Application for the Chancellor Ranch Project, Session 1: June 4-June 13, 2024

Chancellor Ranch Project Details

PCRG membership is not required to participate; however PCRG members get priority to participate in our field projects. If you are interested in becoming a member please click here https://paleocultural.org/support/.

In 2022, PCRG staff and volunteers embarked on a assessment survey of Chancellor Ranch, a 53,000-acre Colorado State Land Board parcel in central Las Animas County along the Purgatoire River. We identified over 40 archaeological sites including American Indian camp sites, lithic scatters, rock shelter habitations, and rock art, and more recent ranching complexes and settlements. This summer, with funding from the History Colorado State Historical Fund and the State Land Board, PCRG will begin a multi-year comprehensive and collaborative archaeological investigation of the property. During this first session, participants will work alongside PCRG staff, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS) and Oklahoma State University professors and students, and History Colorado staff conducting archaeological survey, testing, and intensive site documentation. Fieldwork will include hiking up to 5 miles each day on survey, conducting limited testing (1 x 1-m excavation squares) at selected sites, and conducting intensive documentation of selected sites, including some of the larger historical ranch complexes. 

Participants will camp around a residence on the property but will have limited access to the interior facilities. PCRG will provide portable toilets for participant use, an outdoor shower system, and will provide access to clean drinking water and power to charge small electronics. Limited space may be available for smaller trailers and camper vans.

Average temperatures reach into the upper 80s during the day, and pleasant evenings in the mid-50s.  Participants are required to wear long pants during fieldwork, and sturdy, closed-toe hiking shoes are recommended. Open-toe shoes and sandals are not allowed to be worn during fieldwork, but may be worn at camp. A list of all required and recommended gear can be found on our website, https://paleocultural.org/participate/volunteer-information/. A project-specific gear list will be provided for participants closer to the project. 

Fieldwork will begin on Tuesday, June 4 and continue through Thursday, June 13. Participants should plan to arrive the afternoon of June 3 (or the day prior to their first fieldwork day if choosing to start in the middle of the project) to set up their personal camp and for a project orientation and dinner. PCRG will depart from the project area the morning of June 14.

Health and Safety Protocols:

PCRG has a comprehensive set of safety protocols for field and camp. Please feel free to reach out to us at Chris.Johnston@paleocultural.org or 303-439-4098 if you have specific questions about safety protocols. 

PCRG strongly encourages you to be up-to-date with all CDC recommended vaccinations. A tetanus booster is highly recommended if it has been more than nine (9) years since your last booster. 

If you are feeling ill prior to the start of the project, please contact us and stay home until you are feeling better. This is to protect other participants but also the integrity of the project depends on healthy and active participation within the project date window. 

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First Name *
Last Name *
Email *
Phone number (cell phone preferred) *
What is your birthday?  *
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Availability
Please select all the dates you are available to participate. If would like to participate for the entirety of the project please select "Full Project".

To be considered for this project, you must sign up for at least 3 consecutive days.

*We are anticipating that interest in this project will likely exceed the available slots. We are eager to have as many people participate as possible so we are asking you to select the range of dates you are available to participate and the maximum number of days you wish to participate. We will select dates based on your responses that maximizes the number of participants while getting you as close as possible to your desired number of days. 

Keep in mind that the dates below represent field work days only. You will be need to arrive to camp the evening prior to your first field day.
Project Dates (Please plan to arrive the late afternoon/early evening the day before you are starting.) June 3 and June 14 will be arrival & departure days for PCRG staff. Please select all dates you are ABLE to attend. Your final dates may not include all of your selection, please indicate only dates you are available to attend.  *
Required
Please select the maximum number of days you are WANTING to participate. (Note: There is a minimum three-day commitment to participate. Due to space limitations, the number of days you are selected to participate may be fewer than your answer here.) *
Required
Is there anything we should know when selecting your participation dates (such as job or work schedule, travel logistics, or something else)?  *
If you are applying for more than one PCRG project, please rank your desire to participate in this one versus the others. (Space is often limited and we do our best to accommodate everyone's desire to participate in our projects.) *
About You
Acceptance onto our projects is based on the amount of applicants as well as experience and interest. No experience is necessary to participate; however, we do try and have a mix of experience levels for each project. Please answer the following questions to help us learn more about you. 
How would you describe your training as an archaeologist? *
This year, we are partnering with History Colorado and the Program for Avocational Archaeological Certification (PAAC). Are you signing up for this project as part of PAAC? *
If you have not participated in a PCRG project before, please tell us a little about yourself. Why do you want to participate? Have you previously participated in any type of archaeological fieldwork? (If not, that's OK! We love welcoming new volunteers on our projects!)
Are you a PCRG member? (Note, PCRG membership is not required to participate, but PCRG members do receive priority if projects have too many applicants.) *
Please add any additional comments or information we should know here. (We will collect dietary and health information in a later form if you are selected for the project.)
I acknowledge that filling out this application does not confirm my participation in this or any PCRG project. *
Required
If you have any questions or concerns about the project or your waitlist status please contact Chris.Johnston@paleocultural.org or call our office at 303-439-4098
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