Event Details

Forensic Archaeologist Martin McAllister, MA, RPA, has been involved in archaeological damage assessment since 1974, when he worked with the Forest Service. After leaving the Forest Service in 1985, McAllister formed the firm of Archaeological Damage Assessment & Investigation (ADIA) which specialized in consulting and training on archaeological damage assessment and the investigation and prosecution of archaeological violations. In 2015, ADIA became part of Northland Research, Inc., an archaeological contracting firm based in Arizona. McAllister has conducted or been directly involved in 36 archaeological damage assessment projects, including the archaeological damage assessment for the Exxon-Valdez Oil Spill. He is also the author of National Park Service Technical Brief 20 entitled Archeological Resource Damage Assessment: Legal Basis and Methods.

This online seminar is intended for professional archaeologists employed by government agencies or archaeological contracting firms. It will provide participants with an introduction to archaeological damage assessment. It will begin with a discussion of what archaeological damage assessment is and the legal basis for it.  Next, the seminar will identify the components of archaeological damage assessment and the roles, responsibilities and timeframes involved. The seminar will conclude with a brief discussion of the legal standards for expert witness testimony and the importance of qualifications necessary to meet these standards.

1. Understand what archaeological damage assessment is and the legal basis for it;
2. Understand the procedures involved in archaeological damage assessment; and
3. Understand the professional qualifications necessary to conduct each of the components of archaeological damage assessment and the legal standards for expert witness testimony.