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 breakdown, 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 associated with a substandard effort, failing to satisfy the good faith effort mandated by the National Historic Preservation Act. Our approach is to avoid 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.
Services Provided
Section 106 Compliance Assessments and Research
- Archaeological Sensitivity Assessments
- Recommendations for Archaeological Resources within the Area of Potential Effect (APE)
- Archaeological Monitoring Plans
- Adverse Effect Consultation
Archaeological Survey
- Section 106 and 110 Field Inventories
- Noninvasive Magnetic Susceptibility Surveys
- Archaeological Deep Testing and Mechanical Trenching
- Due Diligence Assessments
- Research Designs
- Archaeological Resources Protection Act (1979) Permits
- Custom Archaeological Sensitivity Models
Archaeological Monitoring Services
- Unanticipated Discovery Plan Development (UDP)
- UDP Trainings
- Secretary of the Interior Qualified Archaeologists
- Archaeological Monitoring Reports
Welcome to Heartsong Archaeology, LLC
Monte Lawton
Monte Lawton is an Anthropological Archaeologist 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. Monte is a Secretary of Interior (SOI) qualified archaeologist (36 CFR Part 61) and a Qualified Professional (QP) in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Additionally, he is a Registered Professional Archaeologist (RPA) with several years of experience conducting Section 106 compliance projects 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.