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The Trip

The archaeologists in the BLM office in Moab are responsible for locating, documenting, and monitoring archaeological sites on thousands of acres in the Moab, UT area. This is classic red rock desert canyon country with arches, slickrock, wide vistas, excellent hiking, amazing sunsets, and many archaeological ruins.

We will work with BLM archaeologists to locate and document some of the 100+ sites in the Moab area. There will be an opportunity to take a day off during the week to explore the area and hike to arches and other local archaeological sites. Arches and Canyonlands national parks are nearby.

The Project

Our work will involve driving to specific canyons and using a GPS to locate areas previously identified as possible archaeological sites. Once they are located, we will carefully survey the area using pin flags to mark the location of lithics, pot shards, tools, and other evidence of historic use. Once a site has been flagged, we will be taking photos of features, confirming the GPS location, and writing up a site description on an IMACS form. After the site is fully documented, we'll look for any nearby undiscovered sites. Our work will include site documentation using IMACS forms to establish a permanent record of the site and its features. We will provide the forms and instructions to you prior to the outing so that you can become familiar with documentation.

Many of the sites we will be looking at are in danger of being destroyed by road work or vehicle traffic. In many cases we will be making recommendations for protection of sites with unique features so that the archaeologists can begin the process of protecting them.

Many archaeology outings require long walks over rough terrain, but due to the nature of this particular survey this outing will be attractive to volunteers who have always wanted to do archaeology but didn't want to commit to long walks in the desert.

Itinerary

Please be at the Moab Visitors Center on Main St. in Moab no later than 2 p.m. on Sunday, September 23rd. Once everyone is present we will be setting up carpools to access our base camp at one of the BLM campsites in the area. After camp is established we’ll have several hours available for introductions and visiting nearby locations of interest. We'll have dinner early and start our documentation training with the archaeologists at 6 p.m.

A typical day will start with breakfast around 7 a.m., and we'll begin our work around 8 a.m. Cooler morning temperatures make working early in the day the best option. We’ll pack lunch after breakfast and eat it in the field. When it gets hot, usually around 3:30 p.m., we normally take the rest of the day off to clean up, go exploring, or relax. If we have located an interesting site, the day can go longer.

On our optional day off, small groups with a common interest usually go off to hike or explore the many interesting places nearby. The option of continuing to perform archaeological surveying is usually available.

On Saturday there will be no organized activity after breakfast, other than breaking camp. You can expect to be on the road to your next adventure or toward home by 9 a.m.

Getting There

The closest major airports to Moab are Grand Junction, CO and Salt Lake City, UT, where there are rental cars available.

Accommodations and Food

Our campsite will most likely be a group camp at Horsethief Camp on BLM land near Canyonlands Islands is the Sky District. This BLM campground has vault toilets, picnic tables, fire pits, and hardened gravel tent sites, but no running water. We will be hauling water in from Moab for cooking and cleaning, and filling shower bags for an occasional solar shower. We recommend everyone bring a folding camp chair to relax and eat in. This will be luxury car camping, so bring whatever will make things comfortable for you. If you would like to camp in your vehicle (camp trailer or camper) please make arrangements with the leader in advance as space available is limited.

All locations will be accessible by regular low clearance two-wheel drive vehicles unless a recent storm has damaged the roads. If you are willing to offer your personal vehicle for carpooling from Moab to our campsite and to access our worksites, please let the leader know. The BLM will have some limited transportation available to support our group.

The meals will be vegetarian and will include cheese, eggs, and other dairy products and soy products. Several of the dinners can be prepared with meat products if participants indicate in advance their interest in having meat available.

Each participant will be asked to volunteer to assist with preparation of several group meals. All group cooking utensils, food, and instruction for meal preparation will be provided. A leader will be available at each meal to direct the process and be the chef.

Trip Difficulty

The location and accommodations in the camp make the tenting and food preparation portion of the trip easy and allow for luxury car camping. The desert can be hot, windy, and dry at any time of the year. We may get occasional wind and dust, which make meal times a bit more challenging, but overall the weather this time of year is very pleasant. You can prepare for desert conditions by bringing the correct clothes and drinking adequate quantities of water during the trip. Dehydration in the desert can lead to discomfort at the best and serious health threats at the worst. Please be in reasonably good physical condition with the ability to handle short walks at a slow to moderate pace.

Equipment and Clothing

The equipment list below spells out nearly everything you will need for this location at this time of year. Essentially this is luxury car camping, so feel free to bring whatever equipment, special snacks, food, and clothing you need to be comfortable. You must bring your own cup, bowl, dishes, water bottles, and cutlery for your meals, and a plastic container for your lunch. All specialized archaeological tools will be supplied by the BLM. Many people like to bring their own compass, binoculars, GPS, and digital cameras, and volunteer their use during survey work. If you have a laptop computer and are willing to bring it with a recharging (car battery) capability, we will provide the needed software and forms for the IMACS input in advance. All the cooking equipment for group meals will be provided. You are welcome to use the stoves and cooking equipment for your personal needs, except during group meal preparation.

Camping equipment:
Tent (three-season or better, with rain fly and bug screen)
Sleeping bag (bring an extra sheet or insert in case it gets warm or too cold)
Sleeping pad/pillow (air mats sleep cold!)
Headlamp
Bowl, plate, silverware, water container (at least two full liters)
Knife
Ten essentials or survival kit
Solar shower
Two one-gallon water containers for filling personal water bottles

Personal gear:
Day pack (large enough for two liters of water, lunch, and personal hiking gear)
Boots (required for work days)
Camp shoes
Long-sleeved, light-colored cotton or poly shirts (at least two)
Long-legged heavy cotton pants (jeans or other work pants are fine)
Camp clothes
Socks
Underwear
Wide brim sun hat, plus at least one baseball cap (light colors recommended)
Sunglasses and at least one pair of safety glasses for working in
Sunscreen and lip conditioner with sun block
Toiletries
Insect repellant (usually the bugs are non-existent but conditions vary from year to year)
Rain gear -- top and bottoms (when it rains here, it really comes down)

Optional gear:
Camp chair (folding variety)
Swimming suit, towel
Reading materials
Jacket or pile shirt for the cool evenings
Pen and paper
Maps for Arches NP and Canyonlands NP for day hikes (available locally)
Camera and film
Hiking poles
Binoculars
Compass
GPS

References

If you do some reading and research before coming, you will better know how to spend your free time.

Websites:

• www.BLM.gov (travel management and roads)
• www.gorp.com
• www.cdarc.org (Center for Desert Archaeology

Books:

• Adkison, Ron, Utah’s National Parks. Wilderness Press.
• Desert Southwest. The Sierra Club Guides.
• Dunmire, William, W. and Gail D. Tierney, Wild Plants and Native Peoples of the Four Corners.
• Morrow, Baker H. and V. B. Price, Anasazi Architecture and American Design.

Conservation

The BLM has been charged with managing the largest amount of public lands of any land management agency (USFS, NPS, Fish and Wildlife, etc.). They also have the smallest budget and the fewest employees to get the job done. Our volunteer efforts to support them are highly valued and much needed.

There are many sites on BLM land designated as wilderness study areas (WSA), which are unique, wonderful, remote and pristine. Many other sites are located near large population centers and are under tremendous pressure from special interest groups (mountain bikers, ATV, ORV users etc.), who often use the land in a very hard way and refuse to be held accountable for their actions. We will spend some time discussing the big picture of public land use. If there are local land use issues near where you live, we would like to have you share those issues with the group. There are many conservation and preservation opportunities to discover and participate in near your home.

Trip Price

See the How to Apply for an Outing section for more details on registering for this trip and details about our Reservation and Cancellation Policy.

The payment of a deposit does not confirm you as a member on the trip. Participants must be approved by the trip leader. After signing up for this trip, you will be sent a confirmation packet containing approval materials (Participant Approval Questionnaire, Medical Form, Liability Release Form). Each applicant (including those on the waitlist) must fill out these forms and promptly mail them to the trip leader. The leader will review the approval materials and notify you of your acceptance in a timely manner.

Staff

Leader:

From Lisa Coash's first service trip with the Sierra Club she knew it was the beginning of something great in her life. She studied archaeology in college, but choose different paths. One path that has not changed is her love of being outside, especially in the red rock deserts of Utah. She has been spending time there biking and camping since the mid 80s. Currently she lives in the mountains outside Boulder, Colorado, where wildlife abounds and a walk or ride in the woods is right out the back door.

Contact her at elizabeth.coash@mric.net, 303-506-6913 or by mail at 107 Pine Glade Road, Nederland, CO 80466.

Co-Leader:

Larry Wiseman has been exploring Canyonlands and the Southwest for more than 30 years, including eight Sierra Club archaeological service outings and a Cataract Canyon tamarisk removal trip. He has run a couple of marathons and seven half-marathons to stay in physical shape, attended a ten-day meditation retreat to stay in mental shape, and taught two Rock Art courses. A retired Professor and Chair of Biology, his ongoing post-retirement project is finding and photographing rock art birds -- especially owls -- in the Southwest and Central Rocky Mountains. He and his wife split the year between Williamsburg, Virginia, and Fort Collins, Colorado, where he continues to teach Cell Biology.

E-mail: llwise@gmail.com

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General Notes About Sierra Club Trips

• Carbon Offsets
• Carpooling
• Electronic Devices
• Equipment
• How to Apply for a Trip
• Leader Gratuities
• Liability Release and Assumption of Risk
• Medical Issues
• Non-discrimination Statement
• Participant Approval
• Reservation and Cancellation Policy
• Seller of Travel Disclosure
• Travel Insurance
• Trip Feedback
• Wilderness Manners