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. He now works for Cogstone Resource Management, Inc. McAllister has conducted or been directly involved in 38 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.

Brent Kober is a Forensic Archaeologist with the Cogstone Resource Management, Inc. He has been a professional Archaeologist for 22 years. He has performed archaeological damage assessments and has taught forensic archaeological methodology throughout the United States alongside nationally recognized expert Martin McAllister for the last five years.

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. After presenting a basic definition of archaeological damage assessment, it will review the legal elements for criminal and civil prosecution of violations of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA). Next, there will be discussions of (1) Federal Rule of Evidence 702 for expert witness testimony; (2) the professional standards for archaeological damage assessment; and (3) development of a damage assessment strategy. This will be followed by an introduction to the components of archaeological damage assessment, including, for each component, identification of the purpose, responsibilities, time requirements, and basic procedures. The seminar will conclude with a brief discussion of the importance of the professional qualifications and the time and labor commitments necessary to meet the legal standards for expert witness testimony.

1. Understand the basic purpose of archaeological damage assessment;
2. Understand the legal and professional standards for archaeological damage assessment, including Federal Rule of Evidence 702 for expert witness testimony;
3. Understand the components of archaeological damage assessment; and 
4. Understand the professional qualifications necessary to conduct each of the components of archaeological damage assessment and the time and labor requirements involved.