Whenever I think about how we can transform cultural resource management into a mélange of applied anthropology and heritage conservation that can actually change society, I always think about the candelabra. I remember, as a boy, seeing beautiful candelabras in church around Christmastime and they always filled me with awe. […]
We didn’t choose for things to end up the way they are in cultural resource management archaeology, but we can choose to change them. I’ve only been a CRMer for a decade or so. I’ve seen things change for the worse but, these days, it looks like things are on […]
Who would have ever thought a 5-year-old would be enthusiastic about seeing a pile of rocks in the desert? No toys. No playground. Just an 800-year-old archaeological ruin…and a little sister. This last weekend, I took a National Parks and Monuments tour with my wife and kids through northern Arizona. […]
I just got done watching “The Martian” and, seeing how I’m a Matt Damon fan already, I liked it. But, then again, I pretty much always like any science-based movies depicting humans colonizing other planets (especially Mars). As an archaeologist, it’s not hard for me to ponder the future of […]
I am in the process of creating an online course focused on Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Even though I’ve been doing cultural resource management archaeology for over a decade, I admit I still have a lot to learn because, in order to successfully navigate the […]
Last week I helped a friend and peer get a good shot at her first job in cultural resource management archaeology. She’d just finished her anthro B.A. and I worked with her this summer. I quickly recognized that she had a lot of talent and promise. She’s the kind of […]
In the book Small Archaeology Project Management, I described a day when I let my entire crew’s shovel probe forms get soaked in the rain. A whole week’s work was compromised. The result wasn’t pretty. I did my best to dry out the forms, but, ultimately, I had to do […]
(This is a guest post distilled from conversation threads created by the active and experienced members of two cultural resource management archaeology Facebook groups: the “North American Archaeological Technicians” [390 members] and the “Archaeo Field Techs” [1,557 members]. Personal identities have been omitted in order to protect the privacy of […]
This week, a discussion was sparked on the Facebook Archaeo Field Techs’ Group (FYI: If you’re an archaeologist or an aspiring one and you have a FB account, you need to join this group. It’s an excellent way to stay current on happenings in the industry). The conversation focused on […]
In my experience, most cultural resource management companies do not like to hire new employees. New hires take time to get up to speed. A CRM archaeology PI once told me it takes 18 months to two years just to get a new field tech, crew chief, or principal investigator […]
