Sometimes, when I think back on my career in cultural resource management, I wonder if I even made any money for the companies I worked for in the beginning. I can recall an especially disastrous project where I ended up driving about 220 miles on an icy Interstate 90, risking […]
Here’s a scenario. You’ve been given a cultural resources survey project somewhere in the United States that is going down ASAP. You have no idea where this is. Neither do any of your co-workers or acquaintances. You do not have the records search yet and have no idea what archaeological […]
As a young boy, I fondly recall watching episodes of the A-Team every week with my family. I remember snuggling deep into my Star Wars pajamas and curling up with a bowl of ice cream while we all watched Mr. T and the gang punch, blast, and shoot their way […]
In the last decade, I’ve worked for quite a few cultural resource management and historic preservation companies across the United States. Only one of these companies told their employees about the project goal and objectives for the next year. All the other ones rarely let their employees know what was […]
“If you can’t stand the heat in the kitchen, just go outside in the summer in southern Arizona. In five minutes, you’ll be banging on the door to get back into that damn kitchen.” Me It was a pretty hot summer down here in Arizona, but, then again, when is […]
That’s right. You read the title correctly. I’m talking about the times when there’s too much safety in CRM. I know I spoke about the lack of safety coverage in most companies and almost all university field programs, but, recently, I learned about a situation where a company is being […]
My first permanent job in cultural resource management archaeology was an excellent learning opportunity for a number of reasons. I had the chance to work as a project field director, archaeological technician, pseudo-architectural historian, and historical archaeologist at a variety of different sites and project types across western Washington. I […]
The week leading up to this memorable Day of Archaeology 2013 (#dayofarch) saw me running all across southern Arizona doing a bunch of “emergency” cultural resource management archaeology projects. I spent some time during my breaks and travel in between projects shooting a video that I put together into a […]
(This is the final installment in my series chronicling how a former co-worker and friend of mine found a job in CRM archaeology in a new town. I wanted to provide a transparent narrative of his job search and how/if my suggestions helped.) My friend, Garrett Trask, finally got a […]
One evening in 2012, in a presentation room at the Mariott Waterfront in central Baltimore, I attended one of the first meetings of the Society for Black Archaeologists (SBA). Talk about a niche association. The SBA is a welcome addition to the array of professional organizations that already exist in […]
