Cultural Resource Specialist

Position Title

Cultural Resource Specialist

Alternate Titles

Archaeologist, tribal consultation specialist, historic research specialist, and tribal liaison.

Job Description

Cultural resource specialists are responsible for identifying and recording cultural resources in the field and conducting activities under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, including preparing documentation and liaising with tribes, government organizations, and other consulting parties.

Education and Training Description

Cultural resource specialists typically need a bachelor’s degree in anthropology, archaeology, or any related discipline like cultural and heritage resource management, environmental policy/regulation, law, or history. Employers typically prefer to hire candidates with at least 5 years of work experience with the National Historic Preservation Act and familiarity with the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Register of Historic Places properties, shipwrecks and archaeological sites, Traditional Cultural Properties, and National Historic Landmarks.

Job Profile

Cultural resource specialists are responsible for identifying and recording cultural resources in the field and conducting activities under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Section 106 requires federal agencies to assess the impact of projects they carry out, license, approve, or fund on historic properties and provide impacted parties an opportunity to comment before making decisions.

To assess the impact of hydropower projects on historic properties, cultural resource specialists often perform desk and field-based research. Field-based work in the hydropower industry could include pedestrian surveys, excavation, identifying and documenting any cultural materials (artifacts and features), filling out appropriate site forms and monitoring logs, site/artifact photography, and data collection to complete an archaeological field survey.  

Cultural resource specialists often solicit and assess feedback from different impacted or involved groups (e.g., local communities, tribes, local organizations, environmental advocacy groups, and others) to provide parties with an opportunity to comment on hydropower projects. Cultural resource specialists may host public meetings, information sessions, or collect feedback through forums. They also assess this feedback and relay this information between government organizations and hydropower developers or contractors to inform how projects should change to address impacts on cultural resources.

Cultural resource specialist typically:

• Conduct field inventories and surveys, historical research, and cultural resource analysis to document historic properties and assess project effects pursuant to Section 106 and 110 of the NHPA and the National Environmental Policy Act
• Complete historic property research at the State Historic Preservation Offices or on their online databases, and other archival facilities
• Document historic properties in accordance with Historic American Building Survey/Historic American Engineer Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey standards and guidelines
• Evaluate significance and eligibility of historic properties for listing in local registers and the National Register of Historic Places and provide clear, detailed, and defensible eligibility recommendations with supporting materials (photographs, drawings, and maps)
• Lead Section 106 activities, including public meetings, coordination with state and federal agencies and consulting parties, and alignment in approach across projects
• Prepare a variety of written materials and summaries, including historic contexts, resource analyses, historic property inventory forms, and sections of technical reports
• Prepare different types of complete reports, including: Historic Structure Reports, Historic Building Inventory and Evaluation Reports, Environmental Impact Assessments, Condition Assessments, Preservation Plans, National Register Nominations, and Historic American Building Survey/Historic American Engineer Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey documentation
• Develop potential mitigation measures to protect historic properties.

Job Skills

Cultural resource specialists typically need:

• Analytical skills. Cultural resource specialists must possess knowledge of scientific methods and data, which are often used in their research.
• Critical-thinking skills. Cultural resource specialists must be able to draw conclusions from observations, reports, and other methods of research. They must be able to combine various sources of information to try to solve problems and answer research questions.
• Communication skills. Cultural resource specialists often have to write reports or papers and present their research and findings to their peers and to general audiences. These activities require strong writing, speaking, and listening skills.
• Physical stamina. Cultural resource specialists working in the field may need to hike or walk several miles while carrying equipment to a job site.

More Information

For more information on cultural resource specialist jobs, see: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Anthropologists and Archeologists.

Resources

Indeed, Resource Specialist Description

Aqua Terra Cultural Resource Consultants Cultural Resource Specialist Description