Human-Environment Legacies Collaborative/ Tushingham Lab

The final days of an excavation: Where exhaustion meets discovery

These final moments before backfilling are both physically and mentally demanding, but recording everything is absolutely critical to our research. This image perfectly captures the fatigue of a dig's final days—along with the intense discussion and debate about the cultural stratum and overlapping earth oven features visible in one particularly complex profile.

What you're seeing here is archaeology in action: the careful documentation, the discussion and interpretive process, and the race against time that defines our work. We're anxious to button things up after a very long day, steeling ourselves for the hard labor necessary to backfill our pits—but we have to hold off until everything is recorded. Every feature, every layer, every artifact placement must be precisely documented before we cover the site back up.

Behind every archaeological discovery are moments like these—tired researchers balancing the urge to finish with the professional responsibility to get it right, because the cultural significance of what we're uncovering demands our very best work.

Museum Life: Where Collections Come Alive! 🏛️✨

One of the coolest things about working in a natural history museum? Access to diverse collections that transform research in unexpected ways!

Currently diving into the history and Indigenous science of tule boat traditions in California and along the Pacific coast of North and South America (sometimes called balsas) with friends from the Association for Ramaytush Ohlone (ARO) and Native California Research Institute (NaCRI). Having Native experts as partners is essential to this work – they bring irreplaceable cultural knowledge, community, & contemporary perspectives. Our journey started in California Academy of Sciences Anthropology, studying this beautiful boat crafted by the Uros people of Lake Titicaca 🛶, a Bay Area tule boat (an ARO and NaCRI donation to the Academy!), along with tule cultural materials – baskets, duck decoys, matting, and more.

But ecocultural work isn't one-stop shopping! Beyond cultural and technological insights from Anthro, we also study botany collections 🌾. While California has 23 different bulrush species, we're examining Scirpus acutus var. occidentalis – the specific tule reed traditionally preferred by the Ohlone, Coast Miwok, Pomo, and other Native Californians for boat crafting, a tradition continuing today.

What makes this compelling? Tule marsh habitats support diverse species, creating opportunities to understand complex food webs. However, these California Bay Area ecosystems are threatened – over 90% of the state's original wetlands have disappeared, with remaining marshes facing pressures from development and sea level rise. Our work could expand into other collections and field research, connecting Indigenous knowledge, plant science, and ecology to help safeguard these vital habitats! 🔬🌿

This is why I love museum science – every collection has the potential to spark curiosity, help us to tell untold stories, and address urgent issues we need to understand.

Good morning from the field 🌞

Meet Pepper! 🐴✨

When modern technology meets timeless solutions! Our archaeological fieldwork in the rugged terrain of the Okanagan highlands called for some serious problem-solving. With heavy, expensive drone/UAV equipment that had to reach remote sites, we quickly realized that sometimes the best innovation is the oldest one.

Enter Pepper – our four-legged hero and the most beloved mascot that summer's archaeological field crew could ask for! This incredible horse became a welcome addition to our field crew, stepping up (literally) to carry our precious cargo through terrain that would challenge any vehicle.

Late summer heat, choking dust, rocky trails that seemed barely navigable even for the sure-footed bighorned sheep 🐏 that call this terrain home, and the constant vigilance needed for rattlesnakes 🐍 – Pepper handled it all with grace. No fuel needed, no mechanical breakdowns, just pure horsepower and the kind of steady nerves that kept our expensive equipment safe while navigating extreme wilderness 🏔️☀️

There's something deeply poignant about having Pepper with us in the homelands of the Okanagan people, one of the 12 bands of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. Horses have been integral to Indigenous Plateau peoples' lives for generations, and incredibly, we found evidence of at least one horse at the very archaeological site we were studying. The connection between past & present felt profound – using a horse to transport cutting-edge technology 🚁 while uncovering traces of horses that lived and worked this same landscape long ago.

Pepper didn't just carry our equipment – she carried our entire mission on her back, connecting us to the deep history of this place.

Massive gratitude to Pepper's owner Connie Spears for being game and making this whole operation possible! Connie is a fan ( !) – she and packer Travis were wonderful partners 🤝 in this adventure.

Returning to the Okanagans this summer has me reflecting: Sometimes the most advanced solution is one that's been working through the ages 🐎

Throwback to the Kalispel First Foods Archaeological Field School!

These photos capture the collaborative spirit of this amazing project at Indian Creek, where the Kalispel Tribe, Washington State University, and Far Western Anthropological Research Group worked together at the Indian Creek site in NE Washington State.

Featured here: • Dr. Linda McNulty Perez (pictured as a Princeton doctoral student) conducting fieldwork • Students Morgan Chenoweth (WSU junior at the time), Daulton Cochran (University of Arkansas senior), and Libby Musolino (Kenyon College senior) analyzing soil samples • The excavation site where the research took place.

Field school participants have gone on to establish diverse and impactful careers including cultural resource management, tribal archaeology, museum work, academia, and other fields!

These photos were featured in a story from the WSU Insider: https://news.wsu.edu/news/2023/06/06/kalispel-tribe-and-wsu-collaborate-on-5000-year-old-archeological-excavation/

🌟 Welcome to the team, Gregg Castro! 🌟

We're thrilled to announce that Gregg Castro [T'rowt'raahl Salinan/Rumsien-Ramaytush Ohlone] has joined our team as Research Associate of the California Academy of Sciences Department of Anthropology!

🔬 Gregg brings over 30 years of experience in cultural heritage preservation and will be collaborating on programs centering Indigenous voices and groundbreaking research on biocultural stewardship and climate change.

✨ Gregg has already been working with colleagues for some time-advising IBSS initiatives, contributing to CAS exhibits (Including significant work on the California State of Nature), advising on an upcoming Morrison Planetarium show, and current research connected with the Native Gatherers & Climate Change Convening and the Tule Boat Project.

🏛️ As former tribal Chair of the Salinan Nation Tribal Council and current Culture Director of the Association of Ramaytush Ohlone, Gregg is a powerful voice for cultural preservation, protection, and education.

His work as Chairperson of the Society for California Archaeology Native American Programs Committee, founding member of the Native California Research Institute, and co-facilitator of the annual California Indian Conference are only a few of examples of his longstanding commitment to bridging academia, cultural heritage professions, and Indigenous communities.

🌍 Working with Gregg here in San Francisco (Yelamu) - within the homelands of the Ramaytush Ohlone- has been an honor.

Welcome, Gregg! We can't wait to see the incredible impact of your research and advocacy. 🙌

Yesterday's day at the office was unique and pretty special- kicked off with a journey to Ohlone homelands on Alcatraz with friends and colleagues Gregg Castro, Beverly Ortiz, and Laurie Morales, and California Academy of Sciences colleagues, plus incredible staff on 'the rock'.

With and the Academy's Viz Studio team 3-D imaged their beautiful tule boat for an upcoming show using photogrammetry-the images are helping our animators develop a scene for upcoming planetarium show, opening in November (More on this later...this is going to be so cool!)

The boat is currently part of an important exhibit on the 1969-1971 Native occupation of Alcatraz Island, which became a beacon of Indigenous activism when Native Americans occupied it for 19 months, demanding treaty rights and cultural preservation. These stories of resistance and resilience deserve to be centered, not footnotes. Thank you to all who keep this history alive

It was such an honor to welcome esteemed archaeologist Manju Singh Bhandari and her husband Rabin Thapa to the Anthropology this week!

Mrs. Bhandari is an accomplished archaeologist and the retired Executive Director of the Patan Museum in Nepal. It was truly enlightening to hear about her incredible research and experiences working at significant archaeological sites throughout Nepal, including her crucial restoration work following the devastating 2015 Gorkha earthquake. This tragic event claimed nearly 9,000 lives and impacted 8 million people, while also causing severe damage to Nepal's precious cultural heritage—including centuries-old buildings and several UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Kathmandu Valley like the Durbar Squares of Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur. Her dedication to rebuilding and preserving Nepal's cultural treasures in the aftermath is truly inspiring.

We had such a wonderful time showing them around the Academy and exploring some of the exhibits and collections pictured here-including our cast replica of the fossilized skeleton of of "Lucy" (Australopithecus afarensis) and the Allen collection of historic lamps—including several beautiful examples from Nepal and the surrounding region. ✨

Thank you for visiting us and sharing your knowledge. Connections like these make our work so meaningful. 🙏

One of the best parts of my job is getting to work with amazingly talented individuals like Shantel Watson! 🌟

So proud of her incredible work as a Biological Illustrator at California Academy of Sciences. The thoughtfulness and care Shantel brings to every illustration, and the humanity and life she conveys in her work - especially while collaborating with local Indigenous tribes of California - was truly exceptional. ✨

Shantel is a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology (BFA in Medical Illustration) and you can check out her portfolio here: https://sw1094.wixsite.com/shantelportfolio

Watching emerging professionals approach their craft with such sensitivity and skill is so inspiring! Excited to see what's next for you Shantel! 🎨🔬

Swipe to see Shantel presenting at ! She took part in a program affiliated with the Cal Academy Summer Systematics Institute - thanks to Lauren Esposito and Rebecca Johnson for leading this amazing program! 👏

🌟 Meet Dr. Piyawit Moonkham - 2025 Lakeside Scholar! 🇹🇭

This summer, we were thrilled to welcome Dr. Moonkham from Chiang Mai University, Thailand, to the California Academy of Sciences as part of our prestigious Lakeside Fellowship program! 🎓

🔬 What made this fellowship special: • Collaborated with Dr. Shannon Tushingham, Academy Curator & Irvine Chair of Anthropology • Worked hands-on with our Southeast Asian anthropological collections 🏺 • Enhanced contextual information for collections from Northern Thai communities • Learned specialized techniques for cataloging sensitive archaeological artifacts 🔍 • Bridged Traditional Ecological Knowledge with cutting-edge scientific methods

🏆 Major Accomplishment: The paper "Earliest Direct Evidence of Bronze Age Betel Nut Use: Biomolecular Analysis of Dental Calculus from Nong Ratchawat, Thailand" was completed, submitted, and accepted for publication in Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology! 📚 ( paper available later this month!)

🌿 Focus Area: Indigenous Archaeology & the cultural significance of psychoactive plants in Southeast Asia

Dr. Moonkham's work exemplifies the Academy's commitment to collaborative research frameworks and honoring Indigenous knowledge. His expertise in Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) brought fresh perspectives to our collections and research methods. 🌏

✨ Beyond the Lab: The fellowship broadened Dr. Moonkham's understanding of human-environment interactions and equipped him with new skills he'll apply to archaeological work back in Thailand. This is exactly what international scholarly exchange should look like! We are committed to multivocality in science, so it is especially meaningful to work with scholars like Dr. Moonkham. 🌍

🤝 Looking Forward: Dr. Moonkham and Dr. Tushingham are continuing their collaboration on fieldwork, publications, and grant proposals to expand global perspectives on Indigenous archaeology.

The Lakeside Fellowship continues to foster meaningful international partnerships that advance both science and cultural understanding. 💫

Welcome to the Academy family, Dr. Moonkham! 👏

🌊🌲 Field adventures in Humboldt County!

California Academy of Sciences Anthropology Department members Shannon Tushingham and Surya Kalaimani joined the incredible Snapshot Cal Coast and Sunflower Sea Star Search team for some amazing interdisciplinary fieldwork (and fun!)

From intertidal exploration to wandering through the majestic Redwoods - nothing beats hands-on research and discussions with this team of brilliant biologists, science communicators, and Indigenous community friends and colleagues!

Exploring human-nature connections - what better place to explore the intersection of anthropology and marine biology in action 🔬✨

Thanks so much for the invitation -much respect for all you do and your brilliant team!

Today we celebrate cherries—not just as a sweet summer fruit, but as an ancestral food deeply rooted in Indigenous knowledge systems.

For many Native communities in North America, wild cherries like black cherry (Prunus serotina) and chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) were vital for food, medicine, and cultural tradition.

🌿 Dried into pemmican, brewed into tea, or used to treat respiratory illness, cherries show how ancestral science and ecological wisdom sustained generations.

Let’s remember that even the simplest fruits carry stories of survival, ceremony, and seasonal knowledge.


This post was made by

📸 Photo Credits:
– Cherry tree with fruit: Unsplash contributor (Unsplash collections of cherry-tree photos)
– Basket of cherries: Nataliya Melnychuk, “Red cherries on brown woven basket” (Unsplash)
– Chokecherry berries: Charles de Mille‑Isles via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
– Common chokecherry close‑up: Rocky Mountain National Park, CC BY‑ND 2.0 (via Sparrowhawk Native Plants)