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Alaska Heritage Resources Survey - General Overview |
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The Alaska Heritage
Resources Survey (AHRS) is an inventory of all reported historic and prehistoric
sites within the State of Alaska and is maintained by the Office of History
and Archaeology. This inventory of cultural resources includes objects,
structures, buildings, sites, districts, and travel ways, with a general
provision that they are over 50 years old. To date over 22,000 sites have
been reported within Alaska (however, this is probably only a small percentage
of the sites that may actually exist but are as yet unreported). The fundamental use of the AHRS is to protect cultural resource sites from unwanted destruction. Various state and federal agencies and private companies use the inventory when planning or reviewing development projects. By knowing of possible cultural remains prior to construction, efforts can be made to avoid project delays and prevent unnecessary destruction of these non-renewable resources. Listing on the AHRS does not, in and of itself, provide protection for sites. But it does allow for knowledgeable decisions to be made concerning the future of these sites. The AHRS is primarily a map based system. We maintain a complete set of USGS topographic maps at 1:250,000 scale and 1:63,360 (1" = 1 mile) scale with the site locations plotted on them. Each site is given an individual designation consisting of a trigraph for the quadrangle in which it is located and a unique sequential number within that quadrangle, i.e., SIT-010 is the AHRS number for the tenth site recorded within the Sitka quadrangle. For each individual site we maintain a site record containing such information as the site name, a description of the physical remains, data on the site's location, and a list of bibliographic citations, as well as a variety of additional information relevant to management and research needs. We completed the conversion of our original manual record system to a computer database to facilitate information retrieval. To supplement these records, we maintain a reprint file of published reports and unpublished manuscripts. Not least of all, the Office of History and Archaeology is a human resource. We like to think we collectively have a relatively significant amount of personal knowledge in a number of the dimensions of Alaska's cultural resources, and we are happy to share our knowledge. Access to site location information contained in the AHRS is closed to the general public (as required by PL 96-95; AS 9.25.120, exception 4; Policy and Procedure No. 50200). Authorized users are representatives of federal, state, or local governments on official business; researchers engaged in legitimate scientific research; individuals or representatives of organizations conducting cultural resource surveys aimed at protection of such information or sites; or such individuals determined by the Chief of the office maintaining the Alaska Heritage Resources Survey as having a legitimate need for access. The blank AHRS data form listed in the table below is in pdf format and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader version 3.0 or later to view and print the document on-line. Acrobat Reader can be downloaded for free by clicking on the "Get Acrobat" button below. Follow the instructions and choose the the appropriate type of Acrobat Reader for your computer. Once Acrobat Reader is on the computer, click on the data form title below to access the document.
Additional Resources for AHRS Users
Effective January 1, 2008
The public availability to the Alaska Heritage Resources Survey (AHRS) section at OHA will be limited to: Monday - Friday, 9:00-11:30am and 1:00-4:00pm. Special appointments, which require prior arrangement and compelling circumstances, may be requested by contacting Joan Dale (907-269-8718). |
Office of History and Archaeology (OHA) Heritage Newsletter OHA and SHPO Staff Alaska Historical Commission Alaska Geographic Names Program Alaska Gold Rush Centennials Alaska Archaeological Survey Alaska State Historical Parks Alaska OHA Photo Galleries Cultural Resource Management Plan for the Denali Highway Lands Frequently Used Resources Alaska Heritage Resources Survey Report Submittal Checklist and Cover Sheet Permits for Investigations on State Lands OHA Projects Castle Hill Archaeological Project Broken Mammoth Archaeological Project The Wreck of the Kad'yak Southeast Alaska Historic Shipwrecks Alaska State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) SHPO Main Page Alaska's Historic Preservation Plan National Register of Historic Places Section 106 Review Process Rehabilitation Tax Credit Certified Local Government Program Education (Project Archaeology) HPF Development Program Historic Preservation Links Historic Preservation Series National Historic Preservation Act Unalaska South Channel (Amaknak) Bridge Project Special Announcements New Hours Set for AHRS Research |
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Last updated on Thursday, 19-Mar-2009 06:23:42 AKDT.
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