Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer Openings

Volunteer opportunities with the Office of the Wyoming State Archaeologist are usually available during the summer field season at selected archaeological sites across the state, depending on project funding. In 2009, volunteers assisted during several projects including a pedestrian and geophysical survey near the Bordeaux Trading Post downstream from Fort Laramie, excavations of the Fort Laramie 1866 Infantry Barracks, and a National Historic Landmark assessment of the Wardell Bison Kill in Sublette County. Over the past 12 years, volunteers have contributed through donated hours and other means the value of over $450,000 to research projects, averaging over $38,000 in contributions annually. This is a substantial benefit to archaeological investigations and our research program.

Why Volunteer?

Human occupation in Wyoming spans the last 13,000 years. Archaeologists have systematically investigated less than eight percent of the state and recorded over 90,000 sites. There is much more archaeology to do in Wyoming and volunteers must be an integral part of the process. Many volunteers come from the ranks of the Wyoming Archaeological Society, but one does not have to be a member of the Society to volunteer. These avocational archaeologists are often considered the eyes and ears of the professional archaeologists because they have discovered and reported so many of the significant sites in the state. Volunteers make a major difference in the amount of work accomplished on a site by helping manage data recovery costs, by providing personal expertise from a variety of vocations, and by assisting in the overall stewardship of Wyoming’s nonrenewable archaeological record.

By volunteering on an archaeological site, you may:

• Help uncover valuable clues to Wyoming’s past
• Work with and learn from professional archaeologists
• Interact with other members of the public who visit sites under investigation
• Contribute to the growing knowledge of past human existence in the region

Employment Opportunities with Archaeological Survey

The Office of Wyoming State Archaeologist-Archaeological Survey periodically hires at-will- contract-employees (AWECs) to assist with field projects. This is not part of the volunteer program, but members of the Wyoming Archaeological Society and others have worked in this capacity when positions are available, depending on the projected summer work load.

For Further Information

General Information: contact Dr. Mark E. Miller, Wyoming State Archaeologist, 307-766-5564
Volunteer Information: contact Dr. Danny N. Walker, Wyoming Assistant State Archaeologist, 307-766-5565.
Survey Employment Information: contact Paul Sanders, Archaeological Survey Manager, 307-721-0882.