Archaeological Survey
Since 1973 the Archaeological Survey Section of the Office of the Wyoming State Archaeologist (OWSA-Survey) has conducted nearly 3,000 cultural resource investigations in the state of Wyoming. The bulk of this work was performed for State and Federal agencies so that they may comply with federal cultural resource legislation. The services are performed on a cost reimbursable basis. OWSA-Survey is totally self- supporting, receiving all operation funds from projects performed for clients. The work that is performed by OWSA-Survey involves archaeological and historic surveys, site testing and data recovery excavations as well as a variety of specialized services, including petrographic analyses of prehistoric pottery and stone tool analyses. Over the last several decades OWSA- Survey has performed, on average, 60 surveys, five test excavations, and one large scale excavation per year. The work load is year-round, with fieldwork being performed often as long as there is no snow cover or the ground is not frozen. We typically have a response time of two weeks, that is, we are expected to begin a new field project within two weeks of receipt. Sometimes the response time is 24 hours depending on the needs of the client. Large scale excavations are generally planned for late spring to early fall. The precise number of new projects, and the length of time to complete each new project varies from year to year. The larger scale surveys and excavations are generally known 3-6 months in advance, and all other projects are scheduled around the peak field time that these large scale projects require.