Shane Hope, M.S.

Owner/President/Principal Investigator/Project Manager

Shane Hope is the proprietor of Hope Archaeology, Inc (HAI) and has considerable knowledge and experience in the Northern Great Plains, Intermountain West, and Great Basin.  HAI holds the required and current permits for archeological investigations on most public lands in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, and Nebraska.  He has a full understanding of these geographical regions, archaeological methods, site types and the thematic contexts needed to evaluate any found prehistoric or historic properties. Mr. Hope is a member of the Society of American Archaeology, Montana Archaeological Society, and the Gallatin Heritage Consortium and formerly served two terms with the Gallatin County Historic Preservation Board.

Technical Specialties

  • Cultural Resources Management
  • Large Scale Class II and Class III Surveys
  • NRHP Evaluations
  • Test Excavations
  • Site Inventory and Data Collection
  • Site Mitigation
  • Historical Investigations
  • Prehistoric Archaeology
  • Historical Archaeology
  • Historical Architecture
  • Rock Art and Historic Graffiti

Experience

  • Hope Archaeology (2007-present)
  • Ethnoscience, Inc. (2006)
  • North Wind, Inc. (2002 – 2005)

Mr. Hope is responsible for all aspects of Hope Archaeology, Inc. and ensures that projects he manages meet the high-quality standards of the company and are completed on time, within budget, and the client’s needs are met. He oversees the technical completeness and competence of the work. He compiles field data of cultural resource surveys, conducts research, and writes reports conforming to State Historical Preservation Office and Department of Interior guidelines. Some of Mr. Hope’s duties include coordinating with clients and government agencies, developing research designs, planning and organizing projects, and writing reports.

Mr. Hope’s experience includes conducting intensive inventories, reconnaissance inventories, construction monitoring, and site testing in the western states and has extensive experience recording both prehistoric and historic sites and making recommendations of eligibility for listing to the National Register of Historic Places. He has recorded and evaluated 100’s of architectural structures, including commercial airports, residential, agricultural, and industrial sites, and made complex evaluations of NRHP eligibility that have been accepted by federal and state agencies. Mr. Hope has recorded and evaluated many USDA Forest Service structures, including Recreational Residences and administrative buildings, which have gained concurrence from both the SHPO and the Forest Service.  He has recorded, tested, and evaluated countless prehistoric archaeological sites and is comfortable with cultural material and statistical analysis, determining faunal and floral subsistence patterns, and creating and analyzing extensive databases. He is qualified to supervise a project through fieldwork, analysis, research, and report write-up. Mr. Hope also has experience working with Native American tribes in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Oregon. In addition, Mr. Hope has overseen Visual Impact Assessments and written ethnographic overviews for several dozen projects in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho.

HAI has an exceptionally experienced and skilled staff to meet the needs for all cultural resource project types. HAI provides all personnel and equipment needed to complete field projects and to complete technical writing, historical research, and editing services. To meet the objectives of any project type, our team has devised an exceptional research design specifically tailored to our regions of expertise. It incorporates a clear and valid methodology for each task that will produce the expected results and meets the demands of Section 106 and Section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).