Erika Blecha

Erika Blecha is a Researcher and Project Archaeologist at the Center for Big Bend Studies at Sul Ross State University. She has been affiliated with the Center since 2017 while pursuing a PhD in Anthropology at the University of Kansas, focusing on Paleoindigenous subsistence and environmental relationships under Dr. Rolfe Mandel. Her academic background includes an M.A. in Archaeology from the University of Montana and a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley.

Her research interests span biographic rock art, mortuary practices, environmental archaeology, GIS applications, and prehistoric subsistence strategies, particularly in Texas's Big Bend region. She has conducted archaeological work in Texas, California, Nevada, Montana, Wyoming, Belize, Honduras, and Peru. Her field expertise includes roles as a GIS specialist, crew chief, and field technician.

Blecha’s publications emphasize regional prehistory, rock art interpretation, and archaeological site analysis. Notable works include studies on boulder glyphs in Southwest Texas, earth oven facilities in Brewster County, and surveys in the Calamity Creek Valley. She collaborates with institutions like Chief Dull Knife College and Lykes Brothers Inc. on cultural resource management projects.

Her work integrates landscape archaeology, Indigenous knowledge systems, and technological tools like GIS to understand human-environment interactions over millennia.