Public Outreach and Pipeline Archaeology in the Western United States

Cultural resource companies are increasingly tasked with disseminating the results of their archaeological research to the public. Because the nature of the archaeological record differs for each compliance project and because there are many different "publics" who can be identified, archaeologists have taken several different approaches to public outreach. In the last decade, Alpine Archaeological Consultants, Inc. has created a variety of public outreach products that describe what was learned during the archaeological research for several interstate pipeline projects in the Intermountain West. Among the items created for public consumption were several types of publications, including books for school-age children, books for adults, brochures, and videos; the development of museum displays; the installation of interpretive signs in the field; and presentations to avocational archaeology groups. The challenges encountered in the process of creating and distributing the different types of public outreach products will be described. An attempt will be made to assess the effectiveness of these various approaches from the perspectives of historic preservation professionals, educators, and, insofar as is possible, members of the general public.

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