CENTER FOR
Applied Archaeological Science
The
Center for Applied
Archaeological Science
(CAAS) is a research and contract
archaeology program established in 1986 and housed
within the Department of Anthropology at Boise State
University. The university, founded in 1932, is a
metropolitan university having an enrollment of over
18,000 students. Situated in the state capital,
the university offers a wide range of undergraduate
majors, masters, and doctoral degrees.
CAAS
has
conducted research throughout Idaho and other
western states. Its offices conduct small and
large-scale cultural resource surveys and
excavations and has the ability to manage multiple
projects and tasks simultaneously. Since its
inception
CAAS has developed a broadly-based physical
plant and staff structure that allows rapid-response
actions within the greater scope of its programs.
Since its founding
CAAS has
completed over 300 cultural resource projects that
include the development of archaeological research
designs, archaeological and historical surveys,
testing programs, data recovery protocols,
full-scale and multi-year excavations, Section 106
compliance coordination, archival research, National
Register Nominations,
NAGPRA consultations, the
production of scholarly and technical papers and
monographs and popular posters and brochures.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
CAAS
has completed projects for private, state, and
federal organizations, including CH2M Hill,
Intermountain Gas, J.R. Simplot Company, Kinross
Mining Company, Eagle-Pitcher, Ecologistics, Inc.
(Canada), J-U-B Engineers, P.S.I. Inc, Bureau of
Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Idaho Army
National Guard, and the U.S. Air Force. Cultural
Resource Reports are published by the Center for Applied
Archaeological Science.
STAFF
The Senior Staff include a
Coordinator and Associate Coordinator who serve as
the Principle Investigators on contracts and
grants; Project Director and GIS Specialist
who also serves as
Laboratory Coordinator; a full time Administrative
Assistant; and a Reports and Publications Editor.
CAAS
also has a number of research and contract
associates and maintains a pool of Assistant
Archaeologists who are qualified field and
laboratory technicians. In addition to the
expertise of senior and associate staff in GIS,
geoarchaeological analysis, sediments, lithic and
ceramic analyses,
CAAS maintains consulting
relationships with analytical specialists for
X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF),
pollen, macrobotanical, blood and protein residue, and faunal analyses.
Click
on the links below to read brief biographies for
staff members
Mark G. Plew, Coordinator
Christopher Hill, Associate
Coordinator
Christopher A. Willson, GIS
Specialist, Projects Director, Laboratory
Coordinator
Margaret Streeter,
Bioarchaeological/Forensic Specialist
Faith Brigham, Administrative
Assistant
Barbara Valdez, Reports and
Publications Editor
FACILITIES
CAAS is located at 1910
University Drive, Hemingway Western Studies Center,
within the Department of Anthropology at Boise State
University. CAAS
also maintains a large Storage Facility on Federal
Way in Boise. Laboratories include approximately 3,000
square feet of space with adjacent offices for a GIS
station and senior staff. Equipment storage
includes 1,500 square feet of secured space.
LABORATORY
FACILITIES
The
CAAS laboratory has
extensive space for artifact and materials
analysis and artifact storage, a full
range of basic laboratory equipment including binocular
and petrographic microscopes, digital scales and
calipers, and microphotographic equipment.
Additionally, The
CAAS
laboratory is fully equipped with high speed desktop
and Laptop computers that support technical,
database, and geospatial and statistical programs
including ArcInfo, ArcMap and ArcGIS software.
FIELD EQUIPMENT
CAAS owns a wide range of field
equipment in quantities that allow the simultaneous
conduct of survey and excavation projects.
This includes technical equipment such as transits, total stations,
GPS units, and high
resolution digital cameras.
CAAS also maintains
a complement of excavation tools,
1/8" mesh hard-wire screens including
backpack screens for rugged terrain investigations,
3 meter augers, wheelbarrows, a full range
of hand tools, and camp and kitchen facilities to
house crews up to 25 persons.
VEHICLES
CAAS owns a
2007 Ford Expedition, a Ford F150 4x4 Field Truck, and
has access to additional vans, pickups and 4 X 4 vehicles
through the university motor pool and off-campus
rentals.
OFFICE
FACILITIES
CAAS has a full compliment of
software to perform most computer-related operations
with staff who have extensive experience in word
processing, data management, GIS analysis, graphic design,
and display and report production.
Additionally,
CAAS has access
to computer labs and research facilities
across the campus and within the Department of Geosciences
GIS Laboratory.
REPORTING
CAAS is committed to meeting the
time requirements of its service contracts. In
accordance with this commitment,
CAAS broadly integrates
conduct of its field data collection, analysis, and
reporting so as to ensure the prompt completion of
projects.
RESEARCH and CURATION
CAAS maintains a research
library containing major and limited-distribution
cultural resource management reports and well as a
complete Idaho map file and digitized site records
focused on Idaho and the surrounding area. The
facility houses a comparative faunal
collection that includes Pleistocene specimens, and
several large regionally representative
archaeological study collections. Additionally, CAAS
serves as a
satellite repository to the Western Repository of
the Archaeological Survey of Idaho.
RECENT PROJECTS
CAAS conducted several
cultural resource surveys in 2006-2007 including surveys
of Black Hawk and Red Ridge Mountains near Cascade
Idaho, and the M3 Development Project near Eagle,
Idaho. In addition,
CAAS completed a four
year study of site 10-CN-6, a
Late Archaic site (2,000-250 B.P.), located on the
Snake River, near
Melba, Idaho. Recent field investigations include a second year
"Native American Field School" conducted in cooperation with the
United States Air Force, Mountain Home Air Force
Base, Idaho, and excavations at 10-EL-110, located
near Glenn's Ferry, Idaho, Cow Creek in southcentral
Idaho, and a 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps camp
near Nyssa, Oregon.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Main Office: Department
of Anthropology
1910 University Dr.
Mail stop 1950
Boise, Idaho 83725
Coordinator: Mark G.
Plew
208-426-3444
Laboratory and Field Coordinator:
Christopher A. Willson
208-340-5426
208-426-3023
Administrative Assistant:
Faith Brigham
208-426-3023
Fax: 208-426-4329
