Vandals damage archaeological dig in northeast Pa.

DURYEA, Pa.—Officials are asking for the public's help in identifying the vandals who ransacked an archaeology dig in northeastern Pennsylvania.

The Times-Tribune of Scranton (http://bit.ly/WRIa0n) reports that the damage to the Conrail Research Site in Duryea (DER'-ee-ay) upends three decades of work.

Professional and amateur archaeologists have been digging at the site since the early 1990s. They have unearthed knives, tools and pottery, some of which date back thousands of years.

Sometime Sunday or Monday, vandals trampled the excavation area, damaged equipment and ruined a protective tarp.

Al Pesotine, a member of the Society of Pennsylvania Archaeology, says it will take months to repair the destruction. But he says it will be worth the effort.

The site overlooks the confluence of the Lackawanna and Susquehanna rivers.