For five weeks during September and October, 2005, Colorado College's Field Archaeology class conducted a survey of the archaeology in the area surrounding Lightning Tree Tower, in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. The survey, led by Prof. Ruth Van Dyke, was a continuation of work started in the fall of 2003. That year, the Field Archaeology class mapped and recorded three sites on Burro Point south of Yellowjacket Canyon.

This fall, the field class returned to the same area, a 110 acre parcel along the south edge of Burro Point. Seeking to gather information about the community surrounding the Pueblo III period Lightning Tree Tower, students walked transects, analyzed and recorded surface artifacts, and mapped features and rock art panels. The survey took them from mesa top to canyon bottom, and after four weeks in the field they had recorded nine sites.

Students, under Dr. Van Dyke's supervision, participated in all aspects of the survey. In addition to field work, the field class assisted with the preparation of a site report to be presented to the state archaeologist and Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.
Each night the class retired to the lab facilities of nearby Crow Canyon Archaeological Center to analyze ceramic and lithic data, type up site descriptions, and work on individual research projects, due at the end of the course. Free time was spent relaxing at Crow Canyon, hiking, and visiting nearby archaeological sites.

The data generated from the Colorado College survey will prove useful as a baseline for future work along the south edge of Burro Point. With designation as part of Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, visitation to the Lightning Tree Tower area will increase, which may significantly impact the surrounding archaeology.