Alaska Archaeologist Wins Department Recognition

Deborah Corbett, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service historic preservation officer for the state of Alaska, which is home to 16 national wildlife refuges spanning more than 78 million acres, received one of four Secretary of the Interior Historic Preservation Awards from Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne December 4, 2008.  This is the first year for the annual award program.  Corbett was the single winner in the Federal Preservation Office category.  “I’d like to join Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne, in congratulating Debbie on her exemplary work in Alaska.  She has worked hard to conserve Alaska’s rich cultural resources and this recognition is well deserved,” Alaska’s Regional Director Geoff Haskett said today.

As Alaska’s only Service archeologist, Corbett is responsible for all aspects of the federal preservation program, including research, identification, protection, coordination with Native villages, and care of museum collections.  In 2008, she partnered with more than a dozen organizations, universities, government entities, and tribes to leverage federal funds to accomplish dozens of projects. 

She worked with the Japanese government to coordinate the search for remains associated with World War II on the Aleutian Islands, part of Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.  She has also partnered with the Kenaitze Indian tribe in sponsoring a youth Susten Camp for Native youngsters to connect them with their past and train them for possible careers in natural and cultural resource management.  She has travelled vast stretches of the Iditarod National Historic Trail, conducting research and sponsoring an archaeological investigation at a major community on the trail.