We asked Dr. Zac Nelson from the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) a bit about what he does and who he works for. Here’s what he said!
Dr. Zachary Nelson is the Regional Archaeologist for the BOR for the Upper Colorado Basin. He is responsible for managing the cultural resource management team on Reclamation’s lands for portions of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. He has spent the last twenty-five years as an archaeologist and enjoys learning about the ancient past and its impacts on the modern world. His specialties include GIS and remote sensing, unmanned aviation systems (UAS/Drones), materials analysis, virtual reconstructions, linguistic studies, and negotiating complex cultural compliance agreements. The Bureau of Reclamation works with the State Historic Preservation Officer to ensure that cultural resources are protected along the dams, reservoirs, aqueducts, and canals that bring water to Utah’s citizens and farms.
Check out the BOR’s website on cultural resources to learn more:
https://www.usbr.gov/cultural/index.html