Committees

Make a Difference

Members of the BCAPA all have the opportunity to make a difference by volunteering to work on a number of committees or groups. The BCAPA committees and groups take on a variety of different tasks from working in the community to assisting with the running of the association. A list of the committees is included below. If you would like to volunteer on a committee please contact our BCAPA Administrator.

Bursary Fund
Education and Public Outreach Committee
Indigenous Engagement Committee
Membership Committee
Professional Development Committee
Reports Committee
RISC Update Committee
Strategic Planning Committee
Wildfire and Ecological Impact Committee

Bursary Fund

Annually, the BCAPA Directors distribute bursaries to students pursuing a degree in archaeology and to Indigenous students in any field. Bursaries are non-repayable limited grants up to $1,500, with a preference given to those who demonstrate financial need. The selection process encourages other criteria such as extracurricular involvement and leadership in the BC student archaeology community. Applications for bursaries are accepted year round.

Archaeology Student Bursary Application Deadline(s): April 1st, August 1st, December 1st
Indigenous Student Bursary Application Deadline: July 1st

To apply please contact us at admin@bcapa.ca

Education and Public Outreach Committee

The Education and Public Outreach Committee (EPOC) mandate is to foster respect for Indigenous cultural heritage and aid in the protection and preservation of archaeological and historical resources through the expansion of public knowledge and appreciation of archaeology in BC.
EPOC will pursue the following initiatives:

Identify industries and entities that frequently interact with the archaeological community.
Form partnerships and coalitions with other stakeholders in archaeology.
Identify key gaps in public knowledge and understanding of archaeology.
Develop targeted awareness-raising strategies.
Produce and distribute educational resources to enhance public awareness.

Chair: Devin Forbes (president@bcapa.ca)

Indigenous Engagement Committee

The Indigenous Engagement Committee works to engage indigenous communities on initiatives to make the BCAPA more relevant to indigenous perspectives in archaeology. The committee’s goals include opening a dialogue with indigenous practitioners of archaeology, increasing indigenous representation within the BCAPA membership, working toward recognition of indigenous archaeologists’ experience and expertise in archaeological practice, and engagement with indigenous communities to find out how the BCAPA can support indigenous interests more effectively.

Chair: Whitney Spearing (whitney.spearing@williamslakeband.ca)

Membership Committee

The Membership Committee receives and reviews applications, checks references, obtains any additional information that may be required in order to review an application, and then forwards a recommendation for acceptance or rejection of an application to the Directors. If you have any questions regarding the membership application process or would like to join this committee please the Committee Chair.

Chair: Abby Wilson (first_director@bcapa.ca)

Professional Development Committee

The Professional Development Committee facilitates the development of skills and knowledge necessary for professional archaeology. We arrange one day workshops that expose participants to specialized skills. From lithic technology, faunal analysis, culturally modified trees, or wet sites; we bring in the best experts in their fields to impart their focused skills and insight to our workshop participants. Seminars are run on a cost recovery basis so the expense is minimal and the rewards rich! We listen to our members and provide interesting speakers and topics to keep our participants satisfied and returning again and again.

Chair: Luis Gomez Belmonte (second_director@bcapa.ca)

Reports Committee

The Reports Committee is mandated to develop, distribute, and report on the findings of BCAPA surveys related to the reported wages of commercial archaeologists and heritage workers in BC. Secondary goals are to identify similar projects that may be of benefit to the membership and to make recommendations to the BCAPA executive for their consideration. We also hope to position the BCAPA as leaders in advocating for the financial and emotional well-being of archaeologists by collaborating with provincial, state, and international organizations to facilitate similar projects and to engage in conversations surrounding social archaeological issues throughout North America.

Chair: Michael Elvidge (treasurer@bcapa.ca)

RISC Update Committee

The RISC Update Committee is tasked with revising and updating the Resource Inventory Standards Committee Archaeological and CMT Inventory course to reflect current standards and methods in cultural resource management. As the primary consumers of the RISC archaeology training, First Nations and Indigenous owned companies and training groups are being consulted to provide input regarding how to best organize and present the course.

Challenges to revising and updating the RISC course include:

Maintaining Provincial certification of the course
Copyrighted materials presented in the current work book and CMT Handbook
Technological advances since the course creation (e.g., digital data collection, GPS technology)
Developing a RFP that ensures industry standards, regulatory standards, and First Nations input are adequately reflected in an updated course

Co-Chairs: Kim Christenson & Heather Kendall (risccommittee@bcapa.ca)

Strategic Planning Committee

The Strategic Planning Committee developed the BCAPA’s 2023-2028 5-year strategic plan and will update future versions of the plan. The plan outlines high-level goals for the association and provides the executive with a framework of tasks to be undertaken to achieve those goals over the life of the plan. The committee does not meet regularly, but re-forms as needed (at least every 5th year), to update the strategic plan with progress made and future goals.

Chair: Chris Verral (csverral@gmail.com)

Wildfire and Ecological Impact Committee

The mandate of the Wildlife and Ecological Impact Committee is primarily three-fold: i) track the progress of the current Wildfire Permit, ii) compile data of wildfire related programs, present findings and disseminate key points, and iii) with the ultimate goal of preparing guidance documents for reference (for Industry, Regulators, Consultants, Academics and Communities) in advance of future ecological impacts.

Chair: Jode MacKay (jode@archaeology.ca)