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Saturday,July 19, 2003

Digging up the past

Archaeology camp offers students a chance to search simulated dig site. By EMILY BERG/Staff Writer

APPLE VALLEY-Dirt-stained, sweating and smiling 10-year-old Jacob Rogers sifted through sand in the Mojave River bottom in search of remnants from an imaginary Chinese work camp dating to the Gold Rush era. “Archaeology is about finding out where stuff is,” Rogers said. The Apple Valley boy was one of 30 students learning the importance of archaeology at a three-day camp with the Apple Valley Park and Recreation Department at the Lewis Center for Educational Research on Friday.

For Rogers, the best part of the camp was digging in the dirt. The young archaeologists discovered rusted cans, a trunk and numerous other artifacts in the simulated dig site among the river grasses and trees along the Mojave River.

Craig Lesh, the program director, gave the students instructions as they excavated several inches deep and sifted through each bucket of sand removed. Lesh heads the program by Heritage Education Programs, which combines his two passions and college degrees — public relations and archaeology.

Kids digging
Brett Cirincione, 9, and Anthony Ballinger, 8, sift through dirt Thursday in an attempt to find cultural artifacts at the archaeology camp.
Lesh and volunteers built part of a building and buried it. Each year, students excavate the site to learn about life in a different era, Lesh said. The camp teaches students’ scientific method, the fun of archaeology as well as conservation. The public needs to understand that actual archaeological sites are fragile resources, Lesh said. “Once the pieces of the puzzle are gone ... we can never put that thing back together again,” he said.

Along with the students were four student volunteers to help with the program. Nick Lamb, 16, of Apple Valley served as one of the volunteers, because he thought it was important to learn about the past. “By learning about the past we can learn about our ancestors,” he said.

While the sun beat down and the dust hung in the air, the boys in the group weren’t the only ones wiping sweat from their brows. Hillary Jones, 12, of Apple Valley said girls could do the tough outdoor work and enjoy it, too. “ Girls are just as good as boys. Girls can do hard work, too. We can handle it. The dirt doesn’t bother me — maybe the sweat — but it’s rewarding.”

Intern Catherine Loveland contributed to this article.

Used with permission by Daily Press, Freedom Communication, 2003