Common use of NRCS Louisiana Cultural Resources Investigations Procedures Clause in Contracts

NRCS Louisiana Cultural Resources Investigations Procedures. NRCS Louisiana will utilized a combination of procedures developed by NRCS and the Louisiana Division of Archaeology to guide the cultural resources compliance process as well as cultural resources investigations. a) The first step in the cultural resources review process is to obtain consent from the applicant to release information concerning cultural resources located on that property so that NRCS Louisiana may enter into the consultation process with the appropriate consulting parties. Conservation planners must meet with the applicant, advise the applicant of the cultural resources review process, and obtain permission to disseminate information contained the Conservation Plan File to the appropriate parties. b) Conservation Planners will provide administrative as well as specific information about the Conservation Plan under consideration. Administrative information will include the applicant, the NRCS Louisiana contract number used to identify the undertaking, and the funding source that is used to implement the undertaking. These data and other are summarized in the Environmental Assessment Worksheet (NRCS-CPA-52) Form. Specific information provided by the Conservation Planners will include the extent of each conservation activity, enhancement, and practice that comprise the specific undertaking, the location of the undertaking using latitude/longitude coordinates, identify specific fields and tracts where the different activities, enhancements, and practices are to be implemented, a legal description consisting of township, range, and section information, and any other natural and/or made-made landscape feature, as appropriate. All information collected by the Conservation Planner will be graphically illustrated to scale on color aerial maps. When required, the Conservation Planner will also provide planning maps and engineering designs. c) The Conservation Planner will forward all pertinent information (forms, maps, etc.) to the NRCS Louisiana CRS and the CR POC responsible for that section of the State of Louisiana. The CRS and/or CR POC will compile a written description of each activity, enhancement, and practice in the undertaking. The CRS will review Appendix A of the NRCS Louisiana Prototype Agreement to determine whether the planned activities, enhancements, or practices for the specific undertaking is subject to further cultural resources investigation. The CRS and/or CR POC will access the Louisiana Cultural Resources Map/Viewer maintained by the Louisiana Division of Archaeology to determine if any previously recorded cultural resources are located within the undertaking. If there are previous recorded resources with the undertaking, the CRS and/or CR POC, will make note of them and describe their location by the undertaking, respective USGS quadrangle sheet, township/range/section, tract, and field. The Louisiana SHPO does not allow the collection and/or dissemination of specific cultural resources location data (e.g. latitude/longitude coordinates) from the Louisiana Cultural Resources Map/Viewer by an agency, archaeological contractor, and Indian Tribe/THPO that has access to the map/viewer. d) The Conservation Planner will also determine if the landowner has any knowledge of cultural resources located within the undertaking. Subsequently, the CRS and/or CR POC will determine to the extent possible the land use history of the property, determine if National or State listed cultural resources are located within the property, and determine if any additional information was collected from local historians, museums, and historical societies. Information collected will be entered in the appropriate sections of the Louisiana Cultural Resources Site Review Form (LA CR-1 Form). e) The CRS and/or CR POC will assemble all cultural resources maps, planning maps, and forms for the particular undertaking. A letter describing all aspects of the undertaking will be drafted to accompany the other documentation. A preliminary determination of the undertaking effects will also be included in the letter. These documents will be sent to the Louisiana SHPO and the Indian tribes and/or their THPOs as part of the consultation process for review and comment. f) The documents sent to the Indian tribes THPOs and/or their representative will be based on each Indian tribes Area of Interest (AOI). These AOI are geographically based and defined by the respective Indian tribes that NRCS Louisiana consults with on Section 106 Review matters. The Indian tribes provide that information to NRCS Louisiana. NRCS Louisiana does not share or disseminate that information and restricts access to only eight (8) people in the State of Louisiana (the SRC, CRS, CRC, and five XX XXXx). The Indian tribes also modify their AOI, adding parishes or removing them, for Section 106 Review purposes. g) If all consulting parties agree that the undertaking will produce no adverse effect, then no further cultural resources review is required and the undertaking will be implemented. The undertaking will also be implemented if no comments are received during the thirty (30) day review period. If any of the consulting parties determine that the undertaking will result in an adverse effect, a cultural resources survey will be conducted. Survey methodology will follow the guidelines developed by the Louisiana Division of Archaeology. Cultural Resources surveys will be conducted either by the NRCS Louisiana CRS and/or an archaeological contractor that meets the Secretary of Interior standard and also those required by the Louisiana Division of Archaeology. h) Reconnaissance surveys are designed for small APEs and appropriate for use in many non-urban settings. They allow for professional judgment in the number and placement of survey methods with the goal of assessing the presence or absence of sites in the most likely locations. A reconnaissance survey is a pedestrian survey with systematic subsurface testing implemented in areas where the APE is 10 acres in size or less, the APE is not located in an urban area, and does not contain a site that is eligible for the NRHP. Subsurface tests must be excavated at 30 m intervals across the area of direct surface and subsurface impact. Judgmental subsurface tests may be placed across the remainder of the APE, if appropriate, with at least one subsurface test per acre of area. If the APE is 1 acres or less, one subsurface test must be judgmentally placed across the APE to determine if an archaeological site is located with the survey and to assess the degree of subsurface disturbance, if present. Subsurface testing may include shovel tests, auger coring, soil probes, and mechanically excavated trenches depending on surface conditions and the potential for deeply buried sites. Shovel tests will measure 30 x 30 cm and be excavated to subsoil or 50 cm below ground surface. All soil from shovel tests will be screened through ¼ inch or finer hardware cloth. If screening is not possible or impractical, the soils will be carefully trowel sorted. The results of all should tests will be recorded on appropriate forms. The general stratigraphy revealed in the tests will be described in the report in terms of texture, depth below ground surface, and Muncsell soil color designations. Cultural material recorded from the shovel tests will be collected and recorded on appropriate forms. Representative profiles of the subsurface tests will be drafted and presented in the report of investigations. Overview photographs of the survey area as well as the subsurface tests will also be included in the report. i) The goal of a Phase I archaeological investigation is to locate and define the boundaries of every archaeological site within the APE. This must include an assessment, with supporting documentation, of the eligibility of every site identified within the APE for the NRHP. Such assessments apply to both newly reported and previously reported sites. Cultural Resources Investigation Permits (CRIP), issued by the Louisiana Division of Archaeology on state lands, are not required for Phase I surveys. A Phase I survey is a pedestrian survey with systematic subsurface testing implemented in APEs larger than 10 acres in size. Phase I surveys must examine the entire APE with systematic subsurface testing and pedestrian survey whenever possible. Subsurface testing may include shovel tests, auger coring, soil probes, and mechanically excavated trenches depending upon surface conditions and the potential for deeply buried sites. Survey strategy, pedestrian transect array, and the placement of subsurface tests will be justified in the report of investigations. Any field condition that limits or prohibits survey in any portion of the APE must be delineated on project maps and fully described in the report. j) In Phase I surveys, survey strategies will consider factors such as proximity to streams, topographic elevations, and slop, among others in determining high and low probability areas for the location of cultural resources. Pedestrian transects will be spaced 30 m apart in areas determined to be high probability. Subsurface tests will be excavated every 30 m along each transect. Pedestrian transects will be spaced 50 m apart in areas determined to be low probability. Subsurface tests will be excavated every 50 m along each transect. Shovel tests will measure 30 x 30 cm and be excavated to subsoil or 50 cm below ground surface. All soil from shovel tests will be screened through ¼ inch or finer hardware cloth. If screening is not possible or impractical, the soils will be carefully trowel sorted. The results of all should tests will be recorded on appropriate forms. The general stratigraphy revealed in the tests will be described in the report in terms of texture, depth below ground surface, and Muncsell soil color designations. Cultural material recorded from the shovel tests will be collected and recorded on appropriate forms. k) If an archaeological site is discovered in a shovel test during pedestrian survey, the site will be delineated in the following manner. The transect shovel test will be designated site datum. Additional shovel tests will be excavated in a grid pattern arranged along the cardinal directions from site datum at 10 m intervals. Site boundaries are established when two negative (no cultural material) shovel tests at each shovel test gridline. Site maps will be drafted and will illustrate all positive (cultural material) and negative shovel tests as well as the site boundaries. The UTM coordinates of the archaeological site will be determined with a Global Positioning System (GPS) at the center of the site. If the site is large than 400 square meters, four additional GPS points will be collected from the site boundary area. Site forms and LA CAD coding sheets will be submitted to the Louisiana Division of Archaeology for review and comment. Louisiana State site numbers assigned by the Louisiana Division of Archaeology will be utilized in the report. l) At the completion of the project, investigators must assess if an identified site is “eligible”, “not eligible”, or “undetermined” for nomination to the NRHP. Federal guidelines do not recognize the term “potentially eligible” as a legitimate recommendation for the NRHP. The recommendation of “undetermined” for a site indicates that further investigations are necessary at the site to determine its eligibility for the NRHP and should be avoided. Documentation for these assessments will be provided in the report of investigations submitted to the Louisiana Division of Archaeology and the Indian tribes/THPOs for review and comments.

NRCS Louisiana Cultural Resources Investigations Procedures. NRCS Louisiana will utilized utilize a combination of procedures developed by NRCS and the Louisiana Division of Archaeology SHPO to guide the cultural resources compliance process as well as cultural resources investigations. a) The first step in the cultural resources review process is to obtain consent from the applicant to release information concerning cultural resources located on that property so that NRCS Louisiana may enter into the consultation process with the appropriate consulting parties. Conservation planners must meet with the applicant, advise the applicant of the cultural resources review process, and obtain permission to disseminate information contained in the Conservation Plan File to the appropriate parties. b) Conservation Planners will provide administrative as well as specific information about the Conservation Plan conservation pan under consideration. Administrative information will include the applicant, the NRCS Louisiana contract number used to identify the undertaking, and the funding source that is used to implement the undertaking. These data and other are summarized in the Environmental Assessment Worksheet (NRCS-CPA-52) Form. Specific information provided by the Conservation Planners will Planner include the extent of each conservation activity, enhancement, and practice that comprise the specific undertaking, the location of the undertaking using latitude/longitude coordinates, identify identity specific fields and tracts where the different activities, enhancements, and practices are to be implemented, a legal description consisting of township, range, and section information, and any other natural and/or mademan-made landscape feature, as appropriate. All information collected by the Conservation Planner will be graphically illustrated to scale on color aerial maps. When required, the Conservation Planner will also provide planning maps and engineering designs. c) The Conservation Planner will forward all pertinent information (forms, maps, etc.) to the NRCS Louisiana CRS and the CR POC responsible for that section of the State of Louisiana. The CRS and/or CR POC will compile a written description of each activity, enhancement, and practice in the undertaking. The CRS will review Appendix A of the NRCS Louisiana Prototype Agreement to determine whether the planned activities, enhancements, or practices for the specific undertaking is subject to further cultural resources investigation. The CRS and/or CR POC will access the Louisiana Cultural Resources Map/Viewer maintained by the Louisiana Division of Archaeology to determine if any previously recorded cultural resources are located within the undertaking. If there are previous previously recorded resources with within the undertaking, the CRS and/or CR POC, will make note of them and describe their location by the undertaking, ; respective USGS quadrangle sheet, ; township/range/section, ; tract, ; and field. The Louisiana SHPO does not allow the collection and/or and dissemination of specific cultural resources location data (e.g. i.e. latitude/longitude coordinates) from the Louisiana Cultural Resources Map/Viewer by an any agency, archaeological contractor, and Indian Tribetribe/THPO that has access to the map/viewer. d) The Conservation Planner will also determine if the landowner has any knowledge of cultural resources located within the undertaking. Subsequently, the CRS and/or CR POC will determine to the extent possible the land use history of the property, determine if National or State listed cultural resources are located within the property, and determine if any additional information was collected from local historians, museums, and historical societies. Information collected by the CRS and/or CR POC will be entered in the appropriate sections of the Louisiana Cultural Resources Site Review Form (LA CR-1 Form). e) The CRS and/or CR POC will assemble all cultural resources maps, planning maps, and forms for the particular undertaking. A letter describing all aspects of the undertaking will be drafted to accompany the other documentation. A preliminary determination of the undertaking effects will also be included in the letter. These documents will be sent to the Louisiana SHPO and the Indian tribes and/or their THPOs as part of the consultation process for review and comment. f) The documents sent to the Indian tribes THPOs and/or their representative will be based on each Indian tribes Area of Interest (AOI). These AOI are geographically geographical based and defined define by the respective Indian tribes that NRCS Louisiana consults with on Section 106 Review review matters. The Indian tribes provide that information to NRCS Louisiana. NRCS Louisiana does not share or disseminate that information and restricts access to only eight (8) people in the State of Louisiana (the SRC, CRS, CRC, and five XX XXXxCR POC). The Indian tribes also modify their AOI, adding parishes or removing them, for Section 106 Review review purposes. g) If all consulting parties agree that the undertaking will produce no adverse effect, then no further cultural resources review is required and the undertaking will be implemented. The undertaking will also be implemented if no comments are received during by the end of the thirty (30) day review period. If any of the consulting parties determine that the undertaking will result in an adverse effect, a cultural resources survey will be conducted. Survey methodology will follow the guidelines developed by the Louisiana Division of Archaeology. Cultural Resources surveys resources survey will be conducted either by the NRCS Louisiana CRS and/or an archaeological contractor that meets the Secretary of Interior standard standards and also those required by the Louisiana Division of Archaeology. h) Reconnaissance surveys are designed for small APEs and appropriate for use in many non-urban settingssetting. They allow for professional judgment in the number and of placement of survey methods with the goal of assessing the presence or absence of sites in the most likely locations. A reconnaissance survey is a pedestrian survey with systematic subsurface testing implemented in areas where the APE is 10 acres in size or less, the APE is not located in an urban area, and does not contain a site that is eligible for the NRHP. Subsurface tests must be excavated at 30 m intervals across the area of direct surface and subsurface impact. Judgmental subsurface tests may be placed across the remainder of the APE, if appropriate, with at least one subsurface test per acre of arealand. If the APE is 1 acres acre or less, more than one subsurface test must be judgmentally placed across the APE to determine if an archaeological site is located with within the survey area and to assess the degree of subsurface disturbance, if present. Subsurface testing may include shovel tests, auger coring, soil probes, and mechanically excavated trenches depending on upon surface conditions and the potential for deeply buried sites. Shovel tests will measure 30 x 30 cm and be excavated to subsoil or 50 cm below ground surface. All soil from shovel tests will be screened through ¼ inch or finer hardware cloth. If screening is not possible or impractical, the soils will be carefully trowel sorted. The results of all should shovel tests will be recorded on appropriate forms. The general stratigraphy revealed in the tests will be described in the report in terms of texture, depth below ground surface, and Muncsell soil color designations. Cultural material recorded recovered from the shovel tests will be collected and recorded on appropriate forms. Representative profiles of the subsurface tests will be drafted and presented in the report of investigations. Overview photographs of the survey area as well as the subsurface tests will also be included in the report. i) The goal of a Phase I archaeological investigation is to locate located and define the boundaries of every archaeological site within the APE. This must include an assessment, with supporting documentation, of the eligibility of every site identified within in the APE for the NRHP. Such assessments apply to both newly reported and previously reported sites. Cultural Resources Investigation Permits (CRIP), issued by the Louisiana Division of Archaeology for excavations on state lands, are not required for Phase I surveys. A Phase I survey is a pedestrian survey with systematic subsurface testing implemented in APEs larger than 10 acres in size. Phase I surveys must examine the entire APE with systematic subsurface testing and pedestrian survey whenever possible. Subsurface testing may include shovel tests, auger coring, soil probes, and mechanically excavated trenches depending upon surface conditions and the potential for deeply buried sites. Survey strategy, pedestrian transect array, and the placement of subsurface tests will be justified in the report of investigations. Any field condition that limits or prohibits survey in any portion of the APE must be delineated on project maps and fully described in the report. j) In Phase I surveys, survey strategies will consider factors such as proximity to streams, topographic elevations, and slopslope, among others other in determining high and low probability areas for the location of cultural resources. Pedestrian transects will be spaced 30 m apart in areas determined to be high probability. Subsurface tests will be excavated every 30 m along each transect. Pedestrian transects will be spaced 50 m apart in areas determined to be low probability. Subsurface tests will be excavated every 50 m along each transect. Shovel tests will measure 30 x 30 cm and be excavated to subsoil or 50 cm below ground surface. All soil from shovel tests will be screened through ¼ inch or finer hardware cloth. If screening is not possible or impractical, the soils will be carefully trowel sorted. The results of all should shovel tests will be recorded on appropriate forms. The general stratigraphy revealed in the tests will be described in the report in terms of texture, depth below ground surface, and Muncsell soil color designations. Cultural material recorded recovered from the shovel tests will be collected and recorded on appropriate forms. k) If an archaeological site is discovered in a shovel test during pedestrian survey, the site will be delineated in the following manner. The transect shovel test will be designated site datum. Additional shovel tests will be excavated in a grid pattern arranged along the cardinal directions from site datum at 10 m intervals. Site boundaries are established when two negative (no cultural material) shovel tests are excavated at each shovel test gridline. Site maps will be drafted and will illustrate all positive (cultural material) and negative shovel tests as well as the site boundaries. The UTM coordinates of the archaeological site will be determined with a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit at the center of the site. If the archaeological site is large larger than 400 square meters, four additional GPS points will be collected from the site boundary area. Site forms and LA CAD coding sheets will be submitted to the Louisiana Division of Archaeology for review and comment. Louisiana State site numbers assigned by the Louisiana Division of Archaeology will be utilized in the report. l) At the completion of the project, investigators must assess if an identified site is “eligible”, “not eligible”, or “undetermined” for nomination to the NRHP. Federal guidelines do not recognize the term “potentially eligible” as a legitimate recommendation for the NRHP. The recommendation of “undetermined” for a site indicates that further investigations are necessary at the site to determine its eligibility for the NRHP and it should be avoided. Documentation for these assessments will be provided in the report of investigations submitted to the Louisiana Division of Archaeology SHPO and the Indian tribes/THPOs for review and commentscomment.

NRCS Louisiana Cultural Resources Investigations Procedures. NRCS Louisiana will utilized a combination of procedures developed by NRCS and the Louisiana Division of Archaeology to guide the cultural resources compliance process as well as cultural resources investigations. a) The first step in the cultural resources review process is to obtain consent from the applicant to release information concerning cultural resources located on that property so that NRCS Louisiana may enter into the consultation process with the appropriate consulting parties. Conservation planners must meet with the applicant, advise the applicant of the cultural resources review process, and obtain permission to disseminate information contained the Conservation Plan File to the appropriate parties. b) Conservation Planners will provide administrative as well as specific information about the Conservation Plan under consideration. Administrative information will include the applicant, the NRCS Louisiana contract number used to identify the undertaking, and the funding source that is used to implement the undertaking. These data and other are summarized in the Environmental Assessment Worksheet (NRCS-CPA-52) Form. Specific information provided by the Conservation Planners will include the extent of each conservation activity, enhancement, and practice that comprise the specific undertaking, the location of the undertaking using latitude/longitude coordinates, identify specific fields and tracts where the different activities, enhancements, and practices are to be implemented, a legal description consisting of township, range, and section information, and any other natural and/or made-made landscape feature, as appropriate. All information collected by the Conservation Planner will be graphically illustrated to scale on color aerial maps. When required, the Conservation Planner will also provide planning maps and engineering designs. c) The Conservation Planner will forward all pertinent information (forms, maps, etc.) to the NRCS Louisiana CRS and the CR POC responsible for that section of the State of Louisiana. The CRS and/or CR POC will compile a written description of each activity, enhancement, and practice in the undertaking. The CRS will review Appendix A of the NRCS Louisiana Prototype Agreement to determine whether the planned activities, enhancements, or practices for the specific undertaking is subject to further cultural resources investigation. The CRS and/or CR POC will access the Louisiana Cultural Resources Map/Viewer maintained by the Louisiana Division of Archaeology to determine if any previously recorded cultural resources are located within the undertaking. If there are previous recorded resources with the undertaking, the CRS and/or CR POC, will make note not of them then and describe their location by the undertaking, respective USGS quadrangle sheet, township/range/section, tract, and field. The Louisiana SHPO does not allow the collection and/or dissemination of specific cultural resources location data (e.g. latitude/longitude coordinates) from the Louisiana Cultural Resources Map/Viewer by an agency, archaeological contractor, and Indian Tribe/THPO that has access to the map/viewer. d) The Conservation Planner will also determine if the landowner has any knowledge of cultural resources located within the undertaking. Subsequently, the CRS and/or CR POC will determine to the extent possible the land use history of the property, determine if National or State listed cultural resources are located within the property, and determine if any additional information was collected from local historians, museums, and historical societies. Information collected will be entered in the appropriate sections of the Louisiana Cultural Resources Site Review Form (LA CR-1 Form). e) The CRS and/or CR POC will assemble all cultural resources maps, planning maps, and forms for the particular undertaking. A letter describing all aspects of the undertaking will be drafted to accompany the other documentation. A preliminary determination of the undertaking effects will also be included in the letter. These documents will be sent to the Louisiana SHPO and the Indian tribes and/or their THPOs as part of the consultation process for review and comment. f) The documents sent to the Indian tribes THPOs and/or their representative will be based on each Indian tribes Area of Interest (AOI). These AOI are geographically based and defined by the respective Indian tribes that NRCS Louisiana consults with on Section 106 Review matters. The Indian tribes provide that information to NRCS Louisiana. NRCS Louisiana does not share or disseminate that information and restricts access to only eight (8) people in the State of Louisiana (the SRC, CRS, CRC, and five XX XXXx). The Indian tribes also modify their AOI, adding parishes or removing them, for Section 106 Review purposes. g) If all consulting parties agree that the undertaking will produce no adverse effect, then no further cultural resources review is required and the undertaking will be implemented. The undertaking will also be implemented if no comments are received during the thirty (30) day review period. If any of the consulting parties determine that the undertaking will result in an adverse effect, a cultural resources survey will be conducted. Survey methodology will follow the guidelines developed by the Louisiana Division of Archaeology. Cultural Resources surveys will be conducted either by the NRCS Louisiana CRS and/or an archaeological contractor that meets the Secretary of Interior standard and also those required by the Louisiana Division of Archaeology. h) Reconnaissance surveys are designed for small APEs and appropriate for use in many non-urban settings. They allow for professional judgment in the number and placement of survey methods with the goal of assessing the presence or absence of sites in the most likely locations. A reconnaissance survey is a pedestrian survey with systematic subsurface testing implemented in areas where the APE is 10 acres in size or less, the APE is not located in an urban area, and does not contain a site that is eligible for the NRHP. Subsurface tests must be excavated at 30 m intervals across the area of direct surface and subsurface impact. Judgmental subsurface tests may be placed across the remainder of the APE, if appropriate, with at least one subsurface test per acre of area. If the APE is 1 acres or less, one subsurface test must be judgmentally placed across the APE to determine if an archaeological site is located with the survey and to assess the degree of subsurface disturbance, if present. Subsurface testing may include shovel tests, auger coring, soil probes, and mechanically excavated trenches depending on surface conditions and the potential for deeply buried sites. Shovel tests will measure 30 x 30 cm and be excavated to subsoil or 50 cm below ground surface. All soil from shovel tests will be screened through ¼ inch or finer hardware cloth. If screening is not possible or impractical, the soils will be carefully trowel sorted. The results of all should tests will be recorded on appropriate forms. The general stratigraphy revealed in the tests will be described in the report in terms of texture, depth below ground surface, and Muncsell soil color designations. Cultural material recorded from the shovel tests will be collected and recorded on appropriate forms. Representative profiles of the subsurface tests will be drafted and presented in the report of investigations. Overview photographs of the survey area as well as the subsurface tests will also be included in the report. i) The goal of a Phase I archaeological investigation is to locate and define the boundaries of every archaeological site within the APE. This must include an assessment, with supporting documentation, of the eligibility of every site identified within the APE for the NRHP. Such assessments apply to both newly reported and previously reported sites. Cultural Resources Investigation Permits (CRIP), issued by the Louisiana Division of Archaeology on state lands, are not required for Phase I surveys. A Phase I survey is a pedestrian survey with systematic subsurface testing implemented in APEs larger than 10 acres in size. Phase I surveys must examine the entire APE with systematic subsurface testing and pedestrian survey whenever possible. Subsurface testing may include shovel tests, auger coring, soil probes, and mechanically excavated trenches depending upon surface conditions and the potential for deeply buried sites. Survey strategy, pedestrian transect array, and the placement of subsurface tests will be justified in the report of investigations. Any field condition that limits or prohibits survey in any portion of the APE must be delineated on project maps and fully described in the report. j) In Phase I surveys, survey strategies will consider factors such as proximity to streams, topographic elevations, and slop, among others in determining high and low probability areas for the location of cultural resources. Pedestrian transects will be spaced 30 m apart in areas determined to be high probability. Subsurface tests will be excavated every 30 m along each transect. Pedestrian transects will be spaced 50 m apart in areas determined to be low probability. Subsurface tests will be excavated every 50 m along each transect. Shovel tests will measure 30 x 30 cm and be excavated to subsoil or 50 cm below ground surface. All soil from shovel tests will be screened through ¼ inch or finer hardware cloth. If screening is not possible or impractical, the soils will be carefully trowel sorted. The results of all should tests will be recorded on appropriate forms. The general stratigraphy revealed in the tests will be described in the report in terms of texture, depth below ground surface, and Muncsell soil color designations. Cultural material recorded from the shovel tests will be collected and recorded on appropriate forms. k) If an archaeological site is discovered in a shovel test during pedestrian survey, the site will be delineated in the following manner. The transect shovel test will be designated site datum. Additional shovel tests will be excavated in a grid pattern arranged along the cardinal directions from site datum at 10 m intervals. Site boundaries are established when two negative (no cultural material) shovel tests at each shovel test gridline. Site maps will be drafted and will illustrate all positive (cultural material) and negative shovel tests as well as the site boundaries. The UTM coordinates of the archaeological site will be determined with a Global Positioning System (GPS) at the center of the site. If the site is large than 400 square meters, four additional GPS points will be collected from the site boundary area. Site forms and LA CAD coding sheets will be submitted to the Louisiana Division of Archaeology for review and comment. Louisiana State site numbers assigned by the Louisiana Division of Archaeology will be utilized in the report. l) At the completion of the project, investigators must assess if an identified site is “eligible”, “not eligible”, or “undetermined” for nomination to the NRHP. Federal guidelines do not recognize the term “potentially eligible” as a legitimate recommendation for the NRHP. The recommendation of “undetermined” for a site indicates that further investigations are necessary at the site to determine its eligibility for the NRHP and should be avoided. Documentation for these assessments will be provided in the report of investigations submitted to the Louisiana Division of Archaeology and the Indian tribes/THPOs for review and comments.