2. The John L. Cotter Award for Excellence in National Park Service Archeology

PREFACE: In honor of his long and distinguished career and his pioneering contributions to professional archeology within the National Park System, this unofficial annual award was established by agency staff as inspiration for student and professional archeologists to continue Dr. John L. Cotter’s model of excellence.

PURPOSE: To recognize a specific archeological project within a unit of the National Park System, conducted by National Park Service staff, cooperator, permittee, or consultant as guided by senior National Park Service staff archeologist(s), each fiscal year, which meets or exceeds the criteria below.

AWARD: The selected project lead person(s) will receive a commemorative non-monetary award and certificate bearing name(s) of principal investigator(s), project dates and field unit name. Presentation of award shall be at a suitable gathering of NPS archeological staff, followed by a brief project presentation. The award will be announced through official NPS public affairs channels.

CRITERIA: Candidate project leader(s) and the work within park submerged or terrestrial site(s) shall address the following elements for eligibility:

(1) Exemplary multidisciplinary research design, which includes testable inquiries (e.g., cultural patterns, affiliations, cultural change, or other analytical concepts of anthropology) as objectives, and data from other supporting disciplines;

(2) Involvement of high school or college students who performed work elements which contributed significantly to project goals;

(3) Innovative scientific analysis, curatorial management meeting federal standards, and interpretation of archeological material culture were integrated with research design inquiries, and appropriate specialists’ assistance was utllized in these activities;

(4) A program(s) was stated to improve local public education regarding research results and benefits of new knowledge about past peoples as well as increased scientific values;

(5) Publication plans identified funding for printing of project results as professional reports, including electronic formats.

PROJECT TYPES: Eligible projects may be a phase of a continuing multi-year program or a single-year project that addresses prehistoric or historical park archeological resources through excavation, survey, or inventory actions, sponsored focused symposia, analysis and description of an artifact collection, or combinations of these activities. If not NPS funded, the project must contribute to a field unit’s strategic management of its archeological resources.

NOMINATION: A project begun and completed in FY 2002 or begun in an earlier fiscal year and completed in FY 2002 and its supervisory staff may be nominated by an NPS career employee or non-NPS professional archeologist familiar with the work (other than the Review Committee members or persons otherwise directly involved). Nominations addressing criteria above should be less than 10 pages with fewer than five photographs and other graphics. Six copies will be forwarded to the Office of the Department of the Interior Consulting Archeologist, labeled “Cotter Award Nomination” with a dated transmittal letter copied to Committee co-chairs. The due date for FY 2002 nominations will be in early 2003. Contact Roger Kelly or David Orr (below) for exact deadline and other details. Electronic submittal is recommended.

REVIEW OF NOMINATIONS: At least six NPS supervisory archeologists will be requested by the Consulting Archeologist to review nominations received and place them in rank order with a recommendation for award. This Committee may seek input from previous awardees or non-NPS archeological experts, if needed. A consensus decision is needed. The Consulting Archeologist’s Office will be informed of the award recommendation within four weeks of nomination receipt.

ANNOUNCEMENT: The Review Committee will schedule a suitable presentation event, usually during the annual National Park Service meetings prior to the Society for American Archeology annual conference. Public announcement will be made within NPS public affairs channels.

CONTACT:

Roger Kelly
NPS Pacific West Region
1111 Jackson St., Suite 700
Oakland, CA 94607-4807 (510) 817-1400.

David Orr
NPS Valley Forge Archeological Resource Center
Route 23 & North Gulph Road
Valley Forge, PA 19482-0953 (610) 783-0252 or 783-0253.