Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
“It has been an awesome experience,” says Eva, who went on to serve two terms as pres-
ident of the Wyoming Archaeological Foundation. “We have learned so much. The profes-
sional archaeologists are so willing to work with volunteers. They're open and friendly and
seem to really appreciate the help.”
PIT projects, which are listed on the website, vary from year to year. There are usually
several dozen listed in a wide variety of states. One year, you could apply to restore an old
gold miner's cabin in Colorado, and the next, you could record gravestone data from histor-
ical cemeteries in Vermont and New Hampshire. Pitheads have done everything from excav-
ating ancient tools in Mississippi to surveying an old military road in Oregon to stabilizing
cliff dwellings in New Mexico. Some projects even throw in the bone of college credit such
as the Misty Fjords Monitoring and Inventory Program near Ketchikan, Alaska.
The idea for PIT originated with Gordon Peters, a former Forest Service archaeologist
and University of Minnesota-Duluth instructor, who in 1988 ran out of help on a dig in the
Superior National Forest. Already, nearby resorts were bringing guests to see “Indiana Jones”
at work and when no one signed up for the field school that fateful year, the Forest Service
offered to recruit volunteers if Peters would continue the archaeological research. Modeled
after a similar program in Ontario, Canada, the regional program went nationwide three years
later.
Unlike similar projects sponsored by Earthwatch Institute (see pp. 93-94 and 122-124)
and Crow Canyon Archaeological Center (see pp. 198-200), Passport in Time charges no fee,
requiring only that participants pay their way to the site. Once your application (download-
able from the PIT website) is approved, you'll get an official PIT passport that project leaders
stamp and use to log your volunteer hours. Projects range from two days' to several months'
duration.
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
Passport in Time Clearinghouse,
P.O. Box 15728, Rio Rancho, NM 87174, 800-281-9176
or 505-896-0734, www.passportintime.com.
