No need for a "Toy'" when you have Nissan power!

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Photos: Hannah Ballard and Jim Schutz

The all too familiar story:

I have been involved in Cultural Resource Management (CRM) as a professional archæologist since 1989. In the spring of 1987 I initiated my journey into archæology by taking an archæological field school class at the San Diego Royal Presidio under the direction of Dr. Brad Bartell (now at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro). I eventually received my B.A from San Diego State University in 1990-1991, but didn't learn a thing about CRM there. Everything I know about CRM has come from being in the business.

Like many in CRM I have worked as a "field technician," a field director/crew chief, a laboratory director, and have authored numerous reports. However, after spending some 12 years in the business, and not getting as far along on the corporate ladder as I felt I should have, I decided that it was time to push my way up that ladder. (Actually it was the Secretary of the Interior who decided for me by redefining who is a "qualified" archæologist). Anyway, I decided to look into M.A. programs in CRM. I found three top choices: University of Nevada at Reno, CSU Northridge, and Sonoma State University (SSU). I decided on SSU because they are the only university that specifically offers an M.A. in CRM.

1930 USGS of my neck of the woods.
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I have completed all the required classes and seminars and will be spending the next semester writing the thesis. Soon I will be able to officially place those all "important" initials after my name. So, what have I done so far? I've taken several classes (see below), nearly completed a report on the effects of fire and fire management on cultural resources for the National Park Service at Point Reyes National Seashore, and will be spending the next couple of months massaging the report into my thesis to complete my M.A. degree.

The following infomation is designed to help those interested in the CRM program at SSU.

The Classes:

Semester One: Fall 2000

Anth 500: Proseminar, with Dr. Tom Rosin. What the book says: Introduction to research methodology in the social sciences; research design and implementation; use of library and archival materials; editorial review of writing; and guide to preparation of professional anthropological papers. What it is: This is where you relearn how to write for the academic setting, not for the technical field by chosing a research project, defining a research plan of attack (research design), write - critique - rewrite, and ultimately formally present your paper to your cohorts and interested parties;

Anth 592: Current Topics in CRM, with Dr. Margie Purser. What the book says: A seminar designed to address topics of current and timely interest in the field of CRM. What it is: We were introduced to several people in the field of CRM from those who work at OHP and DPR to people who manage collections, work for Port Districts, and conduct Public Outreach. This was a student directed class whereby we chose the topics that interested us and Margie invited people who best represented those interests;

Anth 596: Small Projects Internship at the ASC, with Mike Newland. This internship is directly modeled on the way that most CRM firms conduct project implementation. You are introduced to the mechanics of directing your own project including bidding the project, conducting field work, and submitting final report and billing;

History 472**: California History to 1913, with Dr. Daniel Markwyn. What the book says: Study of California history from the period of European contact through the early years of the 20th century. What it is: This was a very informative class on the history of California, taught in the old-school style of history (see below for the new-school style of history) and;

History 501: Seminar in Culture, Society and Policy Analysis with Steven Mikesell. What the book says: An analysis of recent work in family, urban, social and economic history, with particular emphasis on that research conducted within a cultural resource management and policy analysis context. What it is: Essentially that was a fancy way of describing the methodology of how to write a National Register Nomination.

** Just a little, but very important note: History 472 is a prerequisite to History 501. You would be best served to take this class at a city college or JC before your first semester. This will save you at least one semester, maybe even a year of time here.

Semester Two: Spring 2001

ENSP 310: Introduction to Planning, with Tom Jacobson. Tom's classes are the best: Very informative, fun, and were neither too hard, nor too easy. This class deals with planning in California, and has a strong focus on the history of planning, the laws, and the mechanisms by which planning is achieved. This class, and the one below should be a requirement for CRM graduate students.

ENSP 315: Environmental Impact Reporting, again with Tom Jacobson. As stated above, this should be a required class. Not only does this class deal with the ins and outs of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) it also deals with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Both of these laws are the basis of much of CRM.

I have used both of these classes as supporting courses for my degree and as part of the foundation for my Thesis, the topic for which I have, fortunately, already developed.

Semester Three: Fall 2001

Anth 344/444: Material Cultural Studies, with Margie Purser. This was a great class. The focus was placed on understanding material culture from a "New Western History" perspective using the town of Tomales, CA. as a case study.

Anth 503: Cultural Resource Management Law, with Adrian Praetzellis. Again, another great class, consisting mainly of readings from an edited reader dealing with problems and solutions relating to issues found in CRM. Topics were as diverse as defining who owns the past and who gets to interpret it to how to write a response to a Request for Proposal in two hours without a computer.

Semester Four: Spring 2002

Anth 502: Method and Theory in Archæology, with Margie Purer. This was a challenging, yet powerfully enlightening class. Margie brought us up and through "The New Archæology," then required us to research the "state of the field" of the many "post-processual" archæologies being practiced and researched today and present them in class. That was the challenging part. The insightful part was that we got to find out who is currently driving the theoretical frameworks, what they are premised upon, and whether or not they work.

Hist 471: The American West, with Michelle Jolly. This class analyzed the development of the American West from the New Western Historian perspective. This viewpoint has blown open the way historians view the West and is a wonderful tool in not only analyzing western history but all sorts of histories, the present, and even the prehistoric past.

Semester Five: Fall 2002

Anth 590: Seminar in Culture, Society and Policy Analysis with Dave Hendricks (UC Davis). Yup, same class as Hist 501. Long story about all this and not worth discussing here.

Anth 599: 7th Gender and Archaeology Conference. This was a two-day conference of the famed Gender and Archæology forum. Subject matter ranged from devining power from the archæological record to redefining the "Goddess" in popular culture. Unfortunately, seems that many are too focused on trying to identify the power of individuals and not looking at the bigger picture of culture, society, and the interaction between genders and how power and status is created and defined.

Semester Six: Spring 2003

ENSP 421: Resources of the West: Fire ecology with Tim Laughlin. Great class on the modern interpretation of the role of fire in the environment, how it all works, and how important both natural and anthropogenic fire have been in shaping the landscapes that surround all of us.

Presently I am working at the Anthropological Studies Center (ASC) on a project for the National Park Service. The project will research how fire and fire management practices and policies affect cultural resources. The final report will be used by the Point Reyes National Seashore as part of their effort to draft an approved Fire Management Plan for the Seashore.

The ASC is staffed by many SSU CRM graduates and candidates, but also employs non-student archæologists as well. Everything the ASC and staff do is top notch. The working atmosphere is professional, extremely friendly, and very helpful. It is, without a doubt, one of the best places I have worked.

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One of the projects I was involved with in San Diego before I came up to Sonoma was the establishment of an organization called the Guild Of Archaeological Technicians (GOAT). This organization was created to address the problem faced by many serious practioners of the CRM craft; the hiring of anyone capable of using a shovel to excavate archæological resources. These people are hired by companies that care nothing for the resource. They get the cheapest labor they can find to excavate our limited resources. This results in the excavation of the finite resources by unqualified personnel who fail to understand the subtleties of the resource that they are excavating. This policy does an injustice to the resource, an injustice to the client who paid for the excavation, and an injustice to the public who has decided that the protection of these resources is important, important enough to pass legislation in the form of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). For additional history and information go to the GOAT web page by clicking on the link above or below.

Links

And

Professional Organizations for Archæologists

Archæological Societies

The Pacific Coast Archaeological Society

The Society for American Archaeology

The Society for California Archaeology

The Society for Historical Archaeology

The National Park Service

Marshalltown Trowel History




If you have questions or comments e-mail me.

Last Updated 8 August 2003
Previous Update 5 November 2002