CULTURAL RESOURCES
S P E C I A L
T R I B A L
C O N S U L T A T I O N
E D I T I O N
Bridging The Past and The Present
SPECIAL MESSAGE
FROM THE DIRECTOR:
No. 1 | SPRING 2016
In this issue:
New Tribal Consultation Team
Recent Activities
Fast Facts
More Funding
School Grants
Quick Poll:
Would you be interested in
As TxDOT works to build a safe and reliable transportation system, the
Cultural Resources Management (CRM) program considers the impact of
projects on archeological and historic properties. To meet our teamwork
goal with the various 25 federally recognized tribes, we inaugurated this
special newsletter to update you on the overall program achievements.
We also intend to share news and events that may interest you.
Highways are two-way streets, so
we hope you will respond with your
VISIT THE NEW
thoughts on improving consultation and
TRIBAL CONSULTATION
engagement. Please do not hesitate to
reach out and share your ideas with me
PAGE ON TXDOT. GOV
or any of our dedicated staff.
receiving an interactive map
with project information and
known archeological sites in
your area of interest?
survey link
Carlos Swonke
Director of Environmental Affairs Division

Upcoming Events
▪ Caddo Conference of
Texas: March 31–April 2
(Nacogdoches, TX)
▪ To Bridge a Gap:
April 11–14 (Kinder, LA)
▪ Joint TxDOT Consultation
Event: May 2016 (Austin, TX)
Contact Information
TxDOT Welcomes New Tribal Consultation Team
The CRM program welcomes two new staff working on Sec. 106 tribal consultation.
Laura Cruzada joined TxDOT Archeology in May 2015 with a background in public
outreach and collaboration. Chantal McKenzie, an architectural historian formerly
of the Texas Army National Guard’s CRM office, joined TxDOT’s Cultural Resources
Section in December 2015. The two will work collaboratively to improve meaningful
consultation with the tribes. In the next year, TxDOT will co-host an intertribal
consultation event in Austin, TX and will continue coordinating with tribes throughout
the transportation process early and often.

▪ Laura Cruzada
[email protected]
Recent Activities
▪ Chantal McKenzie
[email protected]
Resources
▪ Statewide planning maps
▪ Archeological sites and
cemeteries toolkit
FAST FACTS
In 2015, TxDOT staff
archeologists reviewed over
295 projects. Despite that
number, only roughly 1 percent
of TxDOT’s projects require
mitigation via data recovery.
 TxDOT met with the Alabama-Coushatta
Tribe of Texas in January 2016 during a
Heritage Resource training with the U.S.
Forest Service.
 In September 2015, The Thlopthlocco
Tribal Town hosted a meeting with the
Alabama-Quassarte Tribe, Kialagee Tribe,
TxDOT and FHWA to discuss what works
best for consultation.
 In October 2015 for Texas Archaeology
Month, TxDOT launched new outreach
efforts to raise awareness about the CRM
program and Native American heritage.
 During the Texas Archaeological Society’s
annual meeting in Houston in October,
Laura Cruzada joined Caddo Nation of
Oklahoma Museum Director Kim Penrod
for a presentation on the importance of
cultural sensitivity and awareness in CRM
for a packed audience.

More Funding for Projects Coming Down the Pike
Proposition 1, which dedicates a portion of oil and gas tax revenue to the state highway fund, was approved
last November by Texas voters. The 200 planned Proposition 1 projects will result in more than 800 miles of
rehabilitated highways; nearly 500 miles of new highway lanes; 114 bridges replaced, widened or rehabilitated; and
an additional 159 miles of passing lanes on rural highways. For more information, click here.

Texas Archaeological Society Field School Grants
Come learn more about Texas archeology and get your hands
dirty with the Texas Archaeological Society’s annual Field
School. Through the Native American Scholarship Program,
TAS will send two members to take part in archeological
excavations in southeast Texas outside of Columbus, on
June 11-17, 2016. Several prehistoric campsites and historic
German homestead sites will be excavated under the direction
of TxDOT staff archeologist Dr. Jason Barrett. The scholarship
program allows TAS members to meet, talk with, and learn
from the native people whose traditions and lifeways are tied
to Texas archeological sites. To apply or learn more, visit
http://www.txarch.org/scholarships/native.html.
