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. […]
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 […]
I wonder how many hours I’ve spent being a cultural resource management archaeologist. It’s hard to calculate because, even though I’ve been doing CRM since 2004, I haven’t always been employed full-time as a CRMer. In fact, based on the longest stints I’ve had with CRM companies, I think it’s […]
How many times have you heard this? “I’d love to go to Hawaii for a vacation but that’s the kind of thing only rich people do.” “Archaeology is cool but I should have gone to law or med school instead of grad school for anthropology.” “Rich people are scum. I […]
I’ve been keeping a keen eye on the Facebook Group “North American Archaeological Tech Forum”. Conversations on there are lively and cover a lot of relevant topics that matter to cultural resource management archaeologists across the country. One particular conversation regarding professionalism has sent some shockwaves through the group, garnering […]
Lots. When we first met, my wife was appalled by my lifestyle as a weekend-warrior archaeological technician and graduate student. I worked Friday through Sunday as a tech for the state transportation department and Monday through Thursday as a TA for the University of Idaho. I used to carpool with […]
“Next week, next month, or next year we may have an opportunity to enlighten those groups [business interests and elected officials] on the cultural, social, and aesthetic importance of preservation. But if we want that historic building saved today, we had better be prepared with economic arguments.” Donovan D. Rypkema, […]
A few weeks ago, I received one of the best gifts I’ve been given all year. It was a simple baseball hat that was sent to me from the kind folks at Forestry Suppliers. In case you didn’t know, Forestry Suppliers has a sweet archaeology field tools catalog (BTW: That […]
