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Is it time to "nationalize" Cahokia Mounds?(St. Louis Post-Dispatch (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Aug. 24--Two University of Illinois archaeologists say it's time to make Cahokia Mounds a national park. Thomas Emerson and Timothy Pauketat say Illinois officials deserve great credit for their work since the 1920s preserving and enhancing Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, but a transfer to the National Park Service would ensure its well-being, add to its prestige and help boost the area's economy. Emerson and Pauketat say it's a "win-win" proposition, but some reactions to the idea have been cautious at best. RELATED LINK bullet MORE: Cahokia Mounds Ancient Cahokia, not to be confused with the present-day municipality of Cahokia several miles to the south, was the economic, political and cultural center of a Native American society that dominated much of the lower Midwest and Southeast 800 years ago. With a population of 10,000 to 20,000, and perhaps 20,000 to 30,000 more people living in nearby satellite communities, it was prehistoric North America's largest urban center north of Mexico. Inhabited from 700 to 1400, Cahokia at its peak covered six square miles and included 120 earthen mounds. Houses were arranged in rows and around open plazas. Many of the mounds at Cahokia and the outlying settlements were lost to development. Known well beyond its immediate environs, Cahokia Mounds was designated a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 1982, sharing the honor with places like the Grand Canyon, the Taj Mahal, the Egyptian pyramids and the Great Wall of China. Each year, Cahokia Mounds attracts more than 300,000 visitors from all 50 states and 85 to 95 countries. Emerson said Illinois has been a leader in protecting archaeological sites and deserves credit for its efforts to protect and preserve the Cahokia site, but budget problems have hindered work and limited public access to five days a week since 2002. "It's a resources issue," Emerson said. "They have almost no staff." The 2,200-acre historic site employed a staff of 16 when its interpretive center opened 20 years ago. Now, there are 10 staff members, and more cuts could be in the offing. The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, which operates Cahokia Mounds and 59 other historic sites, is expected to announce soon how it will comply with roughly $2.7 million in budget cuts ordered by Gov. Rod Blagojevich in an ongoing battle over spending with the Legislature. Emerson, who was chief archaeologist with the agency from 1984 to 1994, said long-term problems with the stability of the mounds at the park are "beyond the state's resources." He said Greater Cahokia straddled the Mississippi River, with outlying settlements in what is today the city of St. Louis and St. Louis and St. Charles counties. "The National Park Service could move ahead with a multistate approach," with sites in Missouri and Illinois, Emerson said. Pauketat said the park service has staff, expertise and equipment that far surpass the state's resources. But Dave Blanchette, a spokesman for the Historic Preservation Agency, said, "Cahokia Mounds is among the jewels in the state's crown of historic sites, and we have no intentions of giving it up. We feel we've done a tremendous job of monitoring and enhancing the site, enhancing the interpretive center and securing additional property to be preserved. We have fewer staff than we did 20 years ago, but the staff is very dedicated and they do a good job." Blanchette said recent work at Monks Mound, the largest on the site, demonstrates that the agency can stabilize the mounds. Mark Lynott, manager of the National Park Service's Midwest Archaeological Center in Lincoln, Neb., said the importance of Cahokia is well recognized among archaeologists, but he declined to comment on the idea of a transfer of the site to the Park Service. Patty Rooney, a spokeswoman for the Park Service, said interest is shown occasionally in placing the site under her agency, but she said Illinois has not made any overtures. Julie Holt, associate professor of anthropology at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, said the proposal merits further discussion. "I certainly think (Cahokia Mounds) is deserving of national and international attention," she said. "I think it should get more attention locally, but I don't know if a switch to the federal park system would necessarily solve the problems." John Kelly, a lecturer in anthropology at Washington University whose work has largely focused on Cahokia Mounds for 40 years, said the federal government has its own financial problems. "The state has done some amazing things," he said. "They have a new master management plan. They're looking at ways to bring more people to the park.' Kelly said it was unfortunate that the site can't be open seven days a week but said it has a committed staff, many dedicated volunteers and an active museum society. A spokesman for U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Belleville, said it may not be the best of times for the federal government, facing a record deficit, to be taking on more responsibilities. The spokesman, David Gillies, said no one had discussed the matter with Costello. Costello, whose district includes Cahokia Mounds, would likely be involved in any transfer of the site to the federal government. Gillies said, "The state would need to make such a request, and he hasn't heard from anyone." 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