September 26 2025

Spotlight on Project Director Sam Cason, M.S.

We’re proud to spotlight Project Director Samuel Cason, M.S., who recently led a significant survey effort across northern New Mexico.

The project focused on the rugged landscapes between the San Juan and Chama Rivers, a landscape rich in human history. The Gallina culture thrived here, maintaining distinctive and seemingly conservative lifeways. Through careful survey and documentation, Sam and the team recorded nearly 150 sites that highlight the diversity of Gallina settlement strategies, including individual masonry room units, pithouses, masonry towers, and associated agricultural features.

It was an exciting project that gave the team an opportunity to gather meaningful information about past lifeways. This work not only helps inform upcoming vegetation treatment efforts but also provides valuable insights into how communities in this region adapted to their environment centuries ago.

We appreciate Sam’s leadership and the great teamwork that enabled SRI to accomplish this project!  Projects like this represent what SRI strives for: careful research and a commitment to learning from the past and preserving our collective heritage.