USU Archeological Services, Inc. Begins Glen Canyon Dam Excavation Project

USU Archeological Services, the first spin-out company from Utah State University’s College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, recently began a large-scale project to excavate sites along the Colorado River and assess damage caused by the release of water from Glen Canyon dam in southern Utah.

The project was developed from fieldwork studies by USU geology professor Joel Pederson and research associate Gary O’Brien in an effort to develop a cohesive research program to address impacts from Glen Canyon with fieldwork being conducted twice a year, in the spring and fall, on the Colorado River corridor.

Each year a series of archaeological sites are identified for excavation based upon their historical significance and potential impact from dam release waters. Laboratory work will be split between the USUAS laboratory in Logan, Utah, and in Flagstaff, Ariz. Fieldwork and research analysis will be conducted by Arizona archeologists Ted Neff and Kimberly Spurr. The initial phases of the project began in September 2009 and fieldwork is expected to begin in March or April 2010.

Gathering information on how to protect these sites from further erosion is an important aspect of the project.

The current project originated as a grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and is coordinated by the National Park Service through a regional adaptive management team that includes managers and archaeologists, as well as the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office, the Hopi tribe, Hualapai tribe, the Navajo Nation, Zuni Pueblo, the Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians and the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah.

The project provides an opportunity to conduct archaeological research within a larger context based upon specific research goals and questions.

“A primary goal of this project, and of USUAS, is to increase the involvement of USU students in field work and artifact laboratory analysis,” said Ken Cannon, USUAS director. “Ideally, some of this work will lead to student papers, publications and master theses. This is an exciting opportunity for students to work in one of the most spectacular places on Earth.”

Additionally, continued involvement of the numerous American Indian tribes in the region with the interpretation and contextualization of the sites, and the dissemination of the research through publications, presentations and interpretive displays to the professional community and the public are “just as important as the research,” said Cannon.

USU-Brigham City professor of anthropology Emily Jones will serve as tribal liaison for the project.

The project was initiated as part of Section 106 of the Historic Preservation Act which directs federal agencies to assess potential damage to cultural resources.

Utah State University Archeological Services, Inc. offers services in cultural resource management and will provide employment and thesis opportunities for students in the new master’s program in archaeology and cultural resource management. Through its license agreement, the firm will generate royalties for the USU Anthropology Program that can be used for scholarships and other student funding needs. USUAS is one of five companies spun-out from USU technologies in 2009.