HPO has no archaeologist to guide Section 106 talks

The Historic Preservation Office’s sole archaeologist resigned 11 days ago, prompting the HPO board to recall the tough hiring prospects of past years and consider the scarce technical resources it faces as the CNMI stares down the release this week of impact documents on proposed joint military live-fire trainings.

Concerns over the CNMI Joint Live-Fire Training Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Pagan and Tinian—due on April 3—were raised after HPO updated the board on a vacant archaeologist position.

Board members emphasized the technical expertise they’d need in negotiations for mitigations to any historic land the military may want to acquire, specifically on Pagan.

According to HPO director Merti Kani, previous HPO archaeologist Eric Lash’s job was “to do review of Sec[tion] 106” of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, which requires federal agencies like the military to take into account their effects on historic properties.

HPO specialist John Palacios said there are 37 nationally registered historic sites in the CNMI. None are on Pagan. He noted, though, there are many eligible sites that are still “intact” on the island.

When asked to come up with a number, he said, “A lot. A lot.” He could not verify a total yesterday.

According to Kani, Lash cited family reasons in his resignation letter. Before Lash, the archaeologist position had been vacant for three years, from 2011 to 2014.

Board member Don Farrell emphasized the need to have a proper historical officer at the office, noting that the military has spent million of dollars on teams to have their perspective on their work.

“We are behind the 8-ball,” he said.

“The government has grossly underestimated the need for primary research to respond to that document,” he said, calling the 40-day scramble to respond to the DEIS “not adequate.”

Farrell said military officials have been walking the halls of the Legislature for the last five years, while the CNMI “hasn’t even open[ed] the door.”

He said they don’t need just one archaeologist, “we need several.”

“We need that funding now,” or else the CNMI is “never going to make it to that position to negotiate mitigations.”

HPO board vice chair Dr. Hiro Kurashina backed Farrell’s concern, noting that at the University of Guam where he works, the anthropology department has no archaeologists. They have left for institutions in Australia and California, he said.

Even private firms are having trouble recruiting archaeologists in the Pacific, he said. Average employment is sixth months, he said.

“We are competing with other employment opportunities” like the U.S. Navy, he said, where “their salary…is quite attractive.”

Farrell said the CNMI Covenant guarantees that if the military wants more land they’d have to engage in dialogue. “How do we decide how much is Pagan worth? We are historians,” he said, adding it is their job not to repeat history’s mistakes.

“We got robbed in ’75,” he said, referring to lease of Tinian land to the military. “We got robbed big time.”

Board member Dr. Elizabeth Rechebai said that without technical expertise, they “are operating in a vacuum.”