2012 Field Season

The 2012 Field Season schedule is being finalized this week. I looks like it will last three weeks, encompassing four weekends, most likely in July. Field participants are limited to 6-8 per day, and the field operations will occur 5 days per week. Email sph1@email.com to schedule your volunteer slot. Early registrants have the most flexibility in choosing days, times, etc. You may volunteer for fieldwork for a half-day, one day, a weekend, a week, two weeks or the full three week period. Lab days will be Thursdays and rainy days. Open hours in the field are 9-6 or 7, and in the lab are 10-7. Partial shifts and half-days are available (most work usually occurs between 10 and 3). Lunch is usually between 12 and 1. The official 2012 schedule should be ready by next week and will be posted here and in the newsletter.

Fall-Winter Newsletter

The Fall-Winter newsletter has been sent, so it should arrive in mailboxes soon if it hasn't already. If you are not on the mailing list, email today to get your newsletter in the spring. We are busy working on the field and lab forms for Field Season 2012, and everything is coming together for a great season. Keep checking back for updates on the dates and times for workshops, site visits and volunteering.

The Bockmier Point article is finally out! The double issue (75-76) is back-dated to help Northeast Anthropology catch up its issue backlog, so the "official" date is 2008 (even though it's 2011).

Due to an unforeseen issue with a flash drive, the newsletter for Fall will be combined with the Winter issue, and the combined issue will be sent out in late November. If you're not on the mailing list, email me (sph1@email.com) to make sure you get a copy. (note: that's sph[one], not [el])

Bockmier Article

The Bockmier Site report is coming out soon in the journal Northeast Anthropology. Page proofs have been approved, and we're just waiting for publication. The title is "Bockmier Point Site: the Kinzua Phase Revisited" and it runs from pg 23 to 57 in the joint issue #75/76, due out by this fall. I will try to obtain copies for anyone who is interested and doesn't have a subscription.

Summer Newsletter

The Summer 2011 issue of Project News has been sent, and should arrive in mailboxes by the end of the week. If you're not getting one, it's because you're not on the list. It's free, and comes quarterly... to get on the list, email me with your mailing address (or ask for an electronic copy). As always, donations are accepted to help defray the costs of production and mailing. We rely solely on private donations for all project expenditures.

Wet Spring Survey

The May 2011 survey occurred in the midst of one of the wettest seasons on record. Due to the field conditions as well as the short period of time available, survey activity was limited to a follow-up survey of the Bockmier 3 site and the Bockmier 4 find-spot. A controlled surface survey was employed to confirm an artifact distribution that was suggested during the dissertation fieldwork. The rainy weather permitted two days of survey, and the rest of the time was spent documenting metric data from two private collections of artifacts from the region. I also met with the staff from the Tribal Historic Preservation Office of the Seneca Nation, to establish one of the collaborative aspects of the Allegheny Valley Project. THPO Archaeologist Lauren Waldinger assisted with the surface survey, as did volunteer Laurie Labella. Preliminary results confirm the artifact distribution within Bockmier 3, and a few diagnostic artifacts will help us determine the age and nature of the site. As before, a few widely scattered artifacts were located within the area designated Bockmier 4 find-spot. It is likely the area was a low activity area during the occupation of the various sites on the Bockmier tract.