Managing Sustainment of Forests and Fisheries

This research examines the long-term management of oyster fisheries and forests by Native communities in the Mid-Atlantic region. Residents sustained ecological systems while transitioning from a dispersed creek-based village to a political center within the Powhatan paramount chiefdom. The project provides a unique lens into how traditional ecological knowledge shaped resource management practices over fourteen centuries by integrating archaeological, paleoenvironmental, and historical data.

The findings offer insights into the dynamics of collective action and political complexity in Native North American societies while informing contemporary conservation efforts in the Chesapeake Bay region. Through collaboration with Virginia Indian tribes, the research also supports cultural revitalization initiatives and emphasizes the stewardship of threatened archaeological sites in areas facing rising sea levels and coastal erosion.

Additionally, the project provides interdisciplinary training for undergraduate researchers and fosters partnerships across multiple academic fields and tribal organizations.

Guided by collective action theory and common pool resource management, the project addresses two central questions: whether oyster harvesting practices varied between communities while remaining stable over time and whether forest management changed alongside subsistence shifts but maintained consistency across localities. Analyses of oyster shells reveals harvesting practices, seasonality, and spatial patterns of resource use.

Sediment core analyses help reconstruct fire histories, while plant remains document changes in forest composition and the role of wild comestibles. These datasets document landscape management strategies that balanced ecological stewardship with the demands of growing populations. Remote sensing and archaeological surveys explore settlement organization.

By integrating these methods, the study provides a perspective on resource sustainability and cooperation, offering broader implications for understanding the interplay between ecological management and political authority in past societies. The research also contributes to contemporary resource management frameworks, highlighting the value of traditional knowledge and long-term ecological strategies in addressing today’s environmental challenges.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.