ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an example of how one state in the United States is trying to find solutions to protection of what are considered private resources. Archaeological sites on private property threatened by federal projects or projects that receive federal funding or permits may fall under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The Iowa state law protecting ancient burials, enacted in 1976, represents landmark legislation that anticipated national policy such as the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act by two decades. The tremendous alteration of the state's natural setting following Euro-American occupation, particularly by agricultural activities and later by development, disrupted thousands of archaeological remains. The Office of the State Archaeologist, a state agency and a research unit within the University of Iowa, is the principal organization within Iowa responsible for educating the public about archaeological resources. It recognizes the historic role of Iowa's increasingly diverse public in the documentation and interpretation of archaeological resources.
