Dedicated to the memory of Richard G Forbis, this collection of papers presented by his students and colleagues represents more than a tribute to a pioneer and legend in Alberta archaeology. Dick Forbis was seminal in putting archaeology in Alberta on the road it has taken and in establishing the field of cultural resource management. Throughout his career, he was passionate about many issues facing modern archaeology and imparted his concern and enthusiasm to his students and colleagues seeking to push the boundaries of our preconceptions and encouraged those around him to find answers to many difficult yet challenging questions. In this spirit, the papers chosen for this collection focus on new directions in northern plains archaeological research and are a unique and topical contribution to modern archaeology.