GREAT SERPENT MOUND HISTORICAL SITE

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

 

The Great Serpent Mound site in rural Adams County holds many mysteries. It is the largest effigy mound in the world, a Late Prehistoric Period cultural work. It has been nominated to be a World Heritage Sites designated by UNESCO. A requirement for designation is to prepare a Cultural Resource Management Plan (CRMP), which is a long term planning and management plan.

 

Site analysis work and documenting site resources are part of the CRMP. As a sub-consultant to the archaeological team, Meisner + Associates assisted in site documentation and site impact analysis. Analysis elements included: early survey mapping, location and condition of existing landscape, slopes, soils, paths, buildings and infrastructure, and the geometry of solar alignment.

 

A key recommendation at this first stage of the CRMP is to initiate means to protect the views. Creation of a Scenic Byway and viewshed agreements with neighbors are proposed. The viewshed analysis plan provides the plan key to the next steps of conserving this World Heritage Site for generations to come.