ESA is pleased to sponsor, present, and attend this year’s Society for California Archaeology (SCA) Annual Meeting in Palm Springs, California from March 05 – March 08. Don’t miss cultural resources experts Michael Johnson, Evan Tudor Elliot, and Heather Atherton, at our scheduled presentations and poster sessions, where we will discuss new approaches to recording cultural resources, and insights into descendant communities. We look forward to connecting with you!
ESA’s team of cultural resources specialists will be attending the conference this year.
Tony Overly, MA, RPA
Michael Johnson, PhD, RPA
Evan Tudor Elliott, MA, RPA
Heather Atherton, PhD, RPA
Ashleigh Sims, MA, RPA
Daniel Woodward, MA, RPA
Sara Dietler
James Clark, RPA
Kyle Garcia
Claudia Camacho Trejo
Salpi Bocchieriyan, MA, RPA
Vincent Gentile
Yareli Lopez
Fatima Clark
Natalie Chamberlain
Shelbi Skillern
Find us at our cabana during the silent auction on Friday, March 6 from 6:00pm to 10:00pm and our table at the job fair on Saturday, March 07 from 11:00am to 4:00pm, at the Riviera Resort & Spa at 1600 N Indian Canyon Dr., Palm Springs, CA 92262.
We’ll be presenting at the following:
Presentations
Ceramics of the Colorado Desert: Past Legacies and Modern Approaches
Friday, March 06 | 3:45pm – 4:00pm
Presenters: Michael Johnson and Evan Tudor-Elliott
From April – July 2025, ESA surveyed 5,000 acres in eastern Imperial County. The project yielded a high density of ceramic sites compared to similar projects in the area, presenting a unique opportunity to apply revised recording methods promoted in recent academic and management literature. ESA developed an approach based on a recent ceramic context study with modifications and revisions drawn from consultation with Tribal representatives. Michael and Evan will present on their initial impressions of these methods and approaches.
Poster Presentations
All Aboard! Exploring methods for reporting thousands of isolates found on the California High-Speed Rail
Friday, March 06 | 01:00pm – 03:00pm
Presenters: Heather Atherton (ESA), Amy MacKinnon (California High Speed Rail Authority), and Adam Giacinto (Dudek)
Construction Packages 1 and 2/3 of the California High-Speed Rail (HSR) run from Madera to the Tulare-King County line. Along these 98 miles of guideway, over 1000+ precontact isolates and hundreds of historical isolates were identified, each found at different phases of construction and were not identified together. We looked at how these isolates can be clustered and presented in a meaningful way—by mapping data in relation to various features, such as water presence, soil types, historical images, and even LiDAR images—to find patterns.
From Russia to Fresno with Love: Archaeology and Descendant Community Connections
Saturday, March 07 | 10:00am – 12:00pm
Presenters: Heather Atherton (ESA), Amanda R. Harvey (Rincon), Amy MacKinnon (California High-Speed Rail Authority), Mai Hopstone (ESA), Paul Zimmer (ESA)
Construction for the California High-Speed Rail uncovered 9 historical-period, domestic trash deposits within Fresno’s Germantown. The “South of Hwy 41” site is a turn of the century, working-class, immigrant community (namely German families from Russia), in downtown Fresno. Pulling census records from the 1910s to 1950s, we conducted archival research on the families at the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, which was shared through public outreach, and has strengthened descendants’ family stories.
- Archaeologist – Cultural Resource Specialist | Oregon
- Archaeological Field Technician | Sacramento, CA
- More opportunities on our Job Openings page
