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Frequently Asked Questions about the Resources Inventory Standards for Archaeology Sites and Culturally Modified Trees

 

BACKGROUND

The province some years ago identified a need for resource inventories to be done to provincial standards. An outgrowth of the process is that individual resource ministries have been developing training curriculum in their respective fields by ensuring that their existing inventory standards are incorporated into RIC overall standards. The Archaeology Branch is the agency responsible for those training courses related to recording archaeological and culturally modified tree sites for its inventories.

People have been calling to ask various questions about this initiative. The most frequently asked questions are addressed below. This does not purport to have all the answers, but references are provided to indicate other contact sources.

WHAT IS THE RESOURCES INVENTORY COMMITTEE (RIC)?
RIC is a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency committee of inventory specialists responsible for the design and development of resources inventory standards. These standards dictate how resource inventory information is sampled, collected, stored and interpreted. To support the implementation of inventory standards, competency based training has been developed in areas where it was deemed appropriate. For further information, check the RIC Website at: http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/ric/
 

WHAT ROLE DOES THE ARCHAEOLOGY BRANCH PLAY?

The Archaeology Branch is responsible for:

  • assuring the quality and content of the courses which train individuals to apply provincial inventory standards.
  • providing Forestry Continuing Studies Network (FCSN)* with a list of qualified instructors for each course.
  • updating course materials, when necessary, to reflect significant changes in approved provincial standards.
  • signing completed certificates of competency and returning to the participants

Note: The Archaeology Branch is not responsible for program delivery and may not be able to answer specific questions about course offerings.

* Refer to Question #11 for information about the Forestry Continuing Studies Network.
 

WHY ARE THE TRAINING COURSES BEING DEVELOPED AND WHEN DO TRAINING CERTIFICATIONS COME INTO EFFECT?
The Province recognized the need for consistent standards when recording resources. One way to achieve consistency is through recognized training programs that teach the proper application of inventory standards. The development of training programs for archaeological sites inventory and for the identification and recording of Culturally Modified Trees (CMTs) is now complete. Participants should be able to access and successfully complete these course offerings so that they are certified to apply the provincial inventory standard in the year 2000. (See Question #6 for information on course availability).
 

WHO NEEDS TO HAVE THE CERTIFICATION?
Consultants bidding on a government funded inventory of archaeological sites or CMTs must warrant that all of the field technicians on the project are certified.
 

HOW DOES ONE BECOME CERTIFIED?

Crew members and crew leaders (CMT only) can become certified by completing the full course of instruction. The purpose of the training is to ensure that an individual is able to apply the provincial standards.
 

WHAT COURSES ARE AVAILABLE?

There are three courses:

  • Archaeological Inventory Training for Crew Members
  • Culturally Modified Tree Inventory Training –Identification and Recording
  • Culturally Modified Tree Inventory Training for Crew Leaders.

Note: The Culturally Modified Tree Inventory Training for Crew Leaders is still in the developmental stage and successful completion of this course will NOT be required for the year 2000.
 

DO I HAVE TO TAKE THE COURSE IF I ALREADY HAVE PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE OR TRAINING?

If crew members have previous training, there will be a procedure available whereby an individual’s skills can be evaluated through written and practical work which may include a field component. This process is referred to as a competency challenge and upon successful completion the participant will obtain certification. There is a self-learning guide that might be useful and is obtainable, for a fee, from the FCSN. A challenge will be offered once there is sufficient demand.

For the CMT Crew Leaders, there is no challenge process and all interested persons must take the course once it becomes available.

 

HOW MANY DAYS DOES IT TAKE TO COMPLETE THE VARIOUS COURSES?

The total course length for the three courses and the two competency challenges are as follows:

Archaeological Inventory Training for Crew Members 10 days
CMT Inventory Training –Identification & Recording 8 days
CMT Crew Leaders 4 days
Challenge: Archaeological Inventory for Crew Members 1 day
Challenge: CMT Inventory Training –Identification & Recording 1 day
 

ARE THERE ANY PREREQUISTES?

For the Archaeological Inventory and the CMT Identification and Recording courses, participants should have completed the Resource Inventory Skills Training or have equivalent demonstrated skills. FCSN is responsible for offering this course. However, the Resource Inventory Skills training course in its entirety can take upwards of 25 days, depending on the knowledge and skills that participants bring to the course.

For the CMT Crew Leaders course, participants must have successfully completed the CMT Identification and Recording Course and the Archaeological Inventory Course or have equivalent demonstrated skills.
 

WHEN WILL THE COURSES BE READY AND WHO DO WE CONTACT?

The course materials are complete and should be available in the Spring of 1999 from the Forestry Continuing Studies Network. Courses are designed to travel with a facilitator, who would deliver the course in the community where the students reside.

FCSN coordinates the organization and delivery of courses and can advise on minimum number of students and facility requirements for course delivery.

Community colleges and Universities may not offer these courses individually, but there may be circumstances under which the courses form part of a larger program of study.

All questions relating to course delivery modes and locations must be directed to FCSN.

Contact: Tom Rankin RPF Address: FCS Network

Southern Interior Region Manager 5661 Norland Drive

Tel: 250-573-3092 Kamloops, BC, V2C 5H8

Fax: 250-573-2882

Email: trankin@cariboo.bc.ca

Vancouver Office: General Information: 604-222-9157

Toll Free Number (in BC): 1-877-222-9993.

Web page: http://www.forestry.ubc.ca//fcsn/fcsn.html
 

WHAT IS THE FORESTRY CONTINUING STUDIES NETWORK (FCSN)?

The FCSN is responsible for coordinating and implementing the RIC Standards Training Program. Specific roles and responsibilities include:

  • advertising and marketing of the courses on the FCSN web site, through brochures and targeted mail outs. The advertising will include the participant pre-requisites associated with each course.
  • registering participants, updating the database and processing course payments.
  • contracting with Instructor’s to teach the various courses, using the approved list provided by the Archaeology Branch.
  • reserving and contracting for required indoor and outdoor training facilities.
  • storing, shipping and maintaining resource materials (e.g. equipment boxes) associated with some of the courses.
  • ordering and purchasing course materials (e.g. Instructor’s Resources Kits and Participant manuals) through Government Publications Centre, and distributing them to the required location.
  • recording competency evaluation results for each participant in the student database; forward completed Certificates of Competency for ‘data custodian" signature and forward the completed participant course evaluation forms to the Archaeology Branch for their records.
 

WHAT ARE THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE COURSE?

FCSN recovers the costs of instructor’s fees, expenses, the duplication and shipping of course materials, registration, coordination and administration. It is reasonable to expect tuition for a week long course in the area of $1000.
 

WHO TEACHES THESE COURSES?

The FCSN maintains a list of facilitators that has been provided by the Archaeology Branch. These facilitators have identified themselves as having the necessary skills and abilities to present course offerings. Beyond the obvious ability to understand and apply the provincial standard, the facilitator also must be well versed in teaching skills, particularly as those apply to adult education. In many cases, the participants in the course offerings are mature students and the subject matter may be of interest to First Nations. Facilitators are therefore required to have the requisite skills to not only teach standards, but to do so in a cross-cultural perspective and with attention to the needs of mature students/adult learners.

The list of facilitators has been assembled by reference to a Bidders’List which is compiled annually by the Archaeology Branch, plus a list of contractors who expressed an interest in developing the RIC course curriculum for Archaeology and CMTs.