Citizen Science Archaeology at Bodie State Historic Park

Summary

Bodie State Historic Park is located in the western Great Basin, near the California and Nevada border and encompasses a 2,900-acre historical landscape comprised of buildings, archaeological sites, and features related to 80 years of Gold Rush era mining. Cultural and natural resources at Bodie are at risk of being lost due to wildfires, earthquakes, and lack of funding. Discussing the application of digital heritage methods in the Bodie 3D Project, this paper focuses on community-engaged preservation initiatives that will test the efficacy of archaeological citizen science. The project aims to engage local communities and the visiting public in recording archaeological resources through training and crowd-sourced field activities. UC Merced scholars and California State Parks cultural resources specialists collaborate on research data dissemination and outreach through mobile apps, Augmented Reality techniques, and digital documentation technologies. We hope that active involvement will lead to the public’s appreciation of the park’s valuable resources and foster a true sense of stewardship and preservation.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20654