Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 03/13/2003

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l~oacl in Friclle§, bwo miles nort~ ot 69z~. Pot more intormation please call 703-374-1800. Bunker Beach Aquatic Center Moving ForWard Work continues on the BUnker Beach facility. The picture below shows work that is .being done by the Parks Maintenance staff. They .are working to enclose the ends of the old restroom facilities and match the ends to' the new bobl'ding that-are being added to the site.: Contractors are still working at the site and the work will start to pick up, as we get closer to · spring,. The waterslide tower and water play 'structure should arrive at the facility in the up corning weeks and installation of these features will start to take place early this spring. As many of you know, the construction projects Bunker Beach began the fall of 2002. As the winter approached much of the construction by the contractors was delayed .with the anticipation of winter weather. The contractors projected that they would be back in full force in the spring of 2003. Wargo Nature Center Hosts Archaeological Study ' If you happened to be in the vicinity of Wargo Nature Center on Wednesday evenings in February, you could step back in time with community volUnteers, Wargo Nature Center Staff, and ArchaeolOgists from the IMA- InStitute - for Minnesota Archaeology as they participate in archaeology lab work. The talented Anne Miller, who has been the IMA Volunteer Lab coordinator for the last. five years, supervises the program. She has 12 years of archaeological experience. working on numerous projects for historic Sites, including all phases of fieldwork. Her ~rchaeological field experience has included ~roiects in Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Casey DeMarais, Archaeologist for IMA and Anne arrive early to set up the lab for the evenings work.' Dan Wendt, an archaeologist wh° lives in the area and who has supervised digs 21AN20 East of the Golf Course on an inlet to Marshan .Lake and also excavation site 21AN42 where Rice Creek enters Rice Lake, has been attending the lab .and sharing his expertise. Over the last several seasons, the.volunteer lab participants have worked on processing artifact collections from the Red Wing 'area, a French fur-post site from central Minnesota; an historic homestead from one.of the earliest residences in the Saint Paul .area, web site proiects 'and' organizing and inventorying the IMA's extensive library collection. The lab provides hands-on experience with artifacts.and cultUral materials systematically collected from .arChaeological sites, in the region. On Wednesday evenings, Volunteers have the opportunity to sort, catalog, Weigh, tag, and Prepare the artifacts from site 21AN4'2'which will eventually be stored at the Minnesota Historical Society as they. are the only certified storage facility .in .the state. Volunteers have learned how to sort FCR- fire cracked rock, pottery sherds, chipp'ing debris, . non-cultural material; and bone' fragments, just . to name a few. · By studying and documenting theartifacts fOund . in.that excavation, a lot can be learned about thel. culture from that time periOd: Stone.' types.' utilized by .resident Indians on the Anoka Sand Plain included, jasper, Chert; obsidiam siliCa, siltstone and flint, which attest to the fact that. resident Indians traded throughout the northern United States: Late Woodland regional, cultUre On the. Rice C'i~eek Chain. of Lakes from' about .600 to 1200 AD saW the. use of regional PotterY style, the introduction of the bow and arrow and use of' the local-resource base. which ..is ..evident in the material found throughout the excavation site. Helping With. the lab work is. not only fun- and interesting, but also helps .us to Understand the historical significance of the areas:cultural. inhabitants. .: . The ' lab ' runs from 5:00 to.' 8':00 p.m.' on" Wednesday evenings at Wargo· NatUre Contr. Several area historians have dropped in to share. and learn more about the historical~ background of the area. CaseY'and Anne have been very generous in providing information and introducing new volunteers' to the historical' significance and overview of the time period. W. argo Nature Center staff looks, forward to Page 3