Happy Fall from the Program for Avocational Archaeological Certification (PAAC), and welcome to all of our new PAAC Participants!

Inside this issue:

Successful Summer Field Season with PAAC

A number of PAAC participants again received PAAC credit for their participation in the professionally-led Paleocultural Research Group projects this year. 

This summer, our PAAC field team achieved significant results across three intensive sessions. A dedicated group of 10 PAAC participants volunteered over 290 hours of their time to survey, document, and successfully locate archaeological resources on both state and federal lands in Weld County. I want to especially thank Kate Becker, Greg Campbell, Katelyn Cooke, Eva Davis-Nixon, Richard Hernandez, Kris Holien, Garry Luoma, Clifton Mesa, Tony Ranalli, and Lori Vanagunas for volunteering with me this summer. These volunteers were out during the rain, sun, and fire-season smoke!

Some highlights of the fieldwork include: 

-Documenting several previously unrecorded sites during our pedestrian survey, despite the pushy cows! 

-Mapping and absolutely massive lithic scatter, so large we actually ran out of pinflags on our first day!

-Conducting auger testing that successfully located subsurface archaeology and helped to establish the subsurface potential for buried deposits, paving the way for a more thorough investigation next year.

This work not only contributes to the archaeological record but also (I hope) provided invaluable, hands-on field experience for our volunteers. I hope to see you all out there with me again next year!

Photo top: Volunteers Walking to site

Photo bottom left: Tony R. augering

Phone bottom right: Kris H. and Lori V. using the Munsell to determine soil color.

credit all: History Colorado

International Archaeology Day 2025

We had a very exciting International Archaeology Day 2025 on Saturday, October 18, 2025 at Red Rocks Park. The Emery Archaeological Lab and PAAC hosted an archaeology quiz at our booth, and lots of enthusiastic visitors before the event closed early due to high winds. (We told visitors they were getting a first-hand taste of field survey conditions as tumbleweeds flew by.)

Thanks to Community Connections LLC in partnership with Colorado Preservation, Inc. for organizing the event!

photo: Sarah Allaun at International Archaeology Day, credit History Colorado.

FIRST Lego Robotics League 2025 Challenge “Unearthed!”

The theme for the 2025  FIRST LEGO League Season Challenge is “UNEARTHED.” During the archaeology-inspired season, FIRST teams and supporters will use STEM and collaboration skills to unearth new findings about ourselves and our collective communities to help build a better world.FIRST® LEGO® League introduces science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to children ages 4-16* through fun, exciting hands-on learning. Participants gain real-world problem solving experience through a guided, global robotics program, helping today's students and teachers build a better future together.

FIRST Teams and Coaches have been reaching out to the Office of the State Archaeologist, to CAS Chapters, PAAC participants, and our archaeology partners to share our expertise with teams. Please let us know if you have resources that you have shared with teams, or if you are willing to meet (virtually or in-person) with a team.

In order to help Teams and Coaches better understand archaeology and the work of archaeologists, History Colorado’s Office of the State Archaeologist hosted a Q&A session with Colorado archaeologists on September 11, 2025.

The recording is on youtube https://youtu.be/nW5jmdeiMFo, and the written Q&A responses are online https://drive.google.com/file/d/14OBS83tB7yTk5WmppqlRQoaUetPTnqfe/view?usp=drive_link 

Teams with additional questions or followup, you can email liz.cook@state.co.us or fill out this google form.

We hope it is helpful to FIRST Teams, as well as other classes and students who are interested in learning more about archaeology.

Ongoing Website Updates: Improving Your Online Experience

Thank you for your patience as we continue to enhance the PAAC website. History Colorado has also been redoing their webpages, and some links have gone down or been broken. While we’re working to make our PAAC website a more user-friendly resource, please let us know right away if you encounter any broken links or missing pages. Your feedback helps us fix issues quickly! 

Introduction to Historical Archaeology Online

We have a new online lecture series led by Dr. Holly K. Norton, the Colorado State Archaeologist. In this series, Dr. Norton provides valuable insights into the field of historic archaeology. Viewers will be introduced to historical archaeology, a brief history of the subfield, the identification of major artifact types including ceramics and glass, and applications of these methods in a case study of El Pueblo/Fariss Hotel site. The first episode is free, you can purchase access to the entire 5-part series for $10.

If you haven’t seen our 10-part online lecture series, Exposing Hoaxes, Busting Myths, & Solving Mysteries, check that out online. 

Spring 2026: We’re bringing a lithics 101 workshop to the Western Slope. Stay tuned for more details in our Spring newsletter. 

Fall 2026: We are currently taking requests from CAS Chapters for PAAC programs that they would like to offer their members. If you are a member of CAS Chapter and would like to host a PAAC workshop, please reach out to us directly.

Earn PAAC credit when you participate in online lectures and webinars. Check out some of these online learning opportunities: 

Join the Colorado Archaeological Society!

Looking to connect with fellow archaeology enthusiasts in your area? Joining your local Colorado Archaeological Society (CAS) chapter is a great way to engage through lectures, field trips, and community events that complement your PAAC involvement. Don’t forget, attending local CAS chapter seminars also counts towards PAAC credit! Explore the different CAS chapters across the state and see what they have to offer by visiting their website.

Manage Your PAAC Progress Online:

We’ve updated the PAAC website to make managing your participation easier. You can now: 

We are continually developing PAAC programming, so keep an eye out for announcements about new opportunities! Through programs like PAAC, we strive to build & connect a community trained to help record, preserve, and advocate for Colorado’s cultural resources. Thank you for your participation!

Have questions? Contact us at hc_publicarchaeology@state.co.us. You can also find contact information for PAAC staff, volunteers, and CAS Local PAAC Coordinators on our website's Contact Us page.

Sarah A. Allaun, Assistant State Archaeologist, Office of Archaeology & Historic Preservation

Liz Cook, Staff Resource Specialist - Education & Programming, Office of Archaeology & Historic Preservation