TEXAS MASTER NATURALIST INDIAN TRAIL CHAPTER MONTHLY MEETING JAN. 27

TxDOT’s role in historic preservation

Monday, Jan. 27

First United Methodist Church

505 W. Marvin Ave., Waxahachie

Family Life Center – Gathering Room

6 p.m.

Business Meeting

7 p.m.

Program presented by J. Kevin Hanselka, TxDOT Archaeologist

Texas has a rich history of human occupation that extends back more than 13,000 years.

Archaeological sites are abundant throughout the state, and chances are that highway projects will occasionally encounter and potentially impact them. Archaeologists at the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) follow Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and the Antiquities Code of Texas to identify, evaluate, and develop preservation solutions for sites that may be impacted by highway projects.

Kevin Hanselka will present on the role of TxDOT in historic preservation, including some interesting recent projects as examples. He will also introduce several research initiatives designed to contribute to the greater field of Texas archeology, including his own work exploring the potential for archeological mesquite wood charcoal to aid in reconstructing ancient rainfall patterns.

Hanselka is an archaeologist, consulting archaeobotanist, and independent researcher with more than 20 years experience in both academia and CRM. He holds a Master’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and a Ph.D. in the same from Washington University in Saint Louis.

Indian Trail Chapter is part of the statewide Texas Master Naturalist Volunteer Program of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Our mission is to develop a corps of well-informed volunteers to provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities for the state of Texas. This program is part of a series of “no cost – open to the public” Master Naturalist programs offered the fourth Monday (generally) of each month from 7 – 8 p.m. For more information, please call the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension at 972-825-5175 or email: information@itmnc.com