Cannon Heritage Consultants is a full-service cultural resource management firm headquartered in Logan, Utah with branch offices in Boise, Idaho and Missoula, Montana.
Meet Our Team
Dr. Cannon is President, and co-owner of CHC and serves as Project Manager and Principal Investigator for all CHC projects. He received his PhD in geography from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he used GIS and stable isotope analyses to understand the biogeography of prehistoric bison in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Ken brings over 25 years of experience in the lntermountain West through his tenure with the National Park Service and for a private cultural resource management firm. Ken also served as interim cultural resource manager at the Valles Caldera, New Mexico for a six-month period in 2003. He has supervised a number of projects in Colorado, Idaho, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming, as well as elsewhere in the United States, ranging from small scale surveys to large data recovery and salvage projects. Ken is permitted in several western states. He is a member of the Idaho Professional Archaeological Council, Utah Professional Archaeological Council and Wyoming Association of Professional Archaeologists. He was the founding President of the Rocky Mountain Anthropological Association (2007-2013), has served as Councilor for Archaeology for the American Quaternary Association, and Vice President for Government Affairs and Research for Utah Professional Archaeological Council. He is currently the Newsletter Editor for the Utah Professional Archaeological Council. He is also a frequent reviewer for the University of Utah Press and serves on the research board for the Hudson-Meng site, Nebraska. Ken has published widely on his work in archaeological and interdisciplinary journals. He has also received numerous grants for his research.
Ethan Ryan is a Senior Project Manager and the Director for Archaeological Geophysics at Cannon Heritage Consultants, Inc. Ethan specializes in GIS, sUAS (drones), and geophysics. He received is MA in Anthropology-Cultural Heritage at the University of Montana where he used GIS and lithic data to identify changes over time in formation processes and in the spatial organization of hunter-gatherer-fisher people in housepits in the Middle Fraser Valley, British Columbia. Ethan completed his PhD at the University of Montana where his dissertation research combined collections research, obsidian source analyses and stable isotope analyses to better understand social networks and cooperative hunting strategies in northwest Wyoming. Previously, Ethan was an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Montana, Department of Anthropology teaching GIS in Archaeology (course no. ANTY 452) to undergraduate and graduate students. Ethan brings almost a decade of experience in the Rocky Mountains and Northwest Plains through his tenure with the Bureau of Land Management (Worland, WY FO), the University of Montana, the Chippewa-Cree Tribe of Rocky Boy’s Reservation, and in the private cultural resource management industry with Cannon Heritage Consultants. Ethan has been a team member in numerous projects in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, and Alaska in addition to British Columbia. He is a member of the Society for American Archaeology, the Society for Historic Archaeology, and is listed on the Register of Professional Archaeologists (Member No. 18001).
Paul earned his Master of Science degree in 2007 from Idaho State University and is currently pursuing his PhD with the University of Wyoming. Paul has been working in archaeology for over nine years, with the majority of his experience obtained in Idaho. Paul is on the Idaho State Historic Preservation Office list of Qualified Archaeological Consultants. He has experience directing all levels of cultural resource management operations from pre-field and archival research to mitigation and data-recovery excavation.
Ryan is a Junior Project Manager and a current graduate student at Utah State University. His Master's thesis focuses on the relationship between resource depression and the adoption of agriculture in Utah's Prehistory. At USU, he became versed in upper-level GIS, R-programing language, and cultural resource management theory and issues. Originally from Tennessee, he earned a dual major Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology and Earth Science, and his focus at the University of Memphis included GIS and Geoarchaeology. Since graduating in 2014, Ryan has spent most of his career in the Upper Rocky Mountains and has field experience in eight states.
Sari Dersam is Project Manager and GIS Specialist for Cannon Heritage Consultants. She has her M.A. in Anthropology and graduate certificate in GIS from the University of Wyoming. Sari’s thesis research consisted of a spatial analysis of wind patterns and high elevation site location in the Beartooth Mountains. Sari specializes in GIS, statistics, and programming in R. She has worked on numerous survey projects throughout Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota for private CRM companies, as well as for the United States Forest Service (USFS) in the Black Hills National Forest near Sundance, Wyoming. Sari is a member of the Society for American Archaeology, and Montana Archaeological Society.
Robert Godard graduated from Utah State University with a BS in Anthropology with an emphasis in Archaeology in 2020. As an undergraduate he received an URCO (undergraduate research and creative opportunities) grant that allowed him to travel to Simon Frasier University to do a comparative study on Peruvian textiles using PXRF (portable x-ray florescence). As a team member of Cannon Heritage he has worked on a wide array CRM related projects that have included survey, excavation, monitoring, geophysics, and laboratory analysis. His interests include lithic analysis, archaeometry, and the prehistoric Great Basin.
Emma is set to complete her undergraduate degree in Anthropology at Utah State University in the spring of 2023. She became involved with CHC as an intern on the Wendover Airport Data Recovery project and has since joined the team as a field tech. She has experience in excavation and survey projects in the Great Basin, and a background in biotech.
Keely Toledo is a Diné (Navajo) scholar and budding archaeologist. She is Edgewater (Tábąąhá) born for Mud (Hasht ł 'ishnii) and a recent graduate from Princeton University in Anthropology with certificates in Environmental Studies and Urban Studies.
Much of Keely’s work and research has been geared towards understanding infrastructures, pipelines, and environmental movements led by Native and Indigenous peoples. Her thesis, titled “Tó éí iiná” follows two pipeline projects and brings together a set of crucial theoretical frameworks, existential questions, and ontological considerations to understand the role of infrastructure in Native and Indigenous Communities.
At Princeton, Keely worked to increase visibility for Native issues ranging from admissions to cultural activities meant to share and increase awareness for Natives and non-native students alike. She previously served as co-president of Natives at Princeton and was a board member of the Princeton Indigenous Advocacy Coalition. She is currently working in archaeology within her home state of Utah at Cannon Heritage Consultants.
Bill is the Senior Geoarchaeologist for Cannon Heritage Consultants. He is listed on the Register of Professional Archaeologists and is a Licensed Professional Geologist in Arizona, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. He began his higher education with a major in geology at Montana State University, completed his B.S. in anthropology at the University of Idaho, and received his M.A. in anthropology with emphasis in geoarchaeology at the University of Wyoming. He has over twenty seven years of expertise in analyzing the geological and pedological context of archaeological sites in both cultural resource management and research-oriented settings. Mr. Eckerle has conducted geoarchaeological analysis at many hundreds of archaeological sites in the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, Northwestern Plains, Rocky Mountains, and Snake River Plain. He uses the principles of geomorphology, stratigraphy, soil science, Quaternary studies, and archaeological site formation principles to characterize archaeological sites and assess their significance and intactness. His site characterizations are oriented toward paleo-topographic reconstruction, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, site context evaluation including site formation and destruction processes, the analysis of prehistoric food resource availability, and archaeological subsistence and settlement. He models buried site locations within a geographic information systems (GIS) framework. Recently he has been principal investigator on multiple lake coring projects with the goal of providing archaeological-specific paleoenvironmental reconstructions. Mr. Eckerle has submitted hundreds of consultant reports. He has presented papers at the Society of American Archaeologists conference, Plains Anthropological Society meetings, the Great Basin Anthropological conference, the Northwest Anthropological conference and Rocky Mountain Anthropological conference as well as at meetings of the Montana Archaeological Society, Wyoming Association of Professional Archaeologists and Utah Professional Archaeological Counsel. He has also appeared as author and co-author on numerous articles in professional journals and provided geoarchaeological workshops for the membership of the Montana Archaeological Society and Wyoming Association of Professional Archaeologists.
Houston L. Martin (MA, RPA) is a field supervisor and GIS Specialist for CHC and will conduct spatial analysis and database management for this project. He received his M.A. (2014) in anthropology from the University of California-Davis, where he focused on prehistoric land use patterns on the Northwestern Plains and Rocky Mountains, stable isotope analysis, and the application of Bayesian statistical methods to address archaeological questions. Houston first gained experience working in the mountain ranges of Wyoming and Montana. He has supervised a number of projects in these states, including excavation at the Hell Gap Archaeological Site, and various small and large scale survey and excavation projects. He is a member of the Society for American Archaeology and the Plains Anthropological Society, and served as an officer for the Center for Archaeological Research at Davis (2014-2015) and program director for the Hell Gap Summer Seminar Series (2014-2015).
Michael Strange, PhD, received a Bachelor of Science in Geology from Utah State University in 2014 and a Doctor of Philosophy in Geosciences from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in 2020. Michael’s research focuses on the early evolution of animals and the processes responsible for their exceptional preservation. Holding Paleontological Resource Use Permits in Nevada and Utah, Michael has completed environmental, geological, and paleontological consulting including paleontological resources surveys, paleontological monitoring, and Phase 1 environmental site assessments.
Michael is currently a Research Professor at Utah State University and Assistant Laboratory Manager for the USU Luminescence Laboratory. He is adept at coordinating with regional, state, and local Bureau of Land Management (BLM) resource specialists to confirm expectations and establish protocols consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Paleontological Policy Preservation Act (PRPA), BLM’s Paleontological Resources Management Manual and internal memoranda, and the guidelines of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.
Michael is currently a Research Professor at Utah State University and Assistant Laboratory Manager for the USU Luminescence Laboratory. He is adept at coordinating with regional, state, and local Bureau of Land Management (BLM) resource specialists to confirm expectations and establish protocols consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Paleontological Policy Preservation Act (PRPA), BLM’s Paleontological Resources Management Manual and internal memoranda, and the guidelines of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.
Ron Sladek, founder and president of Tatanka Historical Associates Inc., has been working in the field of history and historic preservation since the late 1980s. After obtaining his M.A. in 1987, he moved to Minneapolis-St. Paul where he spent several years working for Twin City Testing/Huntingdon International, one of the nation's largest engineering consulting firms. As the company's Staff Historian and Property Research Coordinator, Ron conducted historical and public records research and analysis on more than 500 sites across the central United States. This provided him with broad experience in historical and public records research methodology.
Through his several decades of work and volunteer activities, Ron has developed an excellent reputation for high quality research, writing and analysis. Today he is considered one of the leading Rocky Mountain Region consultants in the fields of history, architectural history, and historic preservation. His practice covers the entire West from Colorado to California.
Todd graduated from Utah State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management and a minor in French. After college, he spent 16 years with the Xerox Corporation Agent Program as an Agent Manager, and as the Business Operations Manager for the Western States region. His career with Xerox is best summed up by his winning Xerox President’s Club eight times. During Mr. Cottle’s tenure with Xerox he traveled internationally directing trade shows and making professional to both government and private business audiences. Volunteering at local schools and as a Boy Scout leader have been also been important aspects of his life.
Will provide all the cartographic and GIS support for CHC projects. Molly is currently the Curator of the Museum of Anthropology at Utah State University. She received her PhD in geography from the University of Nebraska and holds a master's degree in anthropology from the University of Wyoming. She also serves as Director of the USU Spatial Data Collection, Analysis and Visualization Lab of which CHC is a partner. Molly has over a decade of experience in the lntermountain West and has served as co-Pl on Sand Creek Massacre Historic Site Mapping Project Colorado, the Sand Cliff Historic Signature Project, Utah, the Challis Bison Kill site, Idaho and the Goetz site investigations, Wyoming. She also served as crew chief during data recovery investigations at the Cove Creek site, Idaho (2000). Her GIS skills have been developed through a decade of work in academic, federal, and private settings. She has proficiency in a number ESRI products including ArcGIS, ArcPad, ArclMS, Arclnfo, as well as being proficient with Trimble GPS software and hardware including Pathfinder Office, GeoExplore Ill, GeoXT, GeoXH and the Power Pro. Molly has received numerous awards and grants for her work.
