About Heartsong Archaeology, LLC
Our Experience
Years of experience in the Cultural Resource Management industry have equipped our team to handle a variety of research endeavors, including Archaeological and Historical Compliance Assessments. We deliver high-quality project submissions at a competitive cost while prioritizing our financial resources on training and investing in our team. Effective compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act is essential for our clients, and we recognize that no business functions optimally without the cooperation of a skilled and dedicated staff. We are truly grateful for our team.
Our Mission
We provide quality research for our clients at a fair value cost. Each bid is accompanied by a transparent line-item budget, reflecting the cost of responsibly engaging in the service while ensuring our employees receive a living wage. Our goal is to streamline the Section 106 Compliance process, and our bids are structured to front-end research efforts. We find that this approach helps prevent unnecessary delays often associated with those who provide a substandard effort, failing to satisfy the good faith effort mandated by the National Historic Preservation Act, which can lead to unnecessary complications in the Cultural Resource Management process.
What is a Sect. 106 application? What is the NHPA?
The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) was established to "establish a program for the preservation of... historic properties throughout the Nation." Section 106 Compliance, which mandates the proactive evaluation of properties prior to a "federal undertaking," often involves archaeological and historical research by qualified professionals. Federal undertakings encompass projects that are either funded or permitted by the federal government, as well as those regulated at the state or local level under the approval of a federal agency. The NHPA is often mistaken to be an obstruction to projects, however it is intended to be a "stop, think, and listen" approach which provides communities and stakeholders with the opportunity to be heard before projects utilizing their tax dollars go into effect.
Welcome to Heartsong Archaeology, LLC
Monte Lawton
Monte Lawton is an Anthropological Archaeologist specializing in precontact archaeology, with extensive field, lab, and reporting experience. He holds an M.A. in Cultural Resource Management and has over 12 years of experience in archaeological compliance assessments. Monte is a Secretary of Interior (SOI) qualified archaeologist (36 CFR Part 61) and a Qualified Professional (QP) in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Additionally, he is a Registered Professional Archaeologist (RPA) with several years of experience conducting Section 106 compliance projects, including Phase I, II, and III, in accordance with the Historic Preservation Act throughout the Eastern United States. Monte is an active member of the Michigan Archaeological Society and a fellow of the Conference on Michigan Archaeology.
James Miller
James is an Architectural Historian with extensive experience in assessing and documenting historic resources to ensure compliance with relevant preservation and environmental laws, including the Historic Preservation Act and Section 106 Compliance of the National Historic Preservation Act (1966), as well as applicable state of Michigan preservation laws. He specializes in Cultural Resource Management, including technical report preparation, NRHP nominations, historic context reports, reconnaissance and intensive level surveys, and archival research. With a M.Sc. in Historic Preservation, James meets the federal professional qualifications outlined in the Secretary of Interior Professional Qualifications Standards for Architectural Historians, as specified in 36 CFR Part 61, and is adept at conducting Archaeological Compliance Assessments.