historic preservation employment


30-Minute Online Map Blitz for cultural resource managers

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 […]


What watching the A-Team taught me about archaeology

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 […]


Keeping your cultural resource management employees in the dark

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 […]


CRM Archaeology Podcast Recap for July, 2013

“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 […]


Cultural Resource Management Archaeology Safety Overkill

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 […]


Communication Lack in Cultural Resource Management is Bad for Business

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 […]


Day of Archaeology 2013 @ Succinct Research

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 […]


How to Get a Job in Archaeology, Part 4 2

(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 […]


Interview with the Society of Black Archaeologists 2

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 […]


CRM Archaeology Podcast June 2013 Recap

Most people do not make plans far into the future. Archaeologists, architectural historians, and heritage conservation professionals are a little better than most people because, for the most part, they have channeled their energy into college and a very specific career field. But, beyond the standard “go-to-school, get-a-job, live-life” mantra, […]