Multidisciplinary Recovery of Previously Cremated Remains after Urban Wildfires

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Canine Resources for the Archaeologist" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

A firestorm in Northern California in October 2017 brought with it the beginning of a new field in archaeology. This arose following the detection and recovery of cremated remains of previously deceased loved ones kept within the home that were left behind as family members fled for their lives. Locating these cremains saves their living relatives the emotional devastation of knowing the cremains would end up in a toxic dump if not found. The Institute for Canine Forensics, using specially trained dogs, discovered that they could locate cremains within burned-out structures. In 2020, key archaeologists and dog handlers created the Alta Heritage Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. To date, ICF and AHF have worked on over 300 home sites, recovering over 450 sets of lost cremains (small amounts to full sets). This was accomplished while bringing solace to countless families and at no cost to these victims of massive wildfires. This presentation tells of how combining archaeology and the ability of the dogs’ noses can be used to help those affected by natural disasters.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Canine Resources for the Archaeologist   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36607.0