Texas State INCRT awarded cooperative deal with Corps of Engineers

Posted by Jayme Blaschke
Office of Media Relations
October 26, 2016

An Integrated Natural and Cultural Resources Team (INCRT) from Texas State University has been awarded a 5-year cooperative agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

Under the agreement, up to $45 million could be awarded for Corps and Department of Defense (DoD) project “task orders” that Texas State’s INCRT will compete for.

“This cooperative agreement affords Texas State faculty and research staff numerous prospects to undertake cultural and natural resources research while aiding the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in managing their properties and resources,” said Todd Ahlman, director of the Center for Archaeological Studies at Texas State and head of the INCRT. “It is also an unprecedented opportunity for Texas State students in engage in research while gaining real-world experiences that will benefit them in their careers for many years to come.”

For projects Texas State is the winning bidder on, the INCRT will collect, analyze and apply environmental and cultural resource data for the Corps, and implement land rehabilitation and maintenance for optimal management of public lands under control of the DoD nationwide—including Alaska, Hawaii and U.S. territories. The DoD manages military installations and DoD public lands and must manage those lands in accordance with all environmental laws. The INCRT will also assist in planning and decision support, training, environmental education, pollution prevention and environmental compliance.

The INCRT is made up of 67 resources specialists from nine units on campus, including the Departments of Biology and Geography, The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, the Center for Geospatial Intelligence and Investigation, the Institute for Government Innovation, the Center for Archaeological Studies, the Forensic Anthropology Center and the Center for Public History.