stories of the past is what we love to do. Every project, whether large or small, is a new opportunity to learn about our collective history and to share that knowledge.
AHS’s moderate size, and depth and breadth of experience, allows us to assemble the ideal combination of staff to handle a project, and ensures that every client receives close personal attention.