SRI Foundation public outreach programs are individually designed to meet the specific needs of each agency and organization. Projects are tailored to program requirements, audience, safety considerations, and budgetary parameters.

Foundation staff have extensive background in interpreting archaeological and historical resources for the public, conducting tours of heritage resources, providing teacher training, and developing educational materials for third through twelfth grades.

Historic Preservation Laws, Regulations and Guidelines Relating to Public Outreach

The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended.

Section 1(b): The Congress finds and declares-
(4) the preservation of this irreplaceable heritage is in the public interest so that its vital legacy of cultural, educational, esthetic, inspirational, economic, and energy benefits will be maintained and enriched for future generations of Americans

Read more on laws, regulations, and guidelines relating to public outreach

Stephanie Ford, in her assignment as a SRI Foundation Intern, wrote a position paper that argued that archaeological research, whether contract or academic, should include a public education component.

Using public programs as creative mitigation

As part of a creative mitigation effort on the U.S. 70 Reconstruction Project in Lincoln County, New Mexico, an educational outreach program is being developed by the SRI Foundation that specifically targets the teachers and students in the communities in the vicinity of the project.

Developing tours, educational programs, and special historic preservation-related events for a variety of audiences

In May 2002, the SRI Foundation under contract to the City of Albuquerque sponsored an afternoon event for children at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. Click here for photos and information about the event.

A “How To” article describing the event is available in The SAA Archaeological Record.
http://www.saa.org/publications/thesaaarchrec/mar03.pdf (1.6 MB PDF)

Integrating the Past: Public Programming and CRM Contracts

This one-day workshop provides professional archaeologists with the background to develop and administer effective archaeological outreach efforts within the confines of the CRM environment. The workshop has been developed with federal, state, local agency archaeologists; cultural resource managers, and cultural resource consultants in mind. Topics are covered in an on-site session that includes lectures, group discussion, and hands-on activities.

Download a PDF information sheet (22 KB PDF)

The Society for American Archaeology’s magazine “Archaeological Record” contains several articles on public outreach. One article by Carol Ellick notes that archaeological specialists are essential for compiling, analyzing, and interpreting the technical data within their specialty. The same is true with outreach and education. The archaeological educator analyzes the data and translates it giving archaeological data meaning to a specific audience—the public. A copy of this article can be downloaded at http://www.saa.org/publications/theSAAarchRec/mar02.pdf, page 8 (2.1 MB PDF).

“The Awful Truth about Archaeology” An insight and opinion piece by Lynne Sebastian, Ph.D. on the public’s perception of archaeology and what archaeology is really all about.

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