Volunteer/Visit

Mark, Kate and Julie from Canticle Farms have been wonderfully hospitable. Not only do we have a place to park, we also have access to the market building for lab space and the ever-important restroom facility. We will have to park off to the side of the building on Tuesdays and Fridays, when the farm market is open. For volunteers and visitors who may have a hard time walking to and from the excavation site, we can allow one or two vehicles to drive down in (please ask for the correct route before driving down in, as there are serious plow furrows on some of the lanes), if they agree to make bathroom runs from time to time. Unfortunately, this will only work on days when there is no rain, as it is easy to get stuck in the field when it's wet. Labs will generally be held on rain days other than Tuesday and Friday, and perhaps later in the season we can schedule a weekly lab day on Sunday or Wednesday (or both), for folks who want to help out, but may not want to spend the day in the field. Come on out to volunteer or visit! We're at the new Canticle Farms facility at 3809 Old State Road (formerly Bockmiers Market) in Allegany. If we get enough students enrolled, the field school will begin July 8. If not, there will be that much more room for volunteers!

Field Season 2013!

OK, so we've been off to a VERY rainy start at the Bockmier One site at Canticle Farms. I managed to get the supply tent set up, as well as relocating the site datum from 2009 (in between bursts of heavy rain), and we will begin preliminary testing tomorrow (probably in between bursts of heavy rain). Yesterday after one of the many downpours throughout the day, I snapped this photo... a sign of good things to come?

 

 

Should we be digging for a pot of gold instead of science?

 

 



Field Season 2013

Field Season 2013 is nearly upon us! Funding for this season's equipment and supplies comes mainly from donations from A. Altenburg, J. Patton, T. Sherman and C. Isbrecht, as well as several supporting members. Though we have a field school scheduled, but there are still ample opportunities for volunteers to participate. This year, on non-field school days, walk-on volunteers are welcome. This includes the entire week prior to the field school and Saturdays and some Sundays thereafter (see calendar below). If you'd like to volunteer on a field school day, a limited number of positions are available for which to schedule in advance on a first-come-first-serve basis (days are filling up, so schedule as soon as possible). Email sph1@email.com or visit the site to schedule. It promises to be an exciting season!
This blog will again serve as a communications window during the field season, with updates at least every few days. Any scheduling changes that may occur will also be posted here.

CALENDAR
June
     28 – site preparations
     29 – 9-11am: field workshop
             11am-5pm: field volunteer shifts
     30 – site closed/rain day

July

     1 – 9am-6pm: field volunteer shifts
     2 – 9am-6pm: field volunteer shifts
     3 – 9am-6pm: field volunteer shifts
     4 – 9am-2pm: field volunteer shifts
     5 – lab preparations
     6 – 9am-6pm: field volunteer shifts
     7 – field school preparations
     8-12 – 8am-4pm: field school*
     13 – 9am-6pm: field volunteer shifts
     14 – 11am-4pm: field volunteer shifts
     15-19 – 8am-4pm: field school*
     20 – 9am-6pm: field volunteer shifts
     21 – site closed/rain day
     22-26 – 8am-4pm: field school*
     27 – field volunteer shifts
     28 – 11am-4pm: field volunteer shifts
     29-31 – 8am-4pm: field school*

August

     1-2 – 8am-4pm: field school*
     3 – 9am-6pm: field volunteer shifts
     4 – 11am-4pm: closing volunteer shifts

*The JCC field school requires a minimum number of registered students. If the minimum is not met, the field school will be cancelled. In that event, all registered students will be refunded their tuition fees through JCC. Any students that had registered and planned to attend the field school will be welcome to participate as unpaid AVP interns, to gain valuable field experience. In the event that the field school is cancelled, the project will be open to walk-on volunteers every working day.

Spring 2013 Newsletter

The newsletter for Spring 2013 has been sent electronically, and will be sent by mail by the end of the week. If you are on the email list and haven't received it in your inbox, check your spam box (some filters don't like mass emails). If you don't currently receive a newsletter but would like to, email AVP executive director Steve Howard at sph1@email.com and ask to be put on the email list, the mailing list, or both. Remember, you do not have to be a supporting member of the AVP to receive the newsletter or participate in any AVP activities. Supporting memberships ($15 individual, $25 family, $10 senior/student) and additional donations do help us cover the costs of equipment and supplies for the field school and lab. Ask in your email for a donation/membership form.

Field School Announcement

Tuition for the field school is $510 for in-state (NY) and $915 for out of state ($170/305 per credit hour respectively).

Jamestown Community College 2013 Field School Information

The 2013 field school runs during the second summer session (begins July 8 and runs to August 2), and is worth 3 credit hours at SUNY JCC. The course title is ANT 8509, and the Course Registration Number (CRN) is 3918 or 3919. Forms can be found at http://www.sunyjcc.edu/files/registrationforms_summer2013.pdf . Registration is open until July 5, but the course enrollment is limited, so register soon. For information about costs and financial aid, visit the main JCC webpage at http://www.sunyjcc.edu .

Field Season/ Field School 2013 Update

Field Season 2013 will be expanded to 5 weeks to accomodate the new four-week field school through Jamestown Community College. Dates to keep in mind: June 28 - field season opens; July 8 - field school opens; August 2 - field school closes; August 4 - field season closes. The detailed schedule will be posted here and included in the spring-summer newsletter in May.