Sarah Payne

Sarah Payne is an Associate Professor of History and Faculty Affiliate at the Public Lands History Center (PLHC) at Colorado State University. She specializes in Public and Environmental History, with a focus on the intersections of gender, technology, and environmental policy. Her current research examines the environmental impacts of contraceptives in 20th-century America. Payne holds a Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico and has extensive experience in cultural resource management, historic preservation, and museum projects.

Education:

• Ph.D., History, University of New Mexico

Her research interests include environmental policy, public lands management, and the history of women’s reproductive rights. She co-leads the PLHC, where students engage in projects analyzing the history of America’s public lands through environmental and preservation frameworks. Payne has received recognition for collaborative projects like Confinement in the Land of Enchantment, which explored Japanese American WWII internment in New Mexico.

Teaching focuses on public history methods, environmental history of Colorado, and heritage resource management. She advises graduate students in the Cultural Resource Management & Historic Preservation concentration, accepting up to four students annually for the MA program.

Awards:

• 2018 Honorable Mention Outstanding Public History Project Award (National Council for Public History)

Her work bridges academic research and public engagement, with projects funded by the National Park Service and collaborations with institutions like the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.