Schedule
a Tour
Maxine McBrinn is the former Curator of Archaeology at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe, NM and an independent researcher. She is a Research Associate of the Office of Archaeological Studies, also in Santa Fe. Dr. McBrinn earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology at the University of Colorado, Boulder and also has a B.S. and a M.A. in Physics from the University of Texas at Austin. She has worked in a curatorial role at a number of museums, including the Field Museum in Chicago and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (DMNS). Much of her DMNS research, conducted with Dr. E. James Dixon, focused on the Lamb Spring site. In addition, Maxine has conducted field research in Wyoming, Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico. Her research focus is on hunters and gatherers, social identity, and the transition to early agriculture. A technical specialty is archaeological textiles and basketry. Dr. McBrinn and Linda Cordell wrote a textbook, Archaeology of the Southwest, which Dr. McBrinn is currently updating.
Susan Collins held the position of State Archaeologist and Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, serving on the senior management team of History Colorado, the State Historical Society of Colorado, for over twenty years. Dr. Collins earned her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees with a major in anthropology and minors in geography and museum studies at the University of Colorado, with additional field training through the University of New Mexico and the University of Missouri. Her accomplishments include strengthening the practice of archaeology of the historic era, facilitating participation by Native Americans in management of their heritage resources, extending the reach of local preservation programs through educational outreach and regulation, and improving the State of Colorado’s cultural resource database. While most of her fieldwork centers on the Southwest and the Rocky Mountains, she has experience in the archaeology of the Northwest Coast and the eastern Woodlands. Dr. Collins held faculty appointments at the University of Colorado, Western Carolina University, and Colorado State University, and worked as a Program Director for the Pueblo of Zuni. She has traveled extensively, particularly in subarctic areas.
Harold Smethills is the co-founder and Manager of the nearby Sterling Ranch master planned community. He received his Juris Doctor, Master of Business Administration and B.S. in Business Administration – Finance from the University of Denver. Mr. Smethills has served as President and/or CEO of several large public and private manufacturing companies. He is currently a Trustee Emeritus the Denver Botanic Gardens and has previously served on the boards of several charitable and educational institutions
Cameron Randolph is a retired public school science teacher. He served, taught, and coached in Douglas County, CO and Millard Public Schools in Omaha, NE. He has a passion for archaeology and hopes that his interests and talents can help promote Lamb Spring and educate the public on one of Colorado’s “hidden” secrets.
Steve Sherman is a local resident and a civil engineer, recently retired from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and now with David Evans, a civil/environmental consulting firm. Steve happened to join the CDOT staff archaeologist on a tour of Lamb Spring in 2002 as the juvenile mammoth skull, now on display, was being unearthed. Long interested in the site, history, and science, in 2016 Steve replaced his wife, Amy, on the Lamb Spring Board of Directors.
Brittany Cassell has served as the Curator for the Douglas County History Repository since 2017. As the Curator, she oversees artifact curation and works with various County partners to preserve the County’s historical resources. She also serves as the Historic Preservation Board Administrator, manages historic County property restoration work, and reviews land use applications for impacts to historic resources in unincorporated Douglas County. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, with a focus in Archaeology, and a minor in Native American Studies from Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Barbara Page owns and operates the Colorado Equine Clinic Equine hospital and specializes in lameness and foot conditions. In 1977, Dr. Page received her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University School of Veterinary Medicine and earned further certification as a chiropractor in 2004. Founded by Dr. Page in 1994, the Equine Wellness Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to education and research, supports her research published in peer-reviewed journals. She has served as president of the Denver Area Veterinary Medical Association and served on committees of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP).
Craig Lee is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology & Anthropology at Montana State University. He earned a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Colorado, an M.A. in Anthropology from the University of Wyoming and a B.S. in Anthropology from Montana State University. In addition to academic appointments, he has worked as an archaeologist for federal and state agencies, and in the private sector, most notably with Metcalf Archaeological Consultants. Dr. Lee joined the Lamb Spring Board in 2009 and is a past-president. He enjoys sharing information about the preserve in numerous contexts, including professional conferences. He is particularly passionate about continuing to facilitate new research on old collections from the site. Dr. Lee’s other research interests include the human ecology and landscape archaeology of alpine and high latitude environments with an emphasis on sharing the process and results with numerous audiences, including the professional scientific community, Native American communities, and the interested public. He has been consulted by numerous land managing agencies in the Rocky Mountain region, as well as the National Park Service in Washington, D.C. regarding the impacts of climate change on heritage resources.
Meghan Ofer is the Principal of the nearby Roxborough Intermediate School in Littleton, Colorado. She is a Colorado native who has served as a teacher, instructional coach, and school administrator for the past 17 years. Meghan earned her BA in Social Sciences and Elementary Education and a minor in Multicultural Anthropology at the University of Northern Colorado. In addition, she earned her Master's degree in Curriculum & Instruction, ESL endorsement, and Principal's license. Meghan spent a great deal of time traveling near the four corners region, working on a Native American reservation, and lived in Aiea, Hawaii as part of her Anthropology studies. She has a passion for bringing the past alive for future generations and is excited about the possibilities Lamb Spring will bring to her Roxborough community and students!
Nathan Boyless is the President and General Manager of Metcalf Archaeological Consultants, Inc.headquartered in Golden, CO. Mr. Boyless earned his B.A. in Anthropology from Northern Arizona University in 2003 and his Master of Business Administration from the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona in 2008. In 2010, Mr. Boyless earned a professional certificate in Executive Leadership and Management from the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame. His professional experience includes employment as an archaeologist for the National Forest Service and private consulting firms. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the American Cultural Resources Association and the Gas and Preservation Partnership. In 2016, he will serve as President for the Colorado Council of Professional Archaeologists.
William Taylor is an archaeozoologist who studies human-animal relationships across the ancient world through the analysis of animal bones from archaeological sites. He received his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of New Mexico in 2017, and serves as Curator of Archaeology and Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Colorado-Boulder's Museum of Natural History. As a graduate student, he helped with the preparation of interpretive material at Lamb Spring, and in addition to active fieldwork in Mongolia and Inner Asia, he continues to be interested in early human lifeways across the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains.
Dr. Dixon is Emeritus Professor of Anthropology and former Director of the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology at the University of New Mexico. He received his M.A. and B.A. degrees in Anthropology from the University of Alaska and his Ph.D. in Anthropology from Brown University. Following his tenure as Professor of Anthropology and Curator of Archaeology at the University of Alaska, he joined the staff at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science as Curator of Archeology (1993-2000). In partnership with the Archaeological Conservancy, he led the effort to preserve the Lamb Spring site. Subsequently he joined the faculty at the University of Colorado at Boulder where he was Curator of Museum and Field Studies and a Professor of Anthropology, and a Senior Research Scientist at the Institute of Artic and Alpine Research (2000-07). While at CU he developed an on-site exhibition and educational materials for the Lamb Spring site. Dr. Dixon’s research and scholarly interests focus on high latitude-high altitude human adaptations, circumpolar and Paleoindian archaeology, Quaternary science, geoarchaeology, and museum science. He has produced numerous museum exhibitions, served as technical advisor for educational films and videos, published three books, and authored more than 80 articles and book chapters.
Russell (Russ) Graham is an Adjunct Research Associate in the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines and an Adjunct Curator at the Colorado University Museum. He served as Director of the Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum and Professor of Geosciences at the Pennsylvania State University for 15 years. Previously he was Curator and Chief Curator at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Dr. Graham received a BS in Biology and a MS in Geology at the University of Iowa. He completed his PhD in Geology (focus on vertebrate paleontology) at the University of Texas at Austin. He was a postdoctoral fellow in Evolutionary and Systematic Biology at the Smithsonian Institution. Dr. Graham is interested in vertebrate paleoecology during the Pleistocene and Holocene. He worked with Dr. Dennis Stanford at the 1980s excavations at Lamb Spring and continues his research on the vertebrate fauna. He has had extensive experience in research on mammoths and has conducted field work in Alaska, Montana, Colorado, Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas and Texas.
