ArcheoChallenge: Incentivizing Archeological Awareness and Tourism in National Parks

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Public and Our Communities: How to Present Engaging Archaeology" session, at the 2019 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The National Park Service (NPS) has two main incentive-based tourism programs: The Passport and Junior Rangers.  Both of these offer guests souvenirs of their experiences in parks, and have successfully harnessed the psychology of collecting to foster enthusiasm and support for NPS resources, places, and stories.  The Midwest Archeological Center (MWAC) joined the Junior Ranger Program in 2010 to promote archeological awareness and stewardship in youth; this program has successfully reached numerous students and teachers, but we see a need to expand the audience. In 2018, MWAC developed the pilot ArcheoChallenge to engage families and adult audiences directly in parks. This program combines aspects of both the Junior Ranger and Passport programs to challenge visitors to engage with cultural resources.  In the process of earning a stamp and badge, they learn about archaeology, stewardship, and cultural landscapes. 

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2019   •
• The Public and Our Communities: How to Present Engaging Archaeology

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 276