OR-3909
June 22-24; July 13-15, 2010
Must commit to one full session; may participate in both
The Deschutes National Forest has begun work to restore the historic Crescent Lake Guard Station to its original (1933) appearance for use in the FS cabin rental program. However, the Guard Station boundaries are known to overlap those of a prehistoric site, and as restoration efforts will require ground-disturbing activity, a PIT project was organized in 2009 to ascertain the extent and depth of cultural remains. During that project a small lithic site, first recorded in 1997, was investigated, but its peripheries could not be fully determined. This year, we will continue to explore the site in order to define the overall spatial boundaries. PIT volunteers and Forest staff will, once again, thoroughly survey the area, and flag and map any artifacts we find. We also plan to excavate another test unit and place a further series of shovel probes. Some controlled surface collection may be done, and a sketch map of the site will be made using traditional methods and "new-fangled" GPS technology. If time permits, we may also begin analysis and cataloging the daily finds. The area boasts hiking trails in beautiful country, fishing, camping, and more. We had a lot of fun last year, so we hope to see you this summer!
Number of openings: 6 (3 per session)
Special skills: Previous archaeological survey, excavation, GPS and/or mapping experience helpful, but not required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Camping available at multiple FS and private campgrounds within 10 miles of the project area; pit toilets and water at FS campgrounds; amenities vary at private campgrounds; RV spaces available in campgrounds, hook-up availability varies; Crescent Lake Junction is a full-service community with hotels/motels, B&Bs, restaurants, and a full range of other amenities; volunteers responsible for lodging, personal camping equipment, food, water, and transportation
Nearest towns: Crescent Lake Junction, 3 miles; Crescent, 25 miles; La Pine, 45 miles
Applications due: April 19, 2010
OR-3899
June 15-Sepetember 14 , 2010 (all sessions include weekends)
Must commit to one full session; may participate in more
The Historic Elk Lake Guard Station lies along the beautiful and popular Cascade Lakes National Scenic Byway. It was originally built in 1929, and was afterward in regular use for almost seven decades. In the late 1990s, after the log cabin was "de-commissioned&" as a full-time Forest Service guard station, it was in dire need of maintenance and repair. From 1998-2001, the Forest Service and Passport In Time volunteers worked to reconstruct the landmark. In 2001, the Guard Station, by then designated a national historic site, re-opened its doors as an FS Visitor's Center. Since that time, PIT volunteers have been recruited to staff the Elk Lake GS, and serve as professional-caliber interpretation/information specialists for the site's visitors.
Continuing that tradition, we need your help as uniformed Forest Service representatives again this year! Volunteers will keep the station clean and tidy, and will provide a full range of information and interpretive services to visitors. All sessions will be a week long - Tuesday through Monday - and will include weekends.
Number of openings: 1 individual or couple per session
Special skills: Must be able to perform required duties with minimal supervision after orientation, communicate effectively with diverse audiences, and present a consistently friendly and helpful attitude; FS uniform will be worn during working hours and will be provided by project; knowledge of FS history and Deschutes National Forest recreation geography and policies is helpful, but not required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Elk Lake GS available as sleeping quarters (use strictly controlled); water, bath facilities, refrigerator, no cooking facilities; camping/RVs not permitted at GS overnight; tent and RV camping available at Snow Creek Work Center (~10 miles); water, pit toilet, full hookups; Sunriver and Bend are full-service communities with hotels/motels, restaurants, and a full range of other amenities; volunteers responsible for personal bedding/camping equipment, food, cook stove if staying at GS (no charcoal grills/campfires allowed), and transportation
Nearest towns: Sunriver, 30 miles; Bend, 35 miles; LaPine, 45 miles
Applications due: Filled!
OR-3937
July 19–23; 26–30, 2010
Must commit to one full session; may participate in both
Join us on the Fremont-Winema National Forest as we hike the paths of yesterday! Over the course of two, week-long, archaeological survey sessions, we will explore portions of historic roads that once linked isolated areas to the cities and towns of the region's past. During Session 1, PIT volunteers and Forest Service (FS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) archaeologists will retrace a remnant of the Bonanza-Lakeview Stage Road that crosses FS, BLM, and private lands. Little is known about this road except that it served, in part, to connect remote homesteads to amenities and necessities found in population centers, and weaved through the pine stringers, juniper, sagebrush and basalt of the beautiful Gerber landscape. The second session will focus on a portion of the Yreka Trail located within the Fremont-Winema. This important route emerged after 1861, when gold was discovered in the John Day and Canyon City regions and eager prospectors rushed north to the new strikes from California. As we define and record these roads, we will provide a clearer understanding of how the area's inhabitants used the landscape in the past, and what role the roads played in the formation of Oregon's history.
Number of openings: 10 (6 for Session 1; 4 for Session 2)
Special skills: Must be physically capable of hiking moderate distances each day over uneven terrain and in a variety (mostly hot) of weather conditions; previous archaeological survey experience and/or the ability to use a map and compass, helpful but not required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Session 1 : Motels and a KOA (with full hook-ups) available in Klamath Falls; tent and RV camping also available at BLM Gerber campground; pit toilets, water, dump station
Session 2: Limited lodging in Silver Lake (area motel has 6 units) and Summer Lake (~1/2 hour from Silver Lake, lodge has 13 Units); RV pads available at Fremont-Winema Silver Lake Ranger District office compound; four pads, full hook-ups; camping also available at FS (Silver Creek Marsh and Eastbay) campgrounds close to area; pit toilets, water, dump stations
Volunteers responsible for own lodging/personal camping equipment, food, and extra water during both sessions
Nearest towns: Session 1: Bonanza, 25 miles; Klamath Falls, 50 miles; Session 2: Silver Lake, 5 miles; Summer Lake, 25 miles
Applications due: May 24, 2010
OR-3903
May 10-14, 2010
Must commit to full session
The Malheur National Forest is sponsoring a lithic (stone tool) analysis project and needs your help! The focus of the project will be the identification and classification of artifacts from a collection recovered during surveys conducted over the last 30 years, and will be a mix of training and hands-on activity. PIT volunteers will be exposed to a wide range of artifact types, including formal tools, tool fragments, and manufacturing debris (flakes). Participants will learn to visually classify artifacts, identify evidence of use-wear, tabulate data, and analyze results. Data collected during the project will be entered into the National INFRA database.
Information on past PIT projects on the Malheur National Forest can be found on the Malheur National Forest web site: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/malheur/ecology/pit.shtml.
Number of openings: 8
Special skills: Lithic analysis and/or computer database experience helpful, but not required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: FS housing in historic Supervisor's House available at no charge; full kitchen, bath, laundry facilities, and other amenities; John Day is a full-service community with motels, restaurants, RV parks, and a range of other amenities; volunteers responsible for food and lodging (if not opting to stay in FS housing)
Nearest towns: Office project in John Day; Canyon City, 2 miles; Mount Vernon, 8 miles
Applications due: March 8, 2010
OR-3953
July 26-30, 2010
Must commit to full session
The Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon form the frontier between the Columbia Plateau and Great Basin prehistoric cultures. Among these cultures were peoples who formed more than two dozen distinct tribal groups and whose traces have been left behind along riverbanks, in the hills, and elsewhere. The southern edge of the line that demarcated these cultures will be our initial site testing area in this part of the Forest. It is clearly on the Great Basin side of the frontier, but some evidence suggests that Plateau people may have inhabited the area some 1,000 years earlier. PIT volunteers and Forest staff will conduct a series of shovel probe tests to determine the nature and extent of buried deposits, and will excavate 1-meter square units to learn more about the depositional history and integrity of the site area. We hope you will join us for a week of site testing in the foothills of the beautiful Malheur Lake basin!
Applications for this project will be forwarded directly to the project leader by the PIT Clearinghouse, and will be accepted only until the project is filled, so apply today! To learn more about the history and archaeology of the area visit the Malheur National Forest website: (http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/malheur/ecology/index.shtml).
Number of openings: 12
Special skills: Previous archaeological excavation, artifact identification, and/or note-taking experience helpful, but not required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Standard (no hook-ups) tent and RV camping available at no charge at FS campsite; water, vault toilets; Camping with hook-ups available at volunteer expense; Burns is a full-service community with motels, restaurants, and a range of other amenities; volunteers responsible for personal camping equipment or lodging, meals, and transportation
Nearest towns: Hines, 30 miles; Burns, 30 miles
Applications due: Filled!
OR-3939
June 14-18; 21-25, 2010
Must commit to one full session; may participate in both
The Umpqua National Forest needs your help ASAP for an archaeological excavation! During the construction of an area hydroelectric facility over 50 years ago, a prehistoric lithic (stone tool/tool production and use) site was disturbed at Bridge Prairie. Later, in the 1980s, the site was revisited, recorded, and documented. It consisted of lithic fragments (flakes), manos (grinding stones), obsidian bifaces and scrapers, and projectile points and point fragments. From the types of points and other diagnostic elements in the scatter, the site was determined to date to ranges consistent with Middle to Late Archaic (ca. 200 B.C. - A.D. 1500) occupations in the area. These prehistoric people, likely the forebears of the present-day Southern Molalla, were generally mobile, seasonal occupants. However, it has been suggested that the site was once a village locale; further data recovery at the site may reveal features consistent with a more permanent occupation. There are culturally significant trees nearby, evidenced by prehistoric peeling, that lend further support to this notion. The site has been determined eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
This year, PIT volunteers, FS staff, and private contractors will revisit the site to do further testing and data recovery prior to construction of an emergency bypass canal line that will service the hydroelectric facility. We will excavate and screen designated sections (in other words, the most interesting parts) of the site, document features and other findings through site records, sketches, and maps, and collect and process any artifacts we recover. Once we are finished with the project, the contractors will take over - this means no backfilling for us! We hope you will joins in this beautiful area in June as we dig through the past. There is much to do here after work hours such as hiking, viewing nearby waterfalls, and fishing in the adjacent lake, or in the river downstream - we do have a few mosquitoes this time of year, but no poison oak!
Those interested in joining us in June will submit applications to the PIT Clearinghouse as with other projects. However, volunteer applications will be sent directly to the project leader on the Umpqau National Forest. We will take applications only until our rosters are filled, so apply today!
Number of openings: 8-12
Special skills: Previous archaeological excavation experience helpful, but not required
Minimum age: 12 years old, under 18 with a responsible adult
Facilities: Tent and RV camping at no charge at FS Toketee Campground; vault toilets, no potable water, no hook-ups; water is available at nearby Toketee Ranger Station; RV camping is available at privately operated RV parks in Dry Creek, Idleyld Park, and Diamond Lake; full hook-ups, though facilities vary, and fees apply; volunteers responsible for personal camping equipment, food, extra water, and transportation
Nearest towns: Dry Creek, 20 miles; Glide, 46 miles
Applications due: Filled!
OR-3949
September 13-17; 20-23, 2010
Must commit to one full session; may participate in both
Join us on the Umpqua National Forest as we dig through the past! PIT volunteers and Forest Service archaeologists will team up this year to evaluate a lithic scatter site in the Forest's Tiller Ranger District. Artifacts recovered during previous fieldwork suggest occupations at the site began as early as the Middle Archaic (ca. 3000 B.P.) period. This year's excavation of test units will further examine the depth of cultural deposits and confirm the relative age of the site. Unfortunately, there has been a great deal of looting at the site over time. As such, our efforts will also help to ascertain the extent of disturbance that has occurred, and results will be used to prepare a Determination of Eligibility for the site's placement on the National Registry of Historic Places (NRHP).
Number of openings: 6-8
Special skills: Previous archaeological excavation and/or artifact identification experience helpful, but not required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Camping available at no charge at FS campground on the South Umpqua River; vault toilets, no potable water; some space for RVs, no hook-ups; water for cooking and cleaning available at Tiller Ranger Station, solar showers available upon request; there are two small stores within 6 miles of campground; limited services and supplies; volunteers responsible for personal camping equipment, food, and drinking water; FS will provide transportation to and from worksite
Nearest towns: Canyonville, 26 miles; Shady Cove, 26 miles
Applications due: July 12, 2010