Photo By Sgt. Noah Braswell | Jessica Guilianelli, the cultural resources manager at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry...... read more read more
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Being a good steward has many connotations that can be boiled down to a one, simple meaning, “take care of what is around you.” In the case of Cultural Resources Management, its mission is to take care of our present environment to preserve the memories of the past. Jessica Guilianelli, the cultural resources manager at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, is responsible for preserving and maintaining old, even ancient, historical sites found on the air station and its outlying fields.
Beginning in 1990, installations were given guidance on preserving historic sites, called the archaeological resources plan. Over time, the name has changed into the integrated cultural recourses management plan, but its general purpose has remained the same: installations are required to have and maintain a plan that conserves its historic and archaeological uniqueness. Here at MCAS Cherry Point, such as areas by officer housing, many archeological finds include fragments of pottery, ceramics, small stone tools, and even an intact hearth (a fireplace) that is believed to be from between the early woodland period, 1000 B.C. to 1 B.C., to roughly 1650 A.D.
While these discoveries certainly are not new to the area and the field of archeology, when pieced together, they tell a remarkable story about those who were here well before us; how they lived, how they hunted, how they survived against the odds, and even how they cooked.
“I think it’s really important to know who was here before us and know what kind of activities were happening here,” Guilianelli said. “We have a very specific mission here on Cherry Point, training our Marines…there was a whole other group of people here before us that had a very different mission, but a mission where they worked together to try and achieve something. I think it’s a really cool dichotomy, knowing what was here before and now we have fifth generation aircraft.”
Although these archeological sites are kept well within the ground and away from the public eye, it is important for those of us at Cherry Point to take care of our natural environment and try not to leave a trace that could disturb these sensitive sites.
“It’s my job to protect these sites and make sure that they stay in place as they are,” added Guilianelli. “I’d say being a good steward of the environment around you is the best thing.”
| Date Taken: | 09.20.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.25.2024 15:34 |
| Story ID: | 481766 |
| Location: | NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 43 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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