Volunteer info
What to bring
You must bring your own lunch, water and water bottles, sun screen, bug repellent, hats, work gloves, and wear weather appropriate clothing. Please check the weather forecast and plan accordingly. For safety reasons, close-toed shoes are required to participate in the excavations. Pets are NOT allowed at the excavation site.
What to expect
Archaeological excavations require physical activity including kneeling, bending, lifting, screening soil, walking, and carrying heavy objects. You will be participating in all archaeological excavation activity including digging, screening, recording artifacts, note taking, unit mapping, and drawing excavation profiles. Digging equipment will be provided and you will be trained in archaeological excavation techniques. We will meet at the Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park Interpretive Centre parking lot at 9:30 a.m. each day and will be driven to the site. Work will finish between 3:00 and 3:30 p.m., and you'll be driven back to the Interpretive Centre. Porta potties will be available at the site.
Cost
Cost consists of the daily admission fee to Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park.
Adults: $15.00 + GST
Youth (8-17): $10.00 + GST
Seniors (65+): $10.00 + GST
Directions
Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park is located in the Canadian Badlands Region, about an hour’s drive east of Calgary. From Calgary, drive east on Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) for 100 kilometers, then drive 7 kilometers south on Highway 842.
Laboratory Analysis Program
What to bring
Please bring your own laptop with a working copy of Microsoft Excel to participate in the laboratory.
What to expect
Laboratory work is much less strenuous than field work! You will work at tables with packets of artifacts, recording information into excel spreadsheets and lightly cleaning artifacts.