Clues to the Past

Winter time in Alaska can be good for indoor activities – like using your computer to fly the coast with ShoreZone. And that’s exactly what one archaeologist with the US Forest Service in Southeast Alaska does, with fascinating payoff.

Archaeologist Martin Stanford spends time in the winter season poring over ShoreZone videos and photos with the aim of uncovering clues about the past, like the stone fish traps and weirs built approximately 600 years ago that he noticed from studying the ShoreZone photo below. ShoreZone photos help Stanford plan summer reconnaissance trips to explore and document these and other cultural resources. By being able to virtually visit an area at low tide from the air before setting foot (or kayak) there Stanford can hone his travel routes and schedules to investigate potential archaeological sites.

To see some other images of archaeological finds using ShoreZone, check out Martin Stanford’s presentation at the 2014 ShoreZone Partners meeting.