A regional energy company was developing a solar project in Lower Peninsula, Michigan located within a landscape holding cultural and ancestral significance to a federally recognized tribe. Given the scale of the project and the need to protect sensitive cultural resources, the company required a partner experienced in managing archaeological compliance and facilitating a respectful, coordinated relationship with the tribe. Therefore, the company engaged ECT for its expertise in cultural resources management and its ability to serve as a trusted liaison between utility-scale project teams and tribal stakeholders.
ECT served as liaison between the tribe and the project team from pre-field investigation planning through completion of the archaeological investigation. Services included ground surface survey, spoils screening, excavation monitoring, and coordination on the respectful transfer of ancestral remains and artifacts, all performed in collaboration with tribal stakeholders. ECT also conducted reclamation discovery trenching and connection trench monitoring to support archaeological compliance throughout project development.
By coordinating closely with the tribe, ECT helped the company advance the solar project while upholding the tribe’s cultural preservation interests and meeting archaeological compliance requirements. The result was a well-managed, respectful investigation process that supported the timely advancement of a major renewable energy project.