PROPOSAL FOR A WFA LONG-TERM PROJECT
				by Wolf Wolfensberger, Syracuse, NY
	I propose that the WFA set up a special fund dedicated to conducting archaeological and related work on the Wolfsberg.  Among the questions to be primarily researched would be the following: 
	1. The exact site of the von Wolfsberg stronghold or strongholds.

2. A search for any remnants of the above, and associated artifacts. One of the related questions to be resolved is whether there ever was a stone castle. Even if the castle was of wood and earth, remnants might be found by professional archaeologists.
3. A search for any related buildings or structures, such as perhaps a bailey or signal tower.

4. An investigation of whether parts of a Wolfsburg stronghold were used in the construction of any farmsteads on the Wolfsberg, and primarily the three Wolfsberg farmsteads.
	5. Archival searches related to any of the above.

The placement of the memorial plaque on a Wolfsberg site should not be considered the final word on the location of the Wolfsberg stronghold, because there are still other potential sites to be considered, including the possibility that there may have been more than one stronghold.
An initial proposed target for the proposed fund would be about $50,000, because that would probably be sufficient to pay for the services and expenses of a professional archaeologist and some student helpers for one summer, and a written report.
Archaeological digs in many places of the world make use of volunteer amateurs working under the supervision of a professional archaeologist. It is conceivable that based on such precedents, some members of WF A families, or Swiss Wolfensberger families, may serve as volunteer helpers, thereby saving the proposed fund some money.
Archaeological research would probably start with archival searches, interviews of local residents for their knowledge of archaeological remnants, an examination of the current farmsteads on the Wolfsberg and a so-called surface survey. It then would probably escalate to exploratory digs, and finally more extensive digs at any promising sites.

A summer's work would probably tell us what--if anything--a next step might be, and what it might cost.
One would think that many WFA members, and even some nonmembers (such as the many Swiss Wolfensbergers) would gladly make contributions to an archaeological research fund. In order to gain the support of our numerous Swiss cousins, some of whom are wellto-do, the proposed fund might be established in a Swiss bank.

If some version of this proposal is adopted by WF A, it seems advisable to strike a committee (possibly including some non-board members, some of whom might be former board members) to pursue the issue further.
One possibility is to launch this enterprise as The WFA Tenth Anniversary project.