Private Land Research
- Sari B. Dersam
- Apr 9
- 2 min read
The backbone of AERI research and studies has been through public land investigations primarily on US Forest Service and BLM lands, but one of the great pleasures of nonprofit investigations is getting to interact with and reach out to the local private landowners of the GYE and hear their stories, see their landscapes, and often marvel at the artifacts and histories documented on their lands.
Much of the undocumented history of North America resides on private lands. Doc George Frison was so successful in the field of archaeology, in part, because he himself was a multi-generational rancher who could talk to and relate with private landholders. AERI, made up of multi-generational Montanans with a hunger for knowledge of our beautiful state's deep past, has been working hard to continue Doc’s tradition and, through his examples, reach out to and communicate with Montana ranchers and farmers who share our passion.
These relationships have not only introduced us to some amazing Montanans, who love and respect our history, but also to some truly remarkable archaeological sites and artifacts that provide evidence of Montana's earliest inhabitants and their links to some of the most important precontact cultural movements of the ancient world.
From Clovis to Cahokia, Montana's private landscapes hold generations of cultural materials and stories that continue to reveal the critical role these landscapes have played and continue to play for indigenous cultures of the past and today. We appreciate our private land partners and look forward to helping them reveal parts of Montana’s hidden past for years to come.
Sometimes our investigations are limited to artifact analysis before beginning full site investigations. Often, a single artifact poses more questions than it answers, but not always. In 2025, AERI encountered a few of these anomalous artifacts, which nonetheless add significant information to Montana's history.
Read the whole 2026 annual report here:
AERI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that focuses on research and education regarding the natural and cultural histories of mountainous ecosystems. We synthesize our research findings with traditional wisdom to improve human-environment relationships and conservation practices in these beautiful landscapes.
AERI conducts research in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), which is culturally significant—either through ceremony or as a direct homeland—to at least 49 affiliated tribal groups. We respectfully acknowledge the peoples on whose traditional territories we reside and work. We work to honor their relationship to these lands, since time immemorial, and to follow their example in caring for this place for generations to come.
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