Award detail

THE LSU CAMPUS MOUNDS ARE TWO ANCIENT, DOME-SHAPED MOUNDS ON THE GROUNDS OF LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY IN BATON ROUGE. NATIVE AMERICANS BEGAN CONSTRUCTING THEM AT LEAST 6000 YEARS AGO, DURING THE EARLIEST PHASE OF MOUND BUILDING IN NORTH AMERICA. IN 1999, THE SITE WAS LISTED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES AS NATIONALLY SIGNIFICANT, BASED ON AGE, PRESERVATION, RARITY, AND RESEARCH POTENTIAL. THE MOUNDS ALSO ARE EXTRAORDINARY BECAUSE OF THEIR VISIBILITY ON PUBLIC PROPERTY. THE MOUNDS WERE NOT PART OF A VILLAGE OR ENCAMPMENT. INSTEAD, THEY WERE A BEACON THAT MARKED A GATHERING PLACE FOR PEOPLE WHO TRAVELED THERE FOR SPECIAL EVENTS. THEY CONTINUE TO BE SACRED TO TRIBES TODAY.GOAL: STOP THE EROSION, BY REPAIRING EXISTING DAMAGE AND REVEGETATING THE MOUNDS. THE MOUNDS ARE IN URGENT NEED OF INTERVENTION TO PROTECT THEIR INTEGRITY. BOTH NATURAL AND HUMAN FACTORS HAVE DAMAGED THEM. WHILE SOME OF THESE ACTIVITIES ARE NO LONGER OCCURRING, THEY HAVE LEFT RUTS AND SLUMPS, WHICH ALLOW WATER INTRUSION AND WEAKEN THE MOUNDS INTERNAL STRUCTURE. OTHER EROSIVE CONDITIONS ARE ONGOING. THE CURRENT GROUND COVER IS WEAK AND DYING, AND THERE IS NO WAY TO EFFECTIVELY IRRIGATE IT. EXTREME WEATHER HAS WORSENED SURFACE DAMAGE, ACCELERATING EROSION. WITH CLIMATE CHANGE, THESE CONDITIONS WILL INTENSIFY.GOAL: UNIFY THE SITE S SACRED CORE, BY REMOVING SIDEWALKS THAT SEPARATE THE MOUNDS AND REVEGETATING THE AREA BETWEEN THE MOUNDS. THE MOUNDS ARE IN THE HEART OF LSU S CAMPUS. FOR DECADES, PEOPLE USED THEM RECREATIONALLY, AND MAJOR SIDEWALKS PASS BETWEEN THEM. RECENTLY, IN CONSULTATION WITH TRIBAL REPRESENTATIVES AND ARCHAEOLOGISTS, LSU CONDUCTED A PLANNING STUDY AND EMBARKED ON AN AMBITIOUS PLAN TO PROTECT THE SITE. ONE OF THE FIRST STEPS WAS TO FENCE IN THE ENTIRE MOUND AREA. THE FENCE STOPPED UTILITARIAN AND RECREATIONAL USE AND DEFINES A SACRED AND PROTECTED LANDSCAPE. HOWEVER, THE INTRUSIVE SIDEWALKS BETWEEN THE MOUNDS ARE STILL IN PLACE.SUMMARY OF PROJECT ACTIVITIES. THE GRANT WILL FUND A GEOPHYSICAL ENGINEER TO ADVISE LSU ABOUT EROSION CONTROL AND WILL SUPPORT AN ARCHAEOLOGIST TO MONITOR THE WORK. THE PLAN IS TO 1) USE OPAQUE TARPS TO ERADICATE THE CURRENT, DYING GRASS, 2) FILL ERODED AREAS WITH SOIL, AND 3) CAREFULLY REMOVE THE INTRUSIVE SIDEWALKS BETWEEN THE MOUNDS TO UNIFY THE SPACE. THEN, BY HAND-LAYING SOD, 4) ADD DENSER, DROUGHT-RESISTANT, LOW-GROWING GRASS IN THE FENCED AREA TO STABILIZE THE SURFACES. THE GRASS WILL GROW TO ITS NATURAL HEIGHT, REQUIRING ONLY OCCASIONAL STRING TRIMMING. TO ESTABLISH THE GRASS AND TO SUSTAIN IT DURING DROUGHT, 5) INSTALL A WATERING SYSTEM THAT IS AS NONINTRUSIVE AS POSSIBLE. TO DOCUMENT THE PROJECT, AND AS A BASELINE FOR MONITORING, 6) PRECISION MAP THE SITE BEFORE AND AFTER THE REPAIR. FINALLY, 7) PREPARE A MAINTENANCE AND MONITORING PLAN FOR FUTURE PROTECTION.PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OUTCOMES. THE PERFORMANCE GOALS ARE 1) ADHERE TO THE PROPOSED TIMELINE AND DOCUMENT PROGRESS QUARTERLY, TO ENSURE TIMELY PROJECT COMPLETION 2) REMAIN WITHIN BUDGET, AS REPORTED QUARTERLY, TO ALLOW ALL PLANNED PROJECT ACTIVITIES TO BEFUNDED 3) COLLABORATE WITH PARTNERS AND ADVISORS, FOLLOWING THE SEQUENCE ON THE TIMELINE, TO MAXIMIZE THE BENEFITS OF EXPERT ADVICE 4) COMMUNICATE WELL WITHIN LSU AND WITH THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE TO MEET ALL FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS AND GUIDELINES.PARTNERS. PARTNERS WITH LSU ARE THE LOUISIANA DIVISION OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND TWO FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES: THE CHITIMACHA TRIBE OF LOUISIANA AND THE TUNICA-BILOXI TRIBE OF LOUISIANA. BENEFICIARIES. THIS GRANT WILL ENABLE LSU TO CONTINUE ITS COMMITMENT TO STABILIZE AND PROTECT THESE NATIONAL TREASURES. THE BENEFICIARIES ARE NATIVE AMERICANS, FOR WHOM THE SITE IS SACRED THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS, EMPLOYEES, TOURISTS, AND SPORTS FANS WHO SEE THE SITE EACH YEAR AND RESEARCHERS STUDYING THE BEGINNING OF THE MOUND-BUILDING TRADITION IN NORTH AMERICA

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