BLM Signs Agreement with Montana Education Center on Archaeology Program

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is entering into an agreement with the Montana State University (MSU) to cosponsor Project Archaeology, a program that teaches the value of archaeological sites. The agreement means that Project Archaeology will soon reach teachers, students, and other public audiences in all 50 states--up from the 15 States now active in the program.

Officials from the BLM and MSU will sign the deal in Bozeman, Montana, on Wednesday, November 14, 2001, at 10 a.m. MST in the Wilson School Library, 404 W. Main St. The event is free and open to the public.

Archaeology is a way of studying past human cultures based on artifacts or places people have left behind, such as the charred remains of a cooking site or decayed living quarters.

Project Archaeology explains how archaeology works and highlights its value in conserving national heritage sites. Hands-on activities help participants solve problems related to resource protection and preservation. The program is designed for a variety of audiences such as schoolchildren, teachers, public land visitors and youth groups.

"This program will help kids better understand their history as told through archaeology," said Bonnie Sachatello-Sawyer, of the Watercourse, MSU's not-for profit water science and education program. Watercourse currently sponsors National and International Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) and 16 other natural resource education projects and programs.

Using the Watercourse program and distribution umbrella, Project Archaeology will expand nationwide and offer a variety of additional programs and materials, said Jeanne Moe of the BLM. Additional materials include children's books, traveling exhibits and interpretive materials for specific archaeological sites.

Montana is not yet active in Project Archaeology, said Moe, but the new partnership will establish a State program and make heritage education available to Montana audiences.

Charged with managing 264 million acres of land with roughly five million archaeological sites, BLM officials decided that education was a good way to help protect the nation's archaeological treasures over the long term, said Moe.

Nearly a decade ago, the BLM began a National Heritage Education Program with Project Archaeology as its cornerstone. The agency's agreement with the Watercourse begins a public/private partnership that marks a new way of doing business, according to Moe.

The BLM, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages more land — 264 million surface acres — than any other Federal agency. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, which gave the BLM its comprehensive mission to manage the public lands for a variety of uses so as to benefit present and future generations. The BLM accomplishes this by managing for such resources as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, and mineral development, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on the public lands. Most of the country's BLM-managed public land is located in 12 Western States, including Alaska. The Bureau, which has a budget of $1.8 billion and a workforce of about 9,000 employees, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the Nation.