Chris Espenshade, regional director of Commonwealth Cultural Resources Group and I have been talking on and off about avocational detectorist partnerships with archaeologists since last year, and today he emailed me to let me know of a new program being held in Chicago on September 13-14 of this year at McFedridge Park (California/Irving Park) 3843 N California Ave, Chicago, IL. There is a limit of 40 participants.
The Archaeological Partnership Program, with sponsorship from Minelab, is offering of the class, which is intended for avocational metal detectorists who are serious about working with professional archaeologists to help preserve threatened archaeological sites. The long-term goal is to create APP-trained avocational detectorists around the country who would be willing to work with professional archaeologists in pursuit of the shared goal of documenting history before it is lost. This is exactly what we’ve been striving for in the avocational detecting community!
The class will be taught by Dr. Doug Scott (of Little Big Horn fame), Chris Espenshade, and Patrick Severts. All three instructors are professional archaeologists with long histories of using metal detecting in professional research. All three are also instructors for Advanced Metal Detecting for the Archaeologist.
The class will include the following:
- A review the sometimes contentious relationship between archaeologists and detectorists;
- An explanation of how and why archaeologists approach sites as they do;
- A consideration of a major differences between professional archaeological research plans and typical avocational detecting;
- A discussion of the key concepts of context, replicability, redundancy, and negative and positive data;
- A discussion of how to record sensitive sites and other field data;
- A discussion of why partnership is advantageous to both parties, and ultimately benefits our historic resources and heritage;
- The delineation the ethical expectations for both professional archaeologists and avocational detectorists.
- The class will include 8 hours of classroom discussion and 8 hours of field exercises demonstrating several typical archaeological approaches. Students are encouraged to bring their detectors. The tuition for this first class will be $165. Box lunches, sodas, and snacks will be provided for free on both days.
Students will be required to sign an ethics pledge when registering for class.
The interest form is attached here (APPannouncementregisFORM)
Hurry! Minelab are also hosting a scholarship to pay for 3 people to go to the event, learn more here about how to apply for the scholarship (which involves an essay.) The scholarship essays must be received (not postmarked) by August 22, 2014!
Major Kudos to Minelab for getting behind this!
“A review the sometimes contentious relationship between archaeologists and detectorists;”
Will there be any detectorists speaking that are not interested in working with archeologists?
I doubt it, since the theme here is advocacy and cooperation and people are paying to attend presumably because they have interest in getting involved. I think your comment might be meant to say “Upon whose terms is this cooperation based?’… am i right?
No,I was not speaking of the cooperation as a whole but rather the part I quoted. If you are going to review the contentious relationship between archeologist and detectorists I was wondering if both sides of that contention were going to be presenting anything.
I think both sides will be discussed. in every conversation of which I’ve been a part there has always discussion about the rights of the hobby metal detector rest to enjoy their detectors on private property etc. I do not know if the organizers will discuss both sides of the topic but I’m guessing there will be plenty of back and forth dialogue with the attendees and the organizers.
My question was not whether or not both sides were going to be discussed. It was questioning if both sides were going to be discussing it. I take it you have no plans to have somewhere there that personally represents the view of the detectorist that does not wish to work with archeologists.
“the class, which is intended for avocational metal detectorists who are serious about working with professional archaeologists to help preserve threatened archaeological sites”….
Scott, detectorists have been serious about working with archaeologists for years and years to no avail. My question is “is this class intended for archaeologists who are serious about working with detectorists?”
I worked with archaeologists three times years ago. Was pretty much treated like a second class citizen, being told not to touch this, to stay out of there, and only plant flags. Never even received thank you at the end of the day.
I also want to know how they will help us when we are about to be banned from a park or area that has no recorded history. Just because a large park is in an old city or part of town does not necessarily make it an archaeological site.
I am tired of “them” asking “us” to learn their ways and help “them” with their work when they never, ever come to our defense. I am not a second class citizen or detectorist. JMO.
http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=196962
Here is a link to Friendly Metal Detecting Forum where this event is being touted. If you ,Scott, would go back there and comment on this it might bring it to the top and draw more discussion from detectorists. I would do it myself but I will not have my full account restored there till a week from Tuesday. This is where you will find detectorists that also have first hand knowledge on this issue.
As I expected there is no takers for your class at FMDF. That is a plus for the hobby. There is high interest in discussion as I predicted in my previous post. I think most are interested in the natural continuing history of items as opposed to forced future history.