The Mississippi River Delta Archaeological Mitigation (MRDAM) Consortium is establishing partnerships and conducting consultations for the monitoring and systematic study of endangered places in the Mississippi River Delta (MRD). Based at the Louisiana Public Archaeology Lab at UL Lafayette, the MRDAM Consortium includes researchers at Florida State University, Louisiana State University, the Louisiana Office of Cultural Development, Division of Archaeology, the National Park Service, National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT), Northwestern State University of Louisiana, and Tulane University.
The Consortium’s mission is to collaborate with partners and consult with Native American tribes and communities in mitigating the ongoing destruction of sites in the MRD due to coastal erosion, subsidence, sea-level rise, and alterations of the environment. As the processes of site obliteration intensify and accelerate, opportunities for learning about these unique cultural properties are irretrievably lost and along with it, crucial yet undocumented sources of information on Louisiana’s deep history and cultural heritage. The MRDAM Consortium is implementing a long-term, cooperative program for rapid reconnaissance, site monitoring, and archaeological investigation. Through partnerships, consultations, community outreach, and support for graduate and undergraduate research, the MRDAM Consortium is promoting public education and advancing cultural resource management planning on Louisiana’s imperiled coast.
For more information on the MRDAM project, contact:
Dr. Mark A. Rees, Louisiana Public Archaeology Lab, 2204 Johnston Street, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70503.
LAPAL