Business Member Highlight: Nienow Cultural Consultants

Below is a contribution from GMPT Business Member Nienow Cultural Consultants. For more information, please visit nccarchaeology.com.

NCC is led by Jeremy Nienow, PhD., RPA—a passionate cultural resource preservation consultant and educator. Jeremy has over 30 years of experience and has met the Secretary of Interior’s standards for both pre-contact and historical archaeology for more than two decades. He is well known in historical society and archaeological communities doing board service, fieldwork, public speaking, and scholarly publication. Jeremy enjoys taking the first steps with clients and helping them understand what archaeological steps will be completed for their projects, why this work is needed, and the pitfalls and project delays to avoid along the way.

This ongoing project focuses on half of the 145-acre Belle Prairie County Park near Little Falls. Not only will the project help Great River Greening complete vegetation restoration and remediation efforts, but it will also create a baseline for future park improvements, including a new boat launch, pavilion, and bathrooms. NCC has worked with the County to streamline the archaeological understanding of this complex cultural landscape by reexamining past efforts to create a simplified framework for investigation and future development.

NCC has worked with Olmsted County over the past several years at Oxbow Park and Zollman Zoo near Byron, completing numerous surveys ahead of the new visitor center, camping facilities, and trails. When a major Native American site was rediscovered, we quickly moved to evaluate the site and find a way forward for a major campground expansion. Preserving and understanding the past does not mean projects need to be sidetracked or halted.

In Benton County, NCC provided an efficient, low-cost alternative to completing an exhaustive survey ahead of expanded parking and facilities for the 289-acre Bend in the River Regional Park near Rice. We worked with SRF consulting throughout the design process to target specific areas and maximize options for new trails. Not only is NCC dedicated to completing quality, on-time projects, but we are also client-focused, balancing archaeological and budget needs.

One of our most challenging recent projects, especially given its completion during the COVID-19 pandemic, was the archaeological survey for the 430-acre Big Elk Lake parkland purchase in Sherburne County near Clear Lake. NCC completed the initial client consultation, followed by an expansive, cost-effective survey of the property. Once completed, NCC assisted the County in securing grant funding and peer reviews for a unique, tribal-lead park creation process.