• The Valley Slopes Archaeological Project was conducted along the Brazos River in west-central Brazos County.

• The Valley Branch Archaeological Project was located in Montague County in north-central Texas along the Red River.

• The 1996 Archaeological Field School was conducted in two areas:
  • the Keechi Creek Wildlife Management Area in Leon County, and
  • the Birch Creek Unit and Yegua Creek Fishing-Access Area at Lake Somerville State Park in Burleson County.

Results from each of these investigations led to development of the Post Oak Savannah Paleoecological and Land-Use Research Program, which focuses on human land use along the Texas Gulf Coastal Plain, and how changes in adaptation in response to environmental and landscape dynamics are reflected in the archaeological record.

Alston Thoms and Phil Dering are studying plant food resources, especially the nature and distribution of native root foods. Based on reports from Cabeza de Vaca, two to three roots were the main dietary staple in this region.

Results of these investigations have yielded important data related to human land use in the Post Oak Savannah during the past, and provide a well-documented foundation upon which to develop and refine models of human adaptation and land-use systems in prehistory.