KIDS EXCAVATE LIKE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE ARCHAEOLOGISTS AT THIS SUMMER’S FORT VANCOUVER NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE’S KIDS DIGS

Date: July 18, 2012
Contact: Cassie Anderson, 360-816-6247

VANCOUVER, WA - Do you dig Fort Vancouver? Then visit Fort Vancouver National Historic Site to excavate like a real archaeologist!

During Kids Digs, youth aged 8-12 are introduced to archaeology by participating in a mock dig, mapping their artifact finds, and filling out site forms. As youth excavate and screen with the help of park staff and volunteers, we discover how we learn from archaeology and why we should preserve these pieces of our past.

Kids Digs are limited to 20 youth. Reserve your spot at the reconstructed fort the day-of. Fort entrance fees apply to adults 16 years and older, but the program is free for youth. The program runs from 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. The National Park Service offers 6 Kids Digs this summer. Kids Dig Saturdays are: July 7, July 28, August 4, August 18, August 25, and September 1. Schedule also available online at http://go.usa.gov/fOr.

On July 28, kids will also be able to visit real archaeologists in the field at this year's dig site in the South Vancouver Barracks. Stroll along the Land Bridge Trail and follow the signs to the excavation units. Once there, find out what National Park Service archaeologists and current archaeology students are discovering about life in the eras of the Hudson's Bay Company and US Army in the park's Public Archaeology Field School. Information and hours for the Public Archaeology Field School is available online at http://go.usa.gov/fO1.

At each Kids Dig, youth try key archaeological tasks - excavating, screening, taking notes, and describing the artifacts found in their unit. Youth participating in the program learn how archaeologists excavate, as well as what role the science of archaeology has in understanding the past. At the end of the session, the participants get to interpret their excavation and tell us what they learned about what happened in the past based on the units they excavated.

Cost: Kids Dig is free to youth, but a $3 entrance fee to the reconstructed fort applies to adults ages 16 years and older. America the Beautiful interagency passes accepted.

Where: Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, 1001 E 5^th St. Vancouver, WA 98661.

When: 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. July 7, July 28, August 4, August 18, August 25, and September 1, 2012. Sessions stand alone - program is not sequential.

Background: Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service, is at the heart of the Vancouver National Historic Reserve. The Vancouver National Historic Reserve brings together a national park, a premier archaeological site, the region's first military post, an international fur trade emporium, one of the oldest operating airfields, the first national historic site west of the Mississippi River, and a waterfront trail and environmental center on the banks of the Columbia River. The partners of the Reserve teach visitors about the fur trade, early military life, natural history, and pioneers in aviation, all within the context of Vancouver's role in regional and national development. The Reserve's vast array of public programs -- including living history events, festivals, cultural demonstrations, exhibits, active archaeology, and other special activities -- create a dynamic, fun, and unique tourist destination for people of all ages.

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