Updates

See below for updates on our various projects.

Harvest Windows

Society for California Archaeology Meeting (March 2026): Shannon, Shelly and Becky traveled to the SCA meeting in Palm Springs to present a talk on the harvest windows project titled: "Deep Roots, Changing Seasons: Indigenous Phenological Knowledge & Herbarium Insights in California Archaeology"

Shannon and Becky (February 2026) traveled to Mariposa to participate in a cultural burn hosted by Chairman Goode with assistance form Christina Oraftik.

California Native Plant Society Meeting (February 2026): Shannon, Shelly, Sarah and becky traveled to the CNPS meeting in Riverside to present a poster titled: "Phenology Windows: a Holistic Approach to Studying Phenological Change"

Tule Project

Tule boat event on Alcatraz was a success! (January 2026) The event included talks and discussions with tule boat builders, artists and researchers. On the same day:

The newly built 12-foot tule reed boat was transported to Alcatraz, where it is now on public display as part of the NPS's new exhibit, Welcome to Indian Land: Resistance, Resilience and Activism on Alcatraz.
Simultaneously, the historic 2019 tule boat, was successfully transported form Alcatraz to the California Academy of Sciences Anthropology Collections. This culturally significant boat will support future exhibition, research, and public programs, ensuring its teachings and history are respectfully preserved and shared.

A special thanks to ARO, NPS, and NaCRI for all of their work to make the event a memorable one.

Archaeobotany

Lucy Katzman-Tranah received the Society for California Archaeology's Shannon Mahoney Memorial Scholarship (March 2026), congratulations Lucy!