of the site. That means we must do it precisely, with quality,” shared Dave. Dave and Steve also stress the importance of partnership with Native Americans. Crow Canyon’s philosophy is a draw for many students who apply for the program. “They often mention Crow Canyon’s inclusive approach, especially our collaboration with Indigenous voices,” said Dave. Both Dave and Steve look forward to their time in the field with the interns every season. “To get to work with young people—to mentor them—that’s what it’s about. I didn’t come to Crow Canyon to do more archaeology,” shared Steve, who has easily trained more than 80 interns himself over the years. “I came here to use the skills I’ve learned over the past 35 years to help others learn. Our responsibility in this profession is to give back.” n
“With 10 weeks in the field with the interns, we can take our time, show them the basics, and make sure they have a solid foundation. When they move on to other steps, they understand what they were built on and why they’re doing it in the real world,” explained Dave. In addition to practical skills, the topic of ethics is woven throughout the students’ training. “I talk to students about the conservation approach used at Crow Canyon. Bill Lipe [former Director of Research and Board of Trustees] coined the term “conservation archaeology.” We only want to test less than 1%
CROW CANYON ARCHAEOLOGICAL CENTER
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