Historical Research Associates, Inc. (hrassoc.com)

Who else is doing annual reviews right now? Historical Research Associates, Inc. (hrassoc.com) is just winding up its process, and I wanted to give a shout out to my supervisees, who have all had a stellar year: Morgen Young, Amalia Baldwin, Ela Miljkovic, and Jill Eden. And it's also HRA's 50th anniversary. So much to celebrate!

Like the early days of PFAS litigation, the states are starting to take action against manufacturers of plastic (and least one large city—Baltimore—is following suit). Similar to recent climate change litigation, the states are “alleging deceptive advertising and misleading statements [and a] focus on the alleged harm of undermining consumer intent to make environmentally friendly purchases, rather than harms caused by plastic products themselves.” Historical Research Associates, Inc. (hrassoc.com) #microplastics

I want to give a shout out to all the journalers of the world. I have recently worked on two history reports where the daily recordings of individuals have formed the core of the report. One report relied on the Lewis and Clark journals, which were written with the knowledge that they would be shared widely. Thousands of scholars and millions of history enthusiasts have studied these journals and relied on their content for understanding the past. No less important for understanding our collective past, however, are the jottings of daily life kept by the ranchers and farmers and housewives of the past. They give us insight into the development of rural economies, changing gender roles, climate change, and so much more. In some ways they are more valuable for having been less cultivated and intentional in their development. So here's a thank you to the people of the past who wrote about the events of their lives and their heirs and relatives who chose to share those journals with a document repository. History wouldn't be the same without them!

Heather Melonis Huffman is the Director of Marketing and Proposals, based in our Portland, Oregon office. She originally joined HRA from 2010 through 2015 and has just recently returned to HRA. From her previous years at HRA, she notes: “we had the Friday tradition of Beer Thirty. We all worked hard together during the week, and all took an hour or two to unwind together at the end of the day on Fridays. This was back when the office was located on Mississippi Street with Storm Breaker Brewery across the street. That was my favorite Beer Thirty spot. We laughed so much there, and I’d go home for the weekend feeling lucky that I worked with such brilliant, interesting, kind people.” #HRA50th

Strike a pose! HRA's Principal Historian Morgen Young is in Tucson this week hanging out with wonderful museum colleagues at the 2024 Western Museums Association Annual Meeting. #WMA2024

Tribes play a vital role in land and resource stewardship, often with rights to co-management through treaties or federal law. This panel will explore ways to partner with tribes in land management, highlighting key mechanisms like the Indian Self-Determination Act and Good Neighbor Agreements. The panel will also cover tribal perspectives, successful co-management models, and collaboration opportunities with state and local governments. Panelists: Diana Bob, Native Law PLLC; Affie Ellis, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP; Monte Mills, UW Native American Law Center, University of Washington School of Law; and Mary Neil, Muckleshoot Indian Tribe. See this panel and many more at the 32nd Fall Conference, Oct. 23-25, 2024, in Seattle. View details here: https://ow.ly/TPEZ50Tmp5K #EnvironmentalLaw #SEERFall

James Knobbs is an Archaeologist in our Spokane, Washington office. He joined HRA in 2022 and works on many field projects in eastern Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and beyond. When asked about his favorite project at HRA, he mentioned work in the Quincy Lakes area: “it is a beautiful area, often overlooking the Columbia River with a rich precontact history and some nearly pristine shrub-steppe ecology (still a lot of invasive plants like cheatgrass though). We surveyed roughly 40 miles of trails, and though it was physically demanding, the weather was great throughout the field session, and the crew meshed and got along swimmingly for the duration.” #HRA50th

The US National Archives was inspired by ancient Rome and built to be a temple to history. CBS Evening News with Norah O'Donnell got an inside look.

Madeline Hagan, MS is an Architectural Historian in our Portland, Oregon office. She joined HRA in 2024. What she likes most about working at HRA is “the supportive work environment, the passionate people, and the amazing projects we get to be a part of! I am so glad I joined the HRA team this year, and I am thrilled to continue exploring and investigating the West!” #HRA50th

Latinos in Heritage Conservation put together these informative slides about Hispanic Heritage Month. Check it out, along with their feed to see the great programming they lead. #LantinxHeritageConservation #HispanicHeritageMonth