We are contacted frequently about volunteer opportunities. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide those directly – for compliance reasons. We do encourage interest and participation in archaeology and cultural resources management. To discover ways to be involved, please look through some of the publications and volunteer opportunities links below .
AINW staff also offer presentations to public groups or educational organization. In addition, our staff frequently participate in professional conferences and workshops and have presented information on a wide range of topics related to general archaeology as well as special interest topics. For those interested in lithic technology and flintknapping, AINW senior staff conduct training workshops.
If you are interested in more information on volunteer opportunities in general archaeology and cultural resource management there are several organizations you may contact. See below for more information about volunteer programs and general information on public resources.
Volunteer Opportunities in the Pacific Northwest
Passport in Time (PIT) is a volunteer archaeology and historic preservation program
of the USDA Forest Service. Current PIT opportunities are available by state, project date, and summary table. They are on the web at www.passportintime.com.
Screenings is published monthly by the Oregon Archaeological Society (OAS)
PO Box 13293, Portland, OR 97213. OAS also has monthly meetings (except June through August) and sponsors training programs, workshops, and lectures. OAS can be contacted by phone at 503-727-3507. They are on the web at www.oregonarchaeological.org.
Archaeological Fieldwork Opportunities Bulletin (AFOB)
is published by the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA). Orders can be placed through Oxbow Books/David Brown Book Company online at www.oxbowbooks.com or by phone at 800-791-9354. AIA is on the web at www.archaeological.org.
Architectural Heritage Center News & Notes
is published quarterly by the Bosco-Milligan Foundation, PO Box 14157, Portland, OR 97293; Phone: 503-231-7264. They are on the web at https://visitahc.org/.
Earthwatch is a monthly eNewsletter
publication of Earthwatch Institute. They can be contacted by writing to Earthwatch Institute, 3 Clock Tower Place, Suite 100, Maynard, MA 01754; by phone at 800-776-0188; or on the web at www.earthwatch.org.
On the internet there are a number of interesting and useful sites
many with links to other organizations that offer volunteer opportunities in archaeology and/or preservation. Some of these are:
- www.saa.org by the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) Public Education Committee, provides “field and lab opportunities” and “state links” to find information about archaeology or contacting archaeologists.
- www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/heritage by the USDA Forest Service.
- www.stanford.edu/dept/anthropology/cgi-bin/web for the Department of Anthropological Sciences and for the Department of Cultural and Social Anthropology at Stanford University.
- www.nps.gov/index.htm by the National Park Service.
- www.preservationvolunteers.org by Preservation Volunteers, Inc., provides links for volunteers interested in preservation projects.
Community Involvement
AINW staff frequently are invited to visit local schools and interest groups to talk about archaeology or architectural history and what it’s like to be a professional archaeologist or achitectural historian.
Recently, Terry Ozbun, Senior Archaeologist and Lithic Technology Specialist, was invited to Llewellyn Elementary School to make a presentation to their fourth grade students. Terry teamed with Portland State University professor Sarah Sterling to provide a slideshow about archaeology and a hands-on demonstration of flintknapping techniques. These pictures are from Terry’s class presentations.
Opportunities Outside Oregon and Washington
Anasazi Heritage Center, Bureau of Land Management
27501 Highway 184, Dolores, CO 81323. Contact by phone at 970-882-5600. On the web at www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/ahc.html.
Center for American Archaeology
PO Box 366, Kampsville, IL 62053. Contact by phone at 618-653-4316 or look on the web at www.caa-archeology.org.
Center for the Study of the First Americans (CSFA)
Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University, 4352 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-4352. Contact by phone at 979-845-4046 or by e-mail to csfa@tamu.edu. CSFA is on the web at www.centerfirstamericans.com. The Mammoth Trumpet is published quarterly by CSFA and can be ordered directly from them.
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center
23390 Road K, Cortez, CO 81321-9908. Contact by phone at 800-422-8975 or look on the web at www.crowcanyon.org.
Four Corners School of Outdoor Education
PO Box 1029, Monticello, UT 84535. Contact by phone at 800-525-4456 or look on the web at www.fourcornersschool.org.
Research Training Program, Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20560-0166. Contact by phone at 202-357-4548 or look on the web at www.mnh.si.edu/education.
General Information Links
Association of Oregon Archaeologists
c/o State Museum of Anthropology, 1224 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1224. Current Archaeological Happenings in Oregon is published quarterly. www.associationoforegonarchaeologists.org
Association for Washington Archaeology
c/o Curator of Archaeology, Burke Museum, PO Box 353010, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-3010. AWA News is published quarterly. www.washingtonarchaeology.org
Oregon Archaeology Celebration
Oregon Parks and Recreation Dept., Heritage Conservation Division, 725 Summer St. NE, Suite C, Salem, OR 97301. Contact by phone at 503-986-0671 or look on the web at www.egov.oregon.gov/OPRD/HCD.
Washington State Archaeology Month
Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, 1063 South Capitol Way, Suite 106, Olympia, WA 98501. Contact by phone at 360-586-3065 or look on the web at www.dahp.wa.gov/programs/archaeology.
USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region (R-6)
PO Box 3623, Portland, OR 97208. Contact by phone at 503-808-2468. The USDA Forest Service has a web site at www.fs.fed.us.
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Oregon office located at, 1220 SW 3rd Ave, Portland, OR 97204. Contact by phone at 503-808-6008 or look on the web at www.blm.gov/oregon-washington.
Field School
Portland State University, Anthropology Department. Contact Dr. Douglas Wilson for information by phone at 360-921-5241 or by e-mail at doug_wilson@nps.gov. On the web at https://www.pdx.edu/anthropology/2016-public-archaeology-field-school
Archaeological Society of Central Oregon (ASCO)
PO Box 8146, Bend, OR 97708-0146. They can be found on the web at https://www.ascoinfo.net/about-asco.html.
Restore Oregon (formerly, Historic Preservation League of Oregon)
1130 SW Morrison Street, Suite 318, Portland, OR 97205. Field Notes is published quarterly by Restore Oregon and covers a wide range of topics, but the main focus is on Oregon’s buildings, sites, and structures. Contact by phone at 503-243-1923 or look on the web at https://restoreoregon.org.
Clark County Historical Museum
1511 Main Street, Vancouver, WA 98660. They are on the web at www.cchmuseum.org or call 360-993-5679 for information on volunteer opportunities.