Cultural Resource Internship

ERO Resources•Lakewood, CO

4h•Onsite

About The Position

ERO Resources Corporation (ERO) invites applications for a four-week paid internship during the 2026 summer archaeological excavation phase of the Bayou Gulch Site Stewardship Project (project). The project will take place at the Bayou Gulch site (5DA265), a National Register of Historic Places-designated Indigenous archaeological site located near Parker (a suburb of Denver), Colorado. The hourly wage is $22.00 per hour. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds—You may be new to archaeology, or you may already have experience. What matters most is your interest in learning, contributing, and sharing your perspectives on this project. Project Overview Bayou Gulch is a defining site in Colorado and west Central Plains Indigenous history. The site was excavated in the 1970s, yielding more than 100,000 artifacts associated with Early Archaic through Late Ceramic contexts. The original excavation records, however, are poor, and assigning stratigraphic association is currently infeasible. Furthermore, erosion threatens intact cultural deposits and requires stabilization. The project aims to meet the following goals: Site stabilization: Apply noninvasive erosion-control measures to slow the erosion of sensitive areas. Excavation: Excavate 12 to 15 one-meter by one-meter excavation units. These units will hopefully allow us in the future to reinterpret all the work done in the 1970s. Tribal Involvement: New excavation and reporting provide the opportunity to incorporate and center Indigenous voices for the first time in this site’s archaeological record. Community Involvement: To promote preservation and community stewardship, ERO invites community members, local government officials, Indigenous participants, and members of the public to engage in and learn from the project. Position Overview Through this internship, participants will join a team of archaeologists in the field to gain hands-on experience in archaeological fieldwork, mentorship from professional archaeologists, and the opportunity to determine how their own knowledge and perspectives contribute to and shape the project. Interns will build skills relevant to the archaeological field, including excavation, screening, note-taking, artifact identification, documentation, and project presentation. Work is field-focused and will consist primarily of excavation tasks. The work will also include preliminary lab work consisting of artifact processing and documentation. As a final component of this internship, participants are requested to contribute to a public outreach event connected to the project. The event is designed to connect archaeologists, descendant communities, volunteers, and local community members in the goals of cultural heritage preservation. It will be an opportunity to share your experiences and perspectives about the project, site, and archaeology in general, and have these insights made part of this site’s history. The ways you may contribute are flexible, but possibilities include videography or photography to document the project, creating slides for a presentation, and/or providing short interviews or written statements regarding your experience with the project. Schedule The excavation will take place between May 13, 2026 and June 5, 2026. Approximately twelve 10-hour days of fieldwork are anticipated. Fieldwork will be followed by a week in the office and laboratory where interns will help with cataloging, writing result summaries, and documenting the project. ERO is committed to coordinating a schedule that respects family obligations and other personal or professional commitments.

Requirements

Applicants must be physically capable and possess the skills necessary to perform all aspects of fieldwork with reasonable accommodations.
Fieldwork duties include collecting digital data, completing standard resource forms, performing in-field data analysis, and taking photographs.
When participating in the excavation, interns may need to lift up to 40 pounds, move buckets of dirt into screens, and dig with hand tools such as shovels or trowels.
Fieldwork will consist of 10 hour days spent outdoors in variable weather conditions.
Office-based components of the project involve exposure to computer screens and require regular use of a computer, keyboard, and mouse.
Repeating motions may include the wrists, hands, and fingers.

Responsibilities

Support the crew chief, field director, and project manager with archaeological excavation tasks, including excavation, screening, survey, and site mapping.
Complete digital or hard copy field forms (state site forms and artifact analysis forms).
Assist with testing, including excavating up to five shovel tests in a single day, using hand tools and shovels, lifting 40-pound buckets, and conducting in-field sediment analysis and screening.
Assist in documenting project activities through notes, mapping, photography, or videography.
Maintain a daily field journal, to be published as part of the site record.
Identify individual goals for the project and work toward their achievement.
Contribute to a public outreach event by documenting the project and sharing personal experiences and perspectives about the site and archaeology with community members.
Author or contribute to interpretation and analysis sections of the report.
Follow safety protocols and guidelines during field activities.
Participate in scheduled team meetings and discussions.