HDR

Company Information

Contact: Laura koski (Senior cultural resources project manager)

1601 utica ave s ste 600
St louis park, minnesota, Mn 55416-3400

Business 612-323-6147

laura.koski@hdrinc.com

https://www.hdrinc.com

Year Established: 1917

Specialties: Archaeologists, Architects, Historic, Architects, Landscape, Engineers, Civil, Engineers, Electrical, Engineers, Fire Protection, Engineers, Mechanical (HVAC), Engineers, Structural, Marketing & Communications Consultants, Writers & Editors

Training/Experience: Laura has 10 years’ experience in the field of archaeology as a field archaeologist, technical writer, field supervisor, and Principal Investigator. This includes working as a cultural resources GIS Specialist supporting agencies like the Minnesota Historical Society and Camp Ripley Sentinel Landscape in their geospatial cultural and natural resource management needs. She is also a recognized regional Zooarchaeological specialist (animal bone analyst) with additional background in human remains excavation and analysis through her training excavating a late Roman cemetery in Romania. Her background in managing archaeological projects at the Principal Investigator level and extensive use of GIS has provided her the experience to be especially adept at the cultural resource research, literature reviews, assessments, analytical report writing, artifact analysis and curation, field crew management, and implementing and communicating the Section 106 (NHPA) process. Laura is also the former Secretary/Treasurer, web designer, and previous Vice President of the Council for Minnesota Archaeology (CMA) and has helped organize the organization’s previous 2021 and 2023 conferences. Within her own city, she is an acting commissioner on the City of Maplewood Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC). Most recently, she has been leading one of the HPC’s projects using her GIS, data management, and cultural resource research skills to help pull together a comprehensive geodatabase of the City’s resources to both aid in public education and everyday HPC management tasks. Her professional organization connections give her both an inside perspective on and involvement with the local archaeology industry, as well as an understanding of local HPCs and how to address their everyday needs.

Notes: The HDR cultural resources group employs nearly 100 cultural resource professionals in 20 offices nationwide. Drawing on diverse experience and educational backgrounds, our staff includes dozens of professionals who meet or exceed the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards pursuant to 36 CFR 61 for archaeology, architectural history, and history, as well as staff who meet professional qualification standards for ethnography as outlined in National Register Bulletin 38, Guidelines for Evaluating and Documenting Traditional Cultural Properties. Our team consists of professionals with unmatched knowledge of cultural resources policy, compliance, regulations, and practices at the federal, state, and local levels. HDR’s experts have extensive experience in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) including Sections 106 and 110, Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA), Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Executive Order 13007 – Indian Sacred Sites, Executive Order 13175 – Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Government, and Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act, as well as many similar state- and municipality-specific cultural resource preservation laws.​