Archaeology Crew at Quatsino: Cave at Heater Point. Source: bcmarinetrails.org
How does the general public perceive archaeologists? There’s a lot of ways to get at this question, not least the comments section of any newspaper article! But a positive and slightly unusual perspective is found in this article by Stephanie Meinke at the BC Marine Trails website. In the course of establishing some new marine trails in the Quatsino Sound area of NW Vancouver Island (map), concern arose that there might be archaeological sites at some of the campsites. Kayakers generally having solid ethics about leaving no trace, but all the same there might be some unintentional impacts. So an archaeological consulting team (Kennedy Richard and Morgan Bartlett) was hired to assess these spots with potential impact. They were guided by Stephanie and by Janis Leach of Recreation Sites and Trails BC, as well as by two field assistants from the Quatsino First Nation: Mark Wallas and Mark Hunt.
The article gives something of a participant-observation view of the archaeological consulting business in its coastal survey guise, as well as some nice pictures of gorgeous scenery.
Northwest Coast Archaeology 