Sari Dersam

Sari B. Dersam is Cofounder, Codirector, and Researcher for the Alpine Ecosystems Research Institute (AERI), formerly the Beartooth Ecosystems Alpine Archaeological Research (BEAAR) Project. Sari is also GIS Specialist for Cannon Heritage Consultants. She has her M.A. in Anthropology and graduate GIS certificate from the University of Wyoming. Sari is also certified as a Soil Food Web Lab-Technician and is qualified to assess soil fertility. 

 

In addition to both leading and providing integral support to AERI's archaeological research, Sari also directs AERI's Soil Biology Research and Education programs. She aims to highlight remediation practices in southwest Montana, focusing on the connection between plant health, ecosystem structure, and soil microbiological signatures. Sari received her Soil Food Web Lab-Tech certification in December 2025, qualifying her to assess soil fertility by observing the biological activity in soil or compost. A diverse and biologically active soil that is balanced with the proper organisms is strongly correlated with increased nutrient cycling, reduced weed pressure, reduced disease, increased water infiltration, and much more. 

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Sari's published research includes spatial analyses of surface wind patterns and high-elevation site locations in the Beartooth Mountains. Her research paper discusses how a combination of heat conservation and avoidance of biting insects shape the settlement patterning of precontact peoples who inhabited the High Lakes Plateau of the Beartooth Mountains.  Sari's technical specialties include GIS, statistics, and programming in R. Her anthropological research interests include high-elevation diets, hunting strategies, mobility strategies, and human influences on plant and animal communities.

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She seeks to reinvigorate and restore the edible food patches in mountainous ecosystems, both in "wild" and "domestic" spaces, and strives to empower everyday people to apply the knowledge of the soil food web to remediate their own soils. 

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