Can you evaluate archaeological sites under Criteria A through C in addition to D?
Yes, it is possible for an archaeological site to be eligible under Criteria A, B, C, and D. The ACHP’s Section 106 regulations call for the federal agency to consider how all of the National Register qualifying characteristics of a historic property may be affected by the undertaking [36 CFR § 800.5(a)(1)].1 Accordingly, when conducting its evaluation, a federal agency should determine the full range of criteria that may apply to a property. National Register Bulletin No. 36, “Guidelines for Evaluating and Registering Archeological Properties” www.cr.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/arch/), lays out a step-by-step process for evaluating sites under all of the criteria and provides useful examples.
- (1) Criteria of adverse effect. An adverse effect is found when an undertaking may alter, directly or indirectly, any of the characteristics of a historic property that qualify the property for inclusion in the National Register in a manner that would diminish the integrity of the property's location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, or association. Consideration shall be given to all qualifying characteristics of a historic property, including those that may have been identified subsequent to the original evaluation of the property's eligibility for the National Register.