ECORP is a leader in cultural resources management throughout California and the West. Over the past year, ECORP’s Cultural Resources Department has expanded services to include underwater archaeology for the management of pre-contact (prehistoric) and historic-period cultural resources in marine and freshwater environments in Southern California. Our expanded services allow our underwater archaeologists to coordinate with divers from our Biological Resources Department and Dive Safety Team to provide comprehensive support to agencies and private clients for the management of aquatic resources across multiple disciplines. Recently, ECORP has welcomed Senior Archaeologist Brian S. Marks, Ph.D., RPA to the team. Dr. Marks will work as a member of our Cultural Resources Department in Rocklin and has expanded our team’s capabilities for both terrestrial and underwater archaeology projects. ECORP now offers underwater archaeology services in both Northern and Southern California!
Dr. Marks came to ECORP with a background in submerged pre-contact archaeology, a disciplinary specialization with distinct focus on how rising sea levels, meandering rivers, glacial subsidence, and even artificial lakes change our landscape and interact with pre-contact archaeological sites. Dr. Marks achieved certification as an American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) Scientific Diver in 1997 to enable his direction of underwater projects. Dr. Marks has conducted underwater archaeological studies searching for, investigating, and/or evaluating submerged pre-contact and historic-period sites in California, Washington, Florida, Georgia, and Michigan. Dr. Marks has experience conducting and interpreting remote sensing data (side-scan sonar, sub-bottom profiler, and magnetometer) as a component of surveys for submerged artifacts and features. With the large number of artificial lakes in California constructed in the mid-20th century, many Native American sites, along with historic-era towns were inundated. These submerged resources offer windows into the past that often move our knowledge beyond what is known from terrestrial archaeological deposits. ECORP’s ability to provide scientific diving specific to cultural resources allows us to support lake, riverine, and coastal projects with underwater components.
