Sarah Oas, Ph.D. - Sarah recently earned her Ph.D. in anthropology at the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University. As an archaeologist who specializes in paleoethnobotany, Sarah’s interests span foodways, ethnobotany, political ecology, ethnoarchaeology, and environmental archaeology. Her research and publications have explored a range of human-plant relationships, with her dissertation examining the relationships between daily food practices and processes of community formation in the13th and 14th centuries.
Kyle Bocinsky, Ph.D.- Kyle is a computational anthropologist interested in human responses to environmental change. As the director of the Research Institute at Crow Canyon, Kyle focuses on the Village Ecodynamics Project, where he addresses the big picture of climate change on social dynamics of the ancestral Pueblo Southwest. Other projects include research on the northwest coast of North America and on the Tibetan Plateau.
Katrina Blair- Katrina began studying wild plants in her teens, which then led to her first publication, “The Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants of the San Juan Mountains.” In 1997 she completed an MA in holistic health education at John F. Kennedy University in Orinda, CA, before founding Turtle Lake Refuge, a nonprofit whose mission is to celebrate the connection between personal health and wildlands. She teaches sustainable living practices and wild edible plant classes through San Juan College in Farmington, NM, and Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO.
Ray Naranjo- A tribal member of Santa Clara Pueblo, Ray has earned attention among Santa Fe’s creative chefs. Ray has been a chef since his teens, graduating from Scottsdale Culinary Institute Le Cordon Bleu in 2003. He enjoys devising menus that celebrate ancestral Pueblo ways, as well as sourcing globally inspired contemporary cuisine. Ray is currently executive chef of the Angel Fire Country Club in Santa Fe.
Canyon of the Ancients Guest Ranch
Located in the countryside of Cortez, Colorado near Mesa Verde National Park, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument and Hovenweep National Monument. Our lodging facilities will be a peaceful place for you to rest your hearts and souls while exploring thousands of years of ancient ruins! It is not a B&B, but a private home and rental cabins, where we share our passion for history, archaeology and the beauty of Southwestern Colorado.
What to Expect - We will be hiking at elevations between 5,000 and 8,000 feet. Plan to hike in mountain and desert terrain, no more than 3 miles round-trip, on two-morning outings. Other days involve short walks to visit archaeological sites. All walks and hikes are on uneven, rocky terrain. Assistance will be given, but you should be able to walk and move comfortably on mountain and desert trails. Other parts of the workshop include sitting and standing for demonstrations and lectures, and volunteer food preparation (working alongside chefs) at your discretion. Please consult your physician should you have any concerns about your physical ability to take part in this program.
Cultural Sensitivity- We are traveling on ancestral tribal lands and in the presence of modern tribal people. Crow Canyon participants are expected to show respect for our tribal partners and support their traditional ways. This serves our mission of making the human past accessible through American Indian partnerships. It is a violation of the Society for American Archaeology code of ethics for program participants to keep any artifacts or other cultural or paleontological remains from any archaeological site.
For further information on the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center’s Terms, Conditions, and Cancellation Policies please
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