Emily is a Senior Archaeologist and Geoarchaeologist at Far Western’s main office in Davis, California. She joined Far Western as an Archaeological Technician in 2016 but has been working as an archaeologist since 2014. She has significant experience on the California Central Coast, Northern Channel Islands, the Eastern Sierra, and Nevada’s high desert.
Emily graduated with a B.A. in Anthropology from University of California, Santa Barbara in 2016 and completed an undergraduate thesis on a potential feasting site in the interior of Santa Cruz Island. In 2023, Emily completed her Masters in Cultural and Heritage Resource Management at University of Maryland, College Park. Her research focused on the landscape evolution of a significant precontact site in Morro Bay, California.
Emily has contributed to numerous projects for Far Western as both a crew member and crew chief including survey, data recovery, geoarchaeological studies, and construction monitoring. Additionally, she has participated in several research projects in collaboration with Cabrillo Community College, the National Parks Service, CSU Channel Islands, Santa Clara University, and University of California, Santa Barbara.
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Publications and Presentations:
Bales, Emily M.
2023 The Effect of Landscape Evolution on the Visibility of the Archaeological Record: a Case Study from Deeply Buried Site CA-SLO-16, Morro Bay, California. Unpublished Master’s Thesis. University of Maryland, College Park.
Wiggins, Kaya, and Emily M. Bales
2022 PCNs and Pit and Groove Rock Art Traditions in the North Coast of San Luis Obispo County. Society for California Archaeology, Annual Meeting, Visalia, California.
Caywood, Cameron, S. Saffold, and Emily M. Bales
2022 Applied Archaeological Methods of 3D Technologies. Society for California Archaeology, Annual Meeting, Visalia, California.
Awards and Grants:
2016 Distinction in the Anthropology Major—University of California, Santa Barbara
2016 Award for Research Promise—University of California, Santa Barbara
2016 Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement by a Transfer Student—University of California, Santa Barbara
2016 Undergraduate Conference Mini-Grant
2015 Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Grant
2014 Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Grant