227-C:1 Definitions. –
As used in this chapter, the following words and terms shall have the following meanings unless a contrary meaning shall appear in the context:
I. "Commissioner" means the commissioner of the department of natural and cultural resources or his designee.
II. "Council" means the state historical resources council.
III. "Department" means the department of natural and cultural resources.
IV. "Field investigation" means the search for, identification of, and evaluation of historic resources, and the study of the traces of human culture at any land or underwater historic property, by means of inspection, surveying, digging, excavating, or removing surface or subsurface objects, or going onto a site with that intent.
V. "Historic preservation" means the research, excavation, protection, restoration and rehabilitation of buildings, structures, objects, districts, areas and sites significant in the history, architecture, archeology, or culture of this state, its communities, or the nation.
VI. "Historic property" means any building, structure, object, district, area or site that is significant in the history, architecture, archeology or culture of this state, its communities, or the nation.
VII. "Historic resource" means:
(a) Any historic property which has been listed in the New Hampshire state register of historic places or has been determined eligible for the New Hampshire state register of historic places by the division of historical resources or which has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places or has been determined by the keeper of the register to be eligible for the National Register using the criteria for evaluation in 36 C.F.R. section 60.4;
(b) Any object, or group of objects, located in or associated with an historic property or that enhances an understanding and appreciation of New Hampshire history;
(c) Skeletal remains of humans that would not be subject to the provisions of RSA 611-B and which fall under the provisions of RSA 227-C:8, VI; skeletal remains of other vertebrate animals; and other fossils within a cultural context that constitutes, or may constitute, the whole or part of an historic property;
(d) Any object, or group of objects, and the district, area, or site they define, which may yield significant data but whose value and significance has yet to be determined by the division of historical resources; or
(e) Any significant data that may be used to answer research questions about an historic property, and events and processes of the human past, provided by the fields of archeology, history, architecture and such supplemental sciences as ethnography, paleoecology, and related sciences.
VII-a. "Human remains" or "remains" means any part of the body of deceased human being in any stage of decomposition, together with any artifacts or other materials known or reliably assumed to have been on or interred with the deceased human being.
VIII. "Office" means the state historic preservation office, also known as the division of historical resources, department of natural and cultural resources.
VIII-a. "Skeletal analyst" means the member of the professional staff or another professional person designated by the director of the division of historical resources with the approval of the commissioner having:
(a) A postgraduate degree in a field involving the study of the human skeleton such as skeletal biology, forensic osteology, or other relevant aspects of physical anthropology or medicine;
(b) A minimum of one year's experience in conducting laboratory reconstruction and analysis of skeletal remains, including the differentiation of the physical characteristics denoting cultural or biological affinity; and
(c) Designed and executed a skeletal analysis, and presented the written results and interpretations of such analysis.
IX. "State archeologist" means the member of the professional staff designated by the director of the division of historical resources with the approval of the commissioner to develop, supervise and coordinate activities necessary to discharge and integrate the powers and duties of the office in the field of archeology as mandated by federal and state laws and procedures.
IX-a. "State curator" means the member of the professional staff, designated by the director of the division of historical resources with the approval of the commissioner, charged with the identification, evaluation, protection, and interpretation of objects of historic significance.
X. "Unmarked human burial" means any interment of human remains for which there exists no grave marker or any other historical documentation providing information as to the identity of the deceased.