An archaeologist who participated in the survey of a proposed water pumping station on the James River at Point of Fork said in a sworn statement that work conducted at the site was “illegal, unethical, and unscientific” and that the company’s owner lied to state investigators, used unqualified and untrained staff, misrepresented professional credentials, and minimized significant archaeological discoveries.
The sworn statement is being proffered by Marion Werkheiser of Cultural Heritage Partners, the law firm representing the Monacan Nation, in an Oct. 21 letter to the Army Corps of Engineers, asking that a permit to develop the site be denied.
Point of Fork is believed by many historians and archaeologists to be the site of Rassawek, the primary settlement for the Monacan Indian Nation at the time of the English arrival at Jamestown in 1603.
Eric Mai worked for Circa Cultural Resouce Management as a field technician for six years and was on-site at Point of Fork from May 2017 to January 2018. He resigned from in May 2018, in part because of the mismanagement he said he saw on the project.
Last month, the Virginia Department of Historic Resouces (VDHR) informed the James River Water Authority (JRWA) that they had learned that Circa’s owner and principal, Carol Tyrer, did not meet the professional qualifications required by law to conduct a valid survey. As a result, VDHR said they were denying a necessary permit for the site, and the Army Corps of Engineers likewise said they would need to reevaluate the project.
Read the entire article at Fluvanna Review.