James Woods, director of the Herrett Center, was among the first scientists at the site.

His role in the initial response, the emergency excavation, and the subsequent management of the discovery was central to ensuring that as much information as possible was recovered from a site that was already compromised by the quarry operations.

The Herrett Center’s role in the Buhl case illustrates something about how archaeology often actually works, especially in the context of inadvertent discovery.

Academic research institutions and state agencies were not staffed to respond immediately to discoveries made in gravel quarries in rural Idaho.