Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 312 CMR - BOARD OF UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES › Title 312 CMR 2.00 - Massachusetts Underwater Archaeological Resources › Section 2.09 - Permittee Activities and Responsibilities

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
(1)
General Standards for all Permits
. Permittees shall be expected to perform all elements of the work plan as approved by the Board, notifying the Board in writing and immediately of any change affecting the application or resource (such as identity, security, physical conditions, unanticipated finds, etc.) Permittees shall also be expected at all times to protect the resources from destruction and loss. Permittee activities shall be in conformity with all applicable laws, regulations and permit conditions.
(2)
Additional Standards for Excavation Activities.
(a)
Introduction
. Because excavation activities, by definition, destroy the record left by time, the permittee has a responsibility to maintain high standards for excavation and conservation and must stay in ongoing contact with the Board.
(b)
Standards for Permittees
. The permittee shall:
1. Assess the adequacy of his/her qualifications for the demands of the project, and minimize inadequacies by acquiring additional expertise, by bringing in associates with the needed qualifications, or by modifying the scope of the project;
2. Be well informed about relevant previous research;
3. Develop a project plan which specifies the objectives of the project, takes into account previous relevant research, employs a suitable methodology, and provides for use of the resource consistent with the objectives of the project;
4. Ensure the availability of adequate staff and support facilities to carry the project to completion, and of adequate curatorial and conservation facilities for artifacts, other objects, and records; and
5. Follow his/her project plan except to the extent that unforeseen circumstances warrant its modification.
The permittee shall consult with the Board in order to modify the research plan.
(c)
Archaeological Standards
.
1. If artifacts or other tangible objects are collected, a system for identifying and recording their proveniences shall be maintained;
2. Elements such as environmental data, diver's observations, depositional strata, and the like, shall be fully and accurately recorded by appropriate means, and their locations noted;
3. If fragile specimens are uncovered or removed from their depositional contexts, the permittee shall provide appropriate conservation services in order to preserve or minimize deterioration of the specimens;
4. The methods employed in data collection shall be fully and accurately described. Significant stratigraphic and associational relationships among artifacts, other specimens, and cultural and environmental features shall also be fully and accurately recorded;
5. All records shall be intelligible to the Board;
6. During removal, analysis and storage of specimens and records in the laboratory, the permittee shall take precautions to ensure that correlations between the specimens and the field records are maintained, so that provenience, contextual relationships and the like are not confused, obscured or lost;
7. The permittee shall, in the public interest, disseminate the results of his/her work within one year of the project completion date.
8. Violation of these standards is grounds for revocation of a permit.