BLM and Partners to Host Archaeological Excavation Project in Nine Mile Canyon
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PRICE, Utah—The Bureau of Land Management Price Field Office and Arizona State University Center for Sustainable Tourism are teaming up to offer an exciting, family-friendly, hands-on volunteer activity to help with an archaeological excavation at an important pre-historic site in Nine Mile Canyon.
Six weekends of excavation activities are planned, beginning Sept. 9, 2017. Professional archaeologists will guide high school youth and adult volunteers in meticulous work uncovering mysteries of the canyon and its past inhabitants, the Fremont people, who are believed to have lived in and around the canyon many hundreds of years ago.
This excavation project began in late 2016 as a collaboration between Utah archaeologists and scholars. It brings together federal, non-profit, academic, and private entities with a common goal of engaging the community in our shared cultural history. Through this shared conservation stewardship effort, both visitors and volunteers will have the opportunity to learn more about the amazing archaeological resources on Utah’s public lands and the rich stories they can tell about those who lived there before.
Individuals and families interested in visiting Nine Mile Canyon to view the excavation are invited to the Nine Mile Canyon Stewardship Day on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017. This is a separate event held by Project Discovery, a Utah non-profit archaeology education program for high-school students. More information about Stewardship Day can be found at http://www.facebook.com/ProjectDiscoveryUtah/ or by contacting Lindsey Kester, Project Discovery at lindseykester@gmail.com.
Montgomery Archaeological Consultants, a private archaeological firm based in Moab, Utah, will oversee the excavation and data collection. There are still some openings to participate in the weekend excavations. For information about volunteering, visit http://ninemilevolunteer.weebly.com.
For further information about the project, contact Christine Vogt, Center Director and Professor, Arizona State University (810) 588-3293, by email chrisv@asu.edu, or Amber Koski, BLM-Price Field Office (435) 636-3618, by email akoski@blm.gov. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to leave a message or question for Amber Koski. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The BLM will reply during normal business hours.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.