David Lee

Recent Employment and Experience

2013 – Lead survey and documentation of “Fish Fire Cultural Resource Post-fire Inventory” for the Bureau of Land Management, Bishop Resource Area Field Office.

2013 - Participate in survey of “Off-Highway Vehicle” routes in the eastern Owens Valley for the Bureau of Land Management, Bishop Resource Field Office. Over 4,000 acres surveyed to date.

2012-1013 – Participate in assessment and documentation of several vandalized and looted sites in the Owens Valley for the Bureau of Land Management, Bishop Resource Area Field Office.

2012 - Participate in documentation of “Horse Cave” for the Bureau of Land Management, Four Rivers Resource Area Field Office, Idaho.

2011-2012 - Lead “Sawmill Post Fire Assessment” survey of over 1,000 acres in Mono County, Ca. for the Bureau of Land Management, Bishop Resource Area Field Office. Survey resulted in 86 archaeological sites and 29 isolates recorded.

2012 – Participate in survey for expansion of Geothermal plant near Mammoth Lakes, Ca. for the Inyo National Forest.

2011-2012 – Lead survey and documentation of “John Fire Cultural Resource Post-fire Inventory” for the Bureau of Land Management, Bishop Resource Area Field Office. Survey resulted in over 400 acres surveyed, 41 archaeological sites and 8 isolates recorded.

2011 – Participate in documentation of three sites in Saline Valley and two in the Coso Range for the Bureau of Land Management, Ridgecrest Resource Area Field Office.

2011 – Lead documentation of five rock art sites in the northern White Mountains for the Inyo National Forest.

2011 - Participate in highlands archaeological survey of National Training Center, Fort Irwin. Record two rock art sites (including largest on Base) and produce thirteen other archaeological site records.

December 2010 to present - Participate in archaeological survey of Alabama Hills Recreational Area in Inyo County, California.

2010-2011 - Participate in survey, assessment and documentation of rock art sites and Basque inscriptions on stock tank on Dry Lakes Plateau, Mono County, California.

November 2009 - Assist in survey and assessment of rock art sites in Lincoln County, Nevada with the Nevada Rock Art Foundation.

November 2008 to April 2009 - Employed as Analyst at the Curation Facility, Cultural Resources Department, National Training Center, Fort Irwin. Duties included survey of over 4,000 acres, site testing, analysis and recordation, lithic and ceramic analysis, aerial photography, and collections reorganization and curation.

1994 to 2008 - Employed as Steward of the Sweeney Granite Mountain Desert Research Center, Eastern Mojave Desert. Duties included managing the archaeological collections, coordinating cultural resource management policies and instructing approximately 15 classes per year on rock art and early desert cultures.

2008 to 2009 - Participate in project to survey, assess, and document rock art sites in Joshua Tree National Monument. Over 100 sites, 2,000 elements recorded to date.

1996 to 2009 - Participate in research project to survey, assess, and document rock art sites in the Mojave National Preserve. Over 350 sites and 35,000 elements recorded to date.

1997 to 2009 - Participate in research project to survey, assess, and document rock art sites for the Bureau of Land Management in the Owens Valley. Over 80 sites and 8,000 elements recorded to date.

1997 to present - Participate in research project to document rock art sites in the Southwest, primarily in the areas to the north and south of the Grand Canyon, in both Arizona and Utahand around in Washington County, Utah. Over 500 sites and 43,000 elements recorded to date.

2002 to present - Present a series of lectures on rock art at: White Mountain Research Station, Mojave National Preserve, North Las Vegas Library, Mohave River Museum, Arizona Archaeological Society (Flagstaff Chapter), Pacific Coast Archaeological Society. Sedgewick Natural Reserve, Fort Irwin National Training Center, Timbisha Shoshone Tribal Center, Lone Pine Paiute Tribal Center, Maturango Museum, Bishop Rotary Club, Bishop Christian Adventist School, Cerro Coso Community College, Eastern California Museum, the Inter-Agency Office in St. George, Utah, the El Paso Museum, the New Mexico State University Museum, the Toronto chapter of the American Institute of Archaeology, and the University of Toronto.

2002 to 2009 - Instruct classes on rock art and desert cultures at: Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens, Zzyzx Desert Studies Center, Amboy Elementary School, Baker Elementary School, the Valentine Teaching Center and the Inter-Agency Office, St. George, Utah.

2005 to present - Work with Aboriginal Elder and Traditional Custodian Yidumduma Bill Harney to document Wardaman rock art sites and associated traditional knowledge in the Northern Territory of Australia. Twenty-seven sites have been documented, and six publications are in print. Over 120 hours of traditional stories have been videotaped.

2008 - Receive Castleton Award from American Rock Art Research Association for essay “Finding Yidumduma,” about working to record rock art and associated traditional associated stories in northern Australia.

1996 to 2008 - Host twelve years of annual Mojave Rock Art Workshops at the Sweeney Granite Mountains Desert Research Center.

2005 to present - Coordinator for California Archaeological Site Stewardship Program in the Owens Valley, California.

2006 to present - Help create and manage non-profit organization “Western Rock Art Research” to facilitate rock art documentation.

2003 to 2007 - Archaeological Site Steward for Lincoln County, Nevada.

2002 to 2009 - Coordinator for California Archaeological Site Steward Program in the Mojave National Preserve.

2002 to 2005 - Lead documentation project of cultural landscape in Lincoln County, Nevada. Total of 18 sites, 516 panels, 1,930 elements documented.

1998-1999 - Lead documentation project on thirteen rock art sites associated with extensive game drive complex for the Toiyabe National Forest, Nevada.

Specialized Training

1995 - Training in Curation procedures, San Bernadino County Museum
2003 - California Archaeological Site Stewardship Program training
2008/2009 - Training in survey, site recordation and analysis, lithic and ceramic analysis, curation techniques, and aerial photography, Cultural Resources Department, Fort Irwin
2009 - Ceramics training on methods and technology, Cultural Resources Department, Fort Irwin
2009 - Flintknapping and lithic technology, Desert Studies Center
1999/2009 - Participate in training workshops for the California and Nevada Archaeological Site Stewardship Programs

Professional Affiliations

Western Rock Art Research (Co-founder)
American Rock Art Research Association
Mojave Rock Art Workshop (Co-founder)
Australia Rock Art Research Association
California Archaeological Site Stewardship Program (Coordinator)
California Society of Archaeology (Winner of 2013 President’s Award)
American Institute of Archaeology (Featured Speaker, 2010-2013)

Papers and Publications

Lee, D.
2013 The Dreaming put that there, back in the Dreamtime: Ethnography in the Land of the Lightning People. In American Indian Rock Art, Vol. 40. Edited by Peggy Whitehead. American Rock Art Research, Glendale, Az.

Johnson, R., D. Lee, C. Anderson, and D. Christensen
2013 Horse Cave Rock Art Documentation (B.L.M. Contract # L12PX02234). Prepared for the Bureau of Land Management, Four Rivers Field Office.

Lee, D., and D. Christensen
2012 John Fire Cultural Resource Post-fire Inventory, Inyo County California (B.L.M. Project # CA-170-12-17). Prepared for the Bureau of Land Management, Bishop Resource Area.

Gunn, R., C. L. Ogleby, D. Lee, and R. L. Whear
2010 A Method to Visually Rationalise Superimposed Pigment Motifs. In Rock Art Research, Vol. 27, Number 2. Archaeological Publications, Melbourne, Australia.

Harney, B., D. Lee, and B. Birdsall
2010 Malbadasgu and Gordol-ya Site Records and Associated Traditional Stories of Yidumduma Bill Harney. In press.

Lee, D.
2010 Finding Yidumduma. Winner of 2008 Castleton Award for excellence in writing in the field of rock art research, American Rock Art Research Association. In American Indian Rock Art Vol. 36. Edited by Ken Hedges. American Rock Art Research Association, Glendale.

Harney, B., D. Lee, and B. Birdsall
2010 Lirminining Site Report and Associated Traditional Stories of Yidumduma Bill Harney. In Press

Harney, B., D. Lee, and B. Birdsall
2009 Menngen-ya Site Report and Associated Traditional Stories of Yidumduma Bill Harney. In Press

Harney, B., D. Lee, and B. Birdsall
2009 Gandawag-ya Site Report and Associated Traditional Stories of Yidumduma Bill Harney. In press.

Lee, D., and B. Harney
2008 Introduction to the Rock Art of Wardaman Country. In press.

Harney, B., D. Lee, and B. Birdsall
2007 Gornbun-ya Site Report and Associated Traditional Stories of Yidumduma Bill Harney. In press.

Lee, D., and C. R. Smith
2005 Shooting Gallery Archaeological District, Lincoln County, Nevada. In American Indian Rock Art Vol. 32. Edited by Angus R. Quinlan and Anne McConnell. American Rock Art Research Association, Tucson.

Smith, C. R., and D. Lee
2005 Faces on the Rock: A Study of Face Paint-Like Petroglyphs in the Eastern Mojave Desert of California. In Maturango Museum Publication No. 15. Maturango Museum, Ridgecrest.

Smith, C. R., and D. Lee
2004 Pictographs of the Volcanic Tableland, Inyo and Mono Counties, California. In American Indian Rock Art, Vol. 27, edited by S. M. Freers and A. Woody. American Indian Rock Art Research, Tucson.

Lee, D., and C. R. Smith
2004 Variation, Distribution, and Context of Anthropomorphic and Zoomorphic Elements in the Rock Art Record of the Volcanic Tableland. In American Indian Rock Art Vol. 29, edited by A. Woody and J. O'Connor. American Rock Art Research Association, Tucson.

Lee, D.
2004 Shooting Gallery Game Drive District Documentation Report, 2004. Prepared for the Bureau of Land Management, Ely Field Office.

Lee, D.
2003 A Preliminary Report and Research Design for Detailed Documentation of the Shooting Gallery Game Drive District, Lincoln County, Nevada. Prepared for The Bureau of Land Management, Ely Field Office.

Christensen, D. D., J. Dickey, and D. Lee
2002 The Granite Mountains Archaeological Survey: Prehistoric Land Use in the East Mojave Desert, California. In Pacific Coast Archaeological Quarterly. Vol. 37, No.2. Pacific Coast Archaeological Society, Costa Mesa.

Christensen, D. D., J. Dickey, and D. Lee
1999 Preliminary Evaluation of the Rock Art of the Granite Mountains, East Mojave Desert, California. In Rock Art Papers, edited by K. Hedges, San Diego Museum Papers No. 36, San Diego.

Christensen, D., J. Dickey, and D. Lee
1999 Regional Variations in Rock Art Styles in the Southern Great Basin: A View from the East Mojave. In American Indian Rock Art, Vol. 25, edited by S. M. Freers, American Rock Art Research Association, Tucson.