On Thursday, February 6, 2025, from 1 pm until 4 pm, the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum will host it’s fourth annual Virtual Archaeology Conference. The free online summit is a unique way for the Museum’s Research & Archaeology team to share the latest from their work in Lake Champlain. The 2025 conference will explore archaeological process, new technology, shipwreck management, artifact preservation, and more.
The following presentations are planned:
Celebrating 40+ Years of Vermont’s Underwater Historic Preserves
Cherilyn Gilligan, Co-Director of Archaeology
The Lake Champlain Underwater Historic Preserves system was created in 1982 to provide public access for divers to experience shipwreck sites without causing damage to these sensitive archaeological sites. Today, the Museum’s Research & Archaeology team manages these sites, diving infrastructure, and signage, and also regularly documents sites through video and photogrammetry models for ongoing research and conservation.
Introducing a Geodatabase of Lake Champlain Shipwrecks
Taylor Picard, Staff Archaeologist
In 2024, using ESRI’s ArcGIS Pro, the Museum created the first interstate geodatabase of shipwrecks in Lake Champlain. While still in process, this resource will enable the Research & Archaeology team to better manage underwater cultural resources, pursue new research opportunities, and help state agencies. Learn more about the powerful tool we used to create this geodatabase as well as the data we used to build it and strategies for preservation.
Underwater Cultural Resource Management: Guidance and Mitigation of Submerged Archaeological Sites for the Champlain-Hudson Power Express Project
Paul Willard Gates, Co-Director of Archaeology
The Archaeology & Research team has a proven track record of working on contract projects in cultural resource management in Lake Champlain and throughout New York and Vermont. Dive into a case study exploring our work with the Champlain – Hudson Power Express project and best practices in the guidance and mitigation of submerged cultural resources.
Collections Care: Managing and Promoting the Accessibility of Archaeological Collections
Patricia Reid, Director of Collections and Kelly Bartlett, Collections Assistant
Effective management and accessibility of archaeological collections are vital for preserving cultural heritage and sharing work with the public. Get a unique look into Museum strategies for ensuring the long-term documentation, preservation, and accessibility of archaeologically recovered artifacts, with a special focus on underwater archaeological materials.
Case studies will demonstrate how we use the collections management database, CatalogIT, to streamline work, create publicly accessible digital records, and support the curation of our diverse collections.
See more New York conference announcements.
Read more about archaeology in New York.
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