The GA committee is working on preparing CTA’s response to the proposed Section 106 changes once they are published in the Federal Register. Our current focus is proposed changes to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, but there are other current preservation concerns that also affect Texas Archeology. If you would like more information about these issues, please visit the links below for more information and ways to take action. 

• https://savingplaces.org/   This is the National Trust website. They have a call to action, a breakdown of some of the proposed changes to Section 106 guidelines, as well as a follow up webinar on Section 106 on August 12 that you can register for.   
• https://acra-crm.org/login/?redirect_to=/section-106-action-center/  and https://acra-crm.org/acrasphere/  ACRA has set up a new Section 106 Action Center for members. The second link is for the ACRAsphere blog, which is open to everyone.
• https://saa.org/SAAMember/Media-Room/News/SAA-Issues-Statement-On-ACHP-Draft-Changes-To-Section-106-Regulations.aspx  This is the link to SAA’s Statement on the proposed Section 106 changes.
• https://culturalheritagepartners.com/war-room-for-threats-to-section-106/  Cultural Heritage Partners Law firm maintains a page that provides updates on Section 106.
• Comments for Border Wall in Lower Pecos
• Shumla petition for Lower Pecos

You can also call and email your federal senators and representatives at any time to discuss the importance of cultural resources for our state. If you do so in writing, remember:

• Form letters get counted as a single comment.
• Referencing specifics (e.g. without public comment, we would not have known about the existence of x cemetery, archaeological site, etc.)
• Don’t forget about Section 106 successes!

CTA Members,

Our colleagues at Shumla are actively working to try to raise awareness about the border wall and its potential impacts to cultural resources within the Lower Pecos Canyonlands. Please read the following infographic from Amanda Castenda and provide comments at the link below. CTA will not provide a form letter, as form letters are counted as a single comment. Shumla is trying to get the word out, so please circulate this among your networks in Texas and nationwide. Social media posts tagging Shumla and the petition/comment link may also be appreciated.

Shumla's Board of Directors has unanimously adopted a resolution calling for thoughtful stewardship, sound science, meaningful consultation with Tribal communities and affected landowners, and careful consideration of the irreplaceable cultural resources of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands.

Further, we have started a petition to raise awareness and hopefully encourage decision-makers to pursue border security solutions that protect the irreplaceable cultural resources of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands.

On July 27, the Department of Homeland Security waived 30 regulations (including the National Historic Preservation Act) for our section of the border project to expedite the construction process (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/27/2026-15096/determination-pursuant-to-section-102-of-the-illegal-immigration-reform-and-immigrant-responsibility).

Currently, there is an open comment period for Big Bend Project 5. I would encourage as much participation in this as possible. The comment period closes on August 31, 2026.

Our biggest concerns are the lack of clear communication from the federal government and what cultural sites could be destroyed due to the lack of archaeological monitoring and survey. Further, there is still confusion about the exact route of the barrier (the project line has changed twice and the current line on the cbp smart wall website does not even match the line on the comment website above). Once the barrier is in place, there is no guarantee that the ~62,700 acres south of the barrier will be accessible for site access or monitoring. We have not been able to get straight answers about the possibility of vehicle or man gates. 

- Government Affairs Committee

The Lost Cemeteries Task Force (LCTF) is looking for volunteers to research and locate lost cemeteries identified as Vicinity Cemeteries on the Atlas.

LCTF Members’ duties are:

• Work with county historical commissions and local researchers to identify cemetery vicinity locations or narrow the range of vicinity cemetery locations. This may include researching historic maps, historic overlays, deeds, oral histories. To learn more about cemetery vicinities, please see the Atlas’ About Atlas tab and select Atlas Data then scroll down to Cemetery Vicinities.
• Perform desktop review of THC’s restricted Atlas locational data for vicinity cemeteries
• Conduct archival research to enhance knowledge about a particular vicinity cemetery
• Share your research with THC’s Jenny McWilliams and county historical commissions using Excel spreadsheet (provided)
• If able and inclined, visit cemetery locations, with landowner permission, to verify or enhance Atlas data on vicinity cemeteries
• Atlas access is required 

If you are looking to enhance your leadership skills, you may choose to organize a small team to train and assist you.

One annual volunteer training session will be held.

What’s the commitment?

• 1 year commitment to serve
• A minimum of 2-4 hrs/month
• Attendance at county cohort meetings, frequency to be set by the cohort leaders.
• Attendance at two online LCTF committee meetings

If you wish to volunteer, reach out to andrea.burden@icf.com before May 29.

The Spring 2026 CTA Newsletter is now Available!

Click the link below to check it out:

CTA Newsletter (Spring 2026)

The Texas Historical Commission is hiring a Collections Lab Manager in Austin.

THC Collections Lab Manager posting

Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is hiring an archeologist in Austin.

TPWD Austin Job Posting

Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is hiring a State Parks Regional Archeologist in East Texas.

TPWD Tyler Job Posting

Pape-Dawson is hiring a Principal Investigator based in San Antonio, Texas! 

Click the link below for more information:

Job Announcement: Pape-Dawson

Hi All,

I have a few updates I wanted to send out to everyone.

As mentioned in October, our Spring Meeting is Friday, April 10, 2026 at 9am, at the Austin Water Center for Environmental Research (CER) at Hornsby Bend (2210 South FM 973, Austin, 78725) and will also be on Zoom (link will be sent out the week before the meeting). Everyone will be required to show a valid ID to enter the gate, but we are working with the CER to make this process faster than last year.

The afternoon session will start promptly at 1:00pm in the CER lecture room and also be on Zoom. WE are planning to have some of the J. Michael Quigg Student Research Grant recipients present on their research.

The afternoon social will immediately follow the afternoon session and will be held at the Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River Metro Park again (400 Grove Blvd, Austin, TX 78741).

On Saturday, April 11^th, CTA will be hosting a Career Fair and Public Outreach Event at South Austin Beer Garden (SABG) located at 10700 Menchaca Road, Austin, TX 78748. SABG is normally open to the public starting at noon; however, they will be opening early for our event. SABG is both pet and kid friendly.

The Career Fair will be held from 10-11:30am with booths set up in the back parking lot area of SABG (set up will start at 9am). To register for a booth, see the link below. Registration is $150/booth. Folks will need to bring their own tables, chairs, tents, etc. and there will not be any available electric outlets. We will have coffee and donuts, or some other kind of breakfast food, and some limited drinks tickets to use at SABG for participants and attendees.

The Public Outreach portion of the event will be held from 11:30-2:30pm in the covered courtyard area of SABG. Similar to public outreach events held during Texas Archaeology Month, the intent of this archaeology fair is to engage the public by providing family friendly, interactive activities, demonstrations, and exhibits. There is no fee for participants for the public outreach event. If you are interested in hosting a booth, please email me at cnielsen@swca.com and counciloftexasarcheologists@gmail.com. Participants are welcome to set up as early as they like (starting at 9am). There are some picnic tables that can be moved and used, as needed; however, I suggest bringing your own table and chairs to be safe. Electrical outlets will not be available in this area, either.

I will follow up with more specific instructions for participants who register for the career fair and/or public outreach event.

Register for a booth at the Career Fair - https://counciloftexasarcheologists.org/event-6578055

Cheers,

Tina Nielsen

CTA President

The Cemetery Detection of Remains through Experimental Archeological Methods (DREAM) Project is needing volunteer archaeologists to collaborate on a test case for experimental grave location methods at a historic-age (ca. 19th century) cemetery located northwest of Austin. 

Data collection methodologies may include dowsing (also called grave witching), ground penetrating radar (GPR), metal detecting, gradiometery, cadaver dog survey, high-definition LiDAR survey, and application of other grave location technologies. Work will begin in Late January and will conclude March 1, 2026. The deadline to register is January 27, 2026.

Click the link below for more information:

Call for Dowsers - Witchers Wanted