Staff
Ethnoscience’s strength is its personnel. Our staff has over 116 years of combined experience and are capable of dealing with a vast range of cultural resource management issues, including all aspects of Section 106 compliance. Our supervisory staff includes three MA-level archaeologists, one MA-level historian, and one BA-level archaeologist. Each supervisor meets or exceeds the professional qualifications required by the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archaeology and Historic Preservation and the Qualification Standards of 32 CFR Part 7.8. Our support staff includes a GIS specialist and an editor.
Lynelle Peterson
Principal Investigator/Owner (MA Anthropology)
Lynelle Peterson is the owner of and principal investigator for Ethnoscience. She has over 35 years of experience supervising cultural resource investigations. She has worked throughout the Plains and has experience in both historic and prehistoric archaeology. Her areas of expertise are Northern Plains prehistory, historic archaeology (1820-1880), and stone ring archaeology. Ms. Peterson has supervised hundreds of survey, testing and mitigation projects and has probably investigated more stone ring sites than any other individual in North Dakota or Montana. In addition to cultural resource inventories, testing and mitigation, Ms. Peterson has participated in the development of Cultural Resource Overviews, Environmental Impact Statements, Cultural Impact Assessments, FERC relicensing, Management Plans, as well as MOAs, MOUs, and PMOAs. She maintains a good working relationship with the tribes of North Dakota and Montana and is an adopted member of the Flint Knife clan of the Hidatsa.
Blain Fandrich
Project Director / Senior Historian (MA, MLIS)
Blain Fandrich has over 35 years experience in cultural resource management work. His areas of expertise are history and architectural history; but he also has extensive experience in prehistoric and historic archaeology. His field experience includes work in the Northwestern Plains cultural area (eastern Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and eastern Wyoming); the Northern Plateau cultural area (northwest Montana, northern Idaho and eastern Washington); and the Great Basin cultural area (southwest Montana, southern Idaho, western Wyoming and Utah). Mr. Fandrich is highly skilled in Section 106 and Section 4(f) compliance work. He can handle all aspects of Phase I, II and III cultural projects, including cultural resource survey, documentation, evaluation, testing, mitigation, and Native American consultation. He has authored numerous documents, including environmental impact statements, cultural impact assessments, cultural resource inventory reports, site evaluations, site testing, site mitigations, district analyses, histories, ethnographies, Traditional Cultural Property studies, HABS/HAER documentation, and NRHP nominations. Mr. Fandrich has also participated in many Native American consultation projects in Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming. He has worked with elders and cultural representatives of the Arapaho, Arikara, Assiniboine, Blackfoot, Chippewa, Chippewa-Cree, Crow, Gros Ventre, Hidatsa, Kalispel, Kootenai, Mandan, Northern Cheyenne, Salish, Shoshone, and Sioux Tribes.
Scott Wagers
Cultural Projects Manager (BS)
Scott Wagers is the Project Manager and Staff Archeologist for Ethnoscience. He has over 25 years of experience doing prehistoric and historic archaeology. His areas of expertise include cultural resource inventory, site identification and recording, archival research, deed record searches, site testing, NRHP eligibility evaluation, and site mitigating. Mr. Wagers is a proficient Project Manager who has diverse experience on projects in Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Idaho, Washington, Minnesota, Illinois, Utah, California, and Ireland. He has authored or contributed to numerous technical reports and has published peer reviewed articles in the Historical Archaeology Journal (Society for Historical Archaeology) and the Archaeological Record (Society for American Archaeology). He has also presented papers at the conferences of the McLean County Black History Project, the Ethnic Identities History Conference, the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, the Society for Historical Archaeology, and the Montana Archaeological Society.
Sarah Nichols
Staff Archaeologist (MA Archaeology)
Sarah Nichols is a Staff Archaeologist for Ethnoscience, Inc. She has over ten years of archaeological experience including GIS (geographic information systems) data analysis, landscape analysis, and excavation design and execution. Additionally, Ms. Nichols has experience in museum settings and research institutions as a public educator, staff archaeological specialist, and community liaison. She has participated in projects in many regions across North America; leading projects in oil, gas, cell towers, trail creation, gravel pits, telephone lines, mines, water tanks, road and infrastructure improvement, conservation studies, and training programs. She is experienced in the use of GPS, ArcGIS, and Python programming including spatial data analysis. Ms. Nichols has worked closely with the Pine Ridge Lakota Sioux Tribe assisting in the training and professional development of tribal members in cultural resource management and continues a good professional and personal relationship with the tribe. Other areas of knowledge include analysis of lithic and ceramic artifacts and osteological identification. Sarah has also participated in research incorporating GIS technologies and landscape analysis to investigate correlations and test predictivity models between Historic Navajo Pueblitos of the Dinetah and their contemporary surface sites for use in future research. Some of her research data is used for public education programs and map development for the BLM and major museum institutions.
Spencer Propp
GIS Specialist (BA Anthropology)
Spencer Propp is the GIS Specialist and Archaeologist for Ethnoscience. He has over 8 years of cultural resource management experience in inventory, site testing, and data collection. Additionally, Mr. Propp has acted as crew chief during multicrew site testing projects in the field and has conducted artifact sorting and analysis of historic and prehistoric collections in the lab. Mr. Propp also has 6 years of GIS experience. He is knowledgeable in the use of various GIS software to help preserve and present valuable archaeological data. His responsibilities include managing project spatial data, drafting maps to be used in forms and reports, and preparing and maintaining global navigation satellite system (GNSS) field equipment.