Donating this valuable piece of land to the Park Service is just one example of what makes us different from other developers. Throughout New Orleans East, we’re leaving additional areas untouched as well, so that in the future, residents here will have trees to enjoy, birds to watch, and parks to play in. We’re doing all this because we want New Orleans East to be a community that everyone in New Orleans can be proud of.
Building a community with this kind of concern for the environment may not be the most profitable development plan, but, like the treasures of Oak Island, it may very well be priceless in the years to come.
PRIVATE LANDOWNERS HELP
People who have archaeological sites on their land have many ways of protecting the sites. A site covered by natural vegetation usually is camouflaged and has limited access. As long as the owner does not clear the land, disturbance to the site will be minimized. A site already in a cultivated field probably will not suffer significantly from continued plowing at the same depth. Although initial plowing altered artifact relationships in the plow zone, the materials beneath remain well protected.
A landowner who is interested in protecting a site may want to have it recognized by placing it on the Registry of State Cultural Resource Landmarks. The Registry is established as an authoritative guide to the state’s most important archaeological sites. Once a site is placed on the Registry, there is an agreement between the owner and the State of Louisiana to help protect it. This process ensures that important sites will be recognized, preserved, and protected to the maximum extent possible.
The site in this soybean field has already been disturbed, but probably will not suffer significantly if plowing is continued at the same depth.
Landowners who finance excavations can receive substantial tax benefits.
A landowner who is unable to protect a site because of plans to plow deeper, cultivate an unplowed area, or do construction, should alert the Division of Archaeology. If he gives enough advance warning, an archaeologist may be able to evaluate the site before the changes begin.