COLORADO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
PUBLIC EDUCATION MATCHING GRANT
Each Chapter of CAS is eligible annually to receive an Educational Grant from CAS. The purpose of the Grant is to encourage each CAS Chapter to sponsor or hold public education events in support of archaeological activities or anti-vandalism education in their area.
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Previous Grant Projects
The Grand Junction Chapter, in 2018, received a grant to help support an educational and cleanup effort with 8th grade students from Mt. Garfield Middle School. Thirty-six students were chosen from about 100 applications to help clean up graffiti marring a local prehistoric rock art site. Along with support from the BLM, the Northern Ute tribe, the Great Old Broads for Wilderness, the CAS Education Grant helped to provide both educational and clean up opportunities. First, students visited five education stations that provided the perspectives of members of the Ute tribe on landscape and rock art, the history of mining in the area, interpreting rock art, impact of souvenir collecting, and the principles of Leave No Trace. They then helped in removing graffiti from several areas near the rock art sites. In 2019, the event won a State Archaeologist’s Award from History Colorado. See related video.
In 2017, the Chipeta Chapter received a grant to help support replacement of an historical sign marking the site of Fort
Crawford. The Colorado Department of Transportation was
working on Highway 550 just south of Montrose; the project
required that an historical sign about 19th century Fort
Crawford would have to be moved. Since the Chipeta Chapter
had installed the original sign back in the 1960s, the chapter
sought to acquire the funding with several local agencies.
Rocky Mountain Aggregate and the Montrose County
Historical Society partnered with Chipeta and CAS to replace
the old wooden sign with a modern one that more fully
explains the importance of the site of old Fort Crawford
and its importance in Western Colorado history.
In 2019, the Pikes Peak Chapter received an education grant
to make 150 clay pots for their educational outreach
activities with fourth grade classes at local elementary
schools. Jerry Rhodes, a Pikes Peak chapter member, hand
throws each of these pots; the previous year he made and
donated 70 pots at his own expense. The pots are used in
the chapter Ceramics class, given by Pat Williams to 4th
graders in local Colorado Springs Elementary Schools as
part of the chapter’s Education /Outreach program. The
Pikes Peak chapter also includes presentations of Lithics
and rock art. Last year the Pots were used at Venetucci
Elementary. When actual pots were not available, the
students studied a variety of pottery images; they were
able to replicate designs on paper outlines of various
pottery shapes.
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