Kaitlyn Eldredge

My name is Kaitlyn Eldredge, I am originally from Boise, Idaho. I am a historical archaeologist with experience in 19^th century U.S. military forts and various 20^th century settings in the American West. I have come to NCPTT as the Research Associate working on the Fire Suppressants and Cultural Resources Project. I will be researching how chemical fire suppressants interact with cultural material types used in precontact and historic architecture. Additionally, I will be identifying the most effective methods for removing fire suppressants from these cultural materials. The results of this research will provide managers of cultural resources and wildland fire an understanding of the application and remediation of fire suppressants.

I am very excited to be a part of this research, as coming from Idaho I am no stranger to wildfire. I’m a recent graduate of the University of Idaho’s graduate program in Anthropology. While there I combined my passion for archaeology and my interest in wildland fire. I used experimental archaeology to study the effects of mechanical fireline construction and rehabilitation on archaeological sites. I look forward to expanding the knowledge of the ways in which wildland fire management activities impact our Nation’s heritage.