Tait Elder

Tait is a federally qualified professional archaeologist with nearly 20 years of experience in program-level cultural resources regulatory support for state and federal agencies. He helps clients identify, avoid, or mitigate the loss of important examples of our shared cultural heritage while achieving their project goals. Tait also develops new and innovative approaches to cultural resources studies. Occasionally, it involves bringing clients and project stakeholders together to find compromises. More often than not, it aligns with his interest in “getting under the hood” to better understand the client’s needs to help them make informed and reasonable cultural resources decisions for their projects.

Tait’s work experience includes all phases of archaeological inventory, evaluation, and mitigation; developing and implementing geoarchaeological studies; and coordination with project stakeholders and consulting parties. He has designed and implemented cultural resources studies under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, Section 4(f) of the U.S. Department of Transportation Act, National Environmental Policy Act, California Environmental Quality Act, Washington’s State Environmental Policy Act, Washington Governor Inslee’s Executive Order 21-02 Archeological and Cultural Resources, California’s Assembly Bill 52 on Tribal Consultations, as well as local ordinances.