Common Duties and Activities
Learn more about typical Archaeology and Cultural Resources Program activities and tasks.

Current and Past Projects
See a sample of our current projects and find details about some of our past projects.

Volunteer Opportunities
Get information about volunteer opportunities and help us conduct archaeological surveys, site recordings and process artifacts.

Protecting, Preserving and Interpreting Cultural Resources

Idaho Power's Archaeology and Cultural Resources Program works to protect, preserve and interpret cultural resources located on company land, within our hydroelectric project areas and on transmission line right-of-ways while supporting several primary company functions:

• Licensing hydroelectric projects
• Compliance with hydroelectric project license requirements
• Permitting and construction of transmission and delivery infrastructure

The management of cultural resources within each of these functions typically includes a number of related activities, including steps to identify, assess, and protect important cultural resources.

Cultural Resources Protection Helps Us Understand Our History

Each project typically begins with efforts to identify cultural resources within a proposed project area. Once resources are identified, they are assessed as to their historic importance or significance.

Appropriate measures are then developed to ensure significant resources are protected from potential impacts.

The entire process is conducted in close cooperation with appropriate federal and state agencies and Native American Tribes and in accordance with historic preservation laws.

The company's Archaeology and Cultural Resources Program employs four full-time archaeologists with more than 70 years of combined experience in cultural resources management in the Intermountain West.

We actively manage nearly 2,000 cultural resource sites in Idaho and Oregon. Our work helps ensure we responsibly steward the environment and the irreplaceable cultural and historic resources that are a part of it.

Protection of these resources benefits communities, educational institutions, Native American tribes and the public.

The program helps ensure protection of these unique cultural, historical and archaeological resources, necessary to understand the region's prehistory and history.

Heritage resources belong to all of us and Idaho Power is proud to actively protect them.