Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Representative Kirkpatrick Introduces Legislation to Expand Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

Southwestern Archaeology Making the News - A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

Representative Kirkpatrick Introduces Legislation to Protect the Adamsville Ruin and Expand Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
It might have been an upscale residential neighborhood back in its day - 700 years ago.Now the massive mound of earth - topped with faint remains of ancient walls and pieces of prehistoric pottery - is poised for a possible new heyday as part of Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. The site east of Coolidge, known as the Adamsville Ruin, is part of a proposed 415-acre expansion of the monument. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., last month introduced a bill that would add ancient canals, ball courts, platform mounds and fields to the preserve, which is centered on a four-story casa grande, or great house.
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/article_ae99ef90-0f87-59c1-97fb-0314a010c595.html

All State Parks and Historic Sites Listed as Part of the National Trust's 11 Most Endangered Sites
Past decades have dealt several windfalls to historic preservation. Thanks to the broadening of the movement to include places with social historical relevance, as opposed to a focus on mansions and political-history sites, “We’re seeing more diverse faces,” says Valecia Crisafulli, acting vice president of programs at the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP), “and certainly the Modernist thread is bringing in younger people.” More recently, the Great Recession has provided another jumpstart, as frugal Americans are visiting nearby historic state parks and other sites more frequently. Yet the economic downturn has put those very travel destinations in jeopardy. Budget cuts are forcing closure of myriad state-owned properties, particularly in Arizona, California, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. For that reason, this year NTHP listed all state parks and state-owned historic sites as one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.
http://tinyurl.com/25x68jx - The Architectural Record

National Science Foundation to Require Data Management Plans for All Future Research
(From Digging Digitally) On or around October, 2010, NSF is planning to require that all proposals include a data management plan in the form of a two-page supplementary document. The change reflects a move to the Digital Age, where scientific breakthroughs will be powered by advanced computing techniques that help researchers explore and mine datasets.
http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=116928&org=NSF&from=news

Special Guided Tour of the TJ Site near Gila Cliff Dwellings Announced
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument will offer a ranger-guided tour of the TJ Site on Saturday, June 12, 2010. Visitors to Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument have the unique opportunity to explore the TJ Site, an unexcavated surface pueblo that is usually closed to the public. This free tour of the TJ site will be offered on Saturday, June 12th at 11:00 a.m. and will last approximately 1 ½ hours. The tour is limited to 20 people and reservations should be made in advance by calling the Gila Visitor Center at (575) 536-9461.

Dam Construction Results in Several Archaeological Excavations in Southern Utah
A site once occupied by prehistoric Puebloan people, which includes multiple American Indian remains, is being excavated before the place is scraped away to make room for a dam and reservoir. The ruins will eventually be flooded by the Jackson Flat Reservoir, being built by the Kane County Water Conservancy District to hold water normally lost in the summer months. It will be piped from Kanab Creek and used by farmers and possibly leased by the city and Kane County.
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_15153724?source=rss

Did the Clovis People Cause the Earth's Climate to Cool through Megafauna Extinction?
The rapid decline of mammoths and other megafauna after humans spread across the New World may explain a bone-chilling plunge in global temperatures some 12,800 years ago, researchers reported Sunday. The 100-odd species of grass-eating giants that once crowded the North American landscape released huge quantities of methane -- from both ends of their digestive tracks.
http://news.discovery.com/animals/mammoths-megafauna-global-freeze.html

Arizona Governor Recognizes 10 for Preserving State’s Heritage
n Friday, May 14, recipients of the 28th Annual Governor’s Heritage Preservation Honors Awards were recognized -- and the Grand Award winner announced -- to 250 attendees of the 8th Annual Arizona Statewide Historic Preservation Partnership Conference at the du Bois Center on the campus of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. Presenting the awards on behalf of Arizona Governor Jan Brewer were Renée Bahl, Arizona State Parks Executive Director; James Garrison, Arizona State Historic Preservation Officer; and Lisa Henderson, Arizona Preservation Foundation Board President.
http://tinyurl.com/269x28d - Arizona Preservation Foundation

California SHPO Nominated to Chair Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
Milford Wayne Donaldson currently serves as the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) for the state of California. Mr. Donaldson is affiliated with several historical and preservation organizations and is a past president of the California Preservation Foundation and past chair of the State Historical Building Safety Board, the State Historical Resources Commission, and the Historic State Capitol Commission.
http://tinyurl.com/2dgghpf - The Whitehouse

Sheep is Life Celebration Scheduled for June (Update)
Call for Artists for the Juried Navajo Rug and Contemporary Fiber Arts Shows
at the 14th Annual Sheep is Life Celebration, Diné College, Tsailé Campus, Navajo Nation. Diné be’ iiná, Inc. presents two fiber arts sale shows on Friday, June 18, and Saturday, June 19, during the 14th Annual Sheep is Life Celebration at Diné College in Tsailé, the Navajo Nation. Contact TahNibaa Naataanii, Project Director, at 505.406.7428 for information about submitting work, e-mail info@navajolifeway.org, or go to www.navajolifeway.org. No commission is charged to the artists. Public admission is free.

Travelogue - Pueblo Grande
The Hohokam people mysteriously disappeared in the 15th century, but glimpses into their quiet, farming-based lives can be still be seen in the middle of metropolitan Phoenix, at the Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park. Occupying 3.24 acres just off of Washington Street and east of Sky Harbor Airport, the museum and village ruins illustrate how the Hohokam were pioneers of desert irrigation and flash food farming. In the museum theater, visitors can watch a 10 minute video that gives a quick history.
http://tinyurl.com/2ut2f4m - Phoenix New Times

Radiocarbon Dating Featured on the Archaeology Channel
The concept of radiocarbon dating is fairly simple, but the process that a radiocarbon laboratory goes through is quite detailed, careful and complex. You can follow a submitted sample through the laboratory process (in this case using accelerator mass spectrometry, or AMS) in Dating: The Radiocarbon Way, the latest video feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel.
http://www.archaeologychannel.org

Employment Opportunity (Monticello Ranger District)
The Manti-La Sal National Forest, located in southeastern Utah, intends to fill one GS-0193-09 Archaeologist position in the near future. This position that will serve the Moab-Monticello Ranger District and assist the Heritage Program as needed. This is a permanent full time position with a duty station of Monticello, Utah. The position will be filled only at the GS-09 level and has no promotion potential.
http://www,cdarc.org/sat/gs9_monticello.doc

Thanks to Gerald Kelso for contributions to today's newsletter.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

New Technologies for Archaeological Research

Southwestern Archaeology Making the News - A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

Laser Scanning In Archaeology Featured in NY Times
in the dry spring season a year ago, the husband-and-wife team of Arlen F. Chase and Diane Z. Chase tried a new approach using airborne laser signals that penetrate the jungle cover and are reflected from the ground below. They yielded 3-D images of the site of ancient Caracol, in Belize, one of the great cities of the Maya lowlands.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/11/science/11maya.html

Geographic Information Systems in Archaeology
Computational modeling techniques provide new and vast opportunities to the field of archaeology. By using these techniques, archeologists can develop alternative computerized scenarios that can be compared with traditional archaeological records, possibly enhancing previous findings of how humans and the environment interact.
http://asunews.asu.edu/20100513_archaeologymodeling

The "Anasazi" Did not Mysteriously Disappear
The Anasazi, or ancient ones, who once inhabited southwest Colorado and west-central New Mexico did not mysteriously disappear, said University of Denver professor Dean Saitta at Tuesday's Fort Morgan Museum Brown Bag lunch program.
http://www.fortmorgantimes.com/ci_15083924

BLM Using Permit System for Crowd Control and Preservation at Moon House
The Moon House ruin on Cedar Mesa has, for many years, been a hiking destination for Richard Schwarz. The first time he visited the ancient Puebloan complex in a remote San Juan County canyon, it wasn't easy to find. But when he saw the celestial paintings on the ceiling of the main room, marveled at the hardy 13th-century fiber lashings holding together the log framing, wondered over the meaning of the pictographs and petroglyphs on the red rock walls, he grew certain it was the best archaeological site he ever would see in southeastern Utah.
http://www.sltrib.com/outdoors/ci_15099190

Navajo Nation Archaeology Departments Documents Newly Rediscovered Petroglyphs Near Williams Az
On April 28, Kaibab National Forest heritage program employees conducted a petroglyph documentation class for members of the Navajo Nation Archaeology Department (NNAD). During the hands-on training, Kaibab and NNAD archaeologists documented about 75 percent of the petroglyphs located near a recently discovered Cohonina village site on the Williams Ranger District.
http://www.williamsnews.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&subsectionID=1&articleID=10236

Twilight is an Excellent Time to Visit the Deer Valley Rock Art Center
Twilight. That magic time of day when it’s not daytime – but not quite nighttime, either. Deer Valley Rock Art Center’s public educators will celebrate that transition hour by offering special Twilight Tours six times this summer, beginning June 12.
http://asunews.asu.edu/20100511_twilighttours

Pecos Conference Could Use a Few Good Volunteers
Contact Volunteer Coordinator - Patrick McDermott (970-903-5522, pmcd95@hotmail.com)

Pecos Conference Field Trips Announced
http://www.swanet.org/2010_pecos_conference/day4.html

Monday, May 10, 2010

Its Time to Start Planning for the Pecos Conference

Southwestern Archaeology Making the News - A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

Its Time to Start Planning for the Pecos Conference
The Pecos Conference is an annual conference of archaeologists which is held in the southwestern United States or northern Mexico. This year the conference will be held in Silverton Colorado, August 12-15th.
http://www.swanet.org/2010_pecos_conference/index.html

Legislation to Declare Chimney Rock a National Monument Introduced in the US House of Representatives
The Chimney Rock National Monument Act of 2010 (H.R. 5223) was introduced on May 4, 2010, and was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. The Chimney Rock National Monument Act of 2010 (S. 3303) was introduced on May 4, 2010, and was referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
http://tinyurl.com/38luhs5 - National Trust for Historic Preservation

Hohokam Modifications to Salt River Factor into Legal Evaluations of Property Rights
The judge, in sending the issue back to the commission, acknowledged that that still leaves the question of what should be the test for the river's "natural" condition. "The obvious answer is that it was in its natural condition before the Hohokam people arrived many centuries ago and developed canals and other diversions," Winthrop wrote. But he conceded there is little, if any, historic data from that period.
http://tinyurl.com/2b7uaaa - Arizona Republic

Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation to Host Adobe Workshop
The Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation will be hosting a hands-on adobe workshop May 21st -23rd in the Historic Fort Lowell Neighborhood. The workshop will be led by David Yubeta and Oscar Villa of the National Park Service. This three day workshop is being held Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Exact times and details are still being determined, but the workshop will likely run most of the day on Friday and Saturday and until noon on Sunday. The cost is only $65 for members and $75 for non-members. Space is limited.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/adobe_workshop.pdf

Mills Collection of Ancient Ceramics on Display at Eastern Arizona College
he new Visitor Learning Center at the Discovery Park Campus of the Eastern Arizona College features a display that reveals information about the ancient Indian cultures that once inhabited southeast Arizona, including the Gila Valley. Many Gila Valley residents — especially if they're Eastern Arizona College students — are familiar with the Mills collection of colorful American Indian pottery displayed at the Student Services Building.
http://www.eacourier.com/articles/2010/05/09/news/doc4be4b38fcc218218273300.txt

Bolsa Chica Archaeology is the Topic of the Next Meeting of the Pacific Coast Archaeology Society
The Pacific Coast Archaeological Society's May 13th meeting will feature Dr. Nancy Anastasia Wiley speaking on “Bolsa Chica Archaeology: A Tribute to Hal Eberhart - Part Two: The Cogged Stones.” Meeting information: Thursday, May 13, 2010, 7:30 pm at the Irvine Ranch Water District, 15600 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine, CA. Scientific Resource Surveys, Inc. will have an interactive display on cogged stone documentation in the meeting room from 6:30-7:30 pm, prior to the lecture. SRS Photo Director Rezenet Moges will have two computer slide shows running presenting 3-D Photosimile photography and 3-D NextEngine replication scanning; processes used on all the cogged stones collected by SRS. Meeting is free and open to the public. http://www.pcas.org

Ancient Petroglyphs are Often Targeted for Vandalism
Art older than the Mona Lisa graces the Mojave Desert’s vermilion rocks, yet the only security system that protects it is secrecy and a harsh landscape. Ancient people once carved animals, human figures and intricate patterns into canyon walls at thousands of sites throughout the desert. But with people accessing these remote areas with off-road vehicles, vandalism and theft has increased.
http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/target-19026-vvdailypress-lisa-ancient.html

New Feature on the Archaeology Channel Highlights Film Festival
The seventh annual installment of The Archaeology Channel International Film and Video Festival will take place May 18-22, 2009. This event, which includes a keynote address by leading First Americans researcher Dr. Jon Erlandson, is highlighted in TAC Festival 2010 Preview, the latest video feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel
http://www.archaeologychannel.org

Employment Opportunity (Albuquerque)
Parametrix is seeking a Principal Investigator/Senior Cultural Resources Specialist for our Albuquerque office. This is an opportunity for an experienced archaeologist to become an integral team leader for cultural resource projects as well as a collaborative member of multi-disciplinary teams involving NEPA, planning, and natural resources staff. Interest and knowledge of historic archaeology literature and practices is required. The anticipated first assignment for this position is archaeological lead for a mitigation project that includes testing and data recovery excavations and historic research at a twentieth-century historic mining site in northern Idaho.
http://www.parametrix.com/careers/main.htm

Thanks to Carrie Gregory for contributions to today's newsletter.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Congresswoman Wants to Expand Nation's Oldest Archaeological Preserve

Archaeology Making the News - A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

Congresswoman Wants to Expand Nations Oldest Archaeological Preserve

On Interstate 10 between Tucson and Phoenix is one of America's most enduring ancient mysteries--a giant adobe structure called Casa Grande. It was erected by the Hohokam, a people who built towns where Tucson and Phoenix are today and who turned the desert green with an extensive system of irrigation. Ironically, the modern city of Phoenix was founded by American settlers who cleared out the prehistoric Hohokam canals and reused them for their own farms.
http://tinyurl.com/2ee49qr - Gadling.Com
http://tinyurl.com/2e52el6 - Center for Desert Archaeology


Arizona Republic Declares "Congress Should Expand Monument"

The Hohokam civilization rose in central Arizona, flourished for a millennium and disappeared before Columbus discovered America. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick introduced a bill last week to preserve the traces of this prehistoric desert culture by expanding the boundaries of Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. Congress should move quickly to approve it.
http://tinyurl.com/256mljl - Arizona Republic
CRM Firm Embroiled in Texas Ranger Burial Controversy Files for Bankruptcy
An archaeology company tangled in civil suits with the city of Waco over its work on the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum has filed for bankruptcy. American Archaeology Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Austin on Thursday afternoon, a court clerk said.
http://www.wacotrib.com/news/92480179.html


Learn About the Other Codetalkers at the Last Archaeology Cafe of the Season (Tucson)

The last Archaeology Cafe until September 2010 will take place this Tuesday, May 4, 6:15 p.m., at Casa Vicente in Tucson. Our presenter will be Dr. Suzanne Griset, Principal Investigator, Project Manager, and Oral Historian with SWCA Environmental Consultants in Tucson. Suzanne will discuss "The Other Codetalkers: Civilian Native American War Efforts at Navajo Ordnance Depot."
http://www.cdarc.org/2010/02/22/archaeology-cafe-recent-research-at-camp-navajo/

Civilian Conservation Corps History to be Featured in New Exhibit at the Arizona History Museum

A 1400 square foot multimedia exhibit tracing the history of the Civilian Conservation Corps and its Arizona projects will soon be on view at the Arizona Historical Society's Arizona History Museum in Tucson. It Saved my Life: Civilian Conservation Corps at the Grand Canyon, 1933-1942 was created by the National Park Service in 2008 to celebrate the CCC's 75th anniversary. The loaned exhibit, with the addition of period photographs and local artifacts from AHS and others, will open on Friday, May 14 with a special evening event from 5 until 7 p.m., when visitors may tour the displays, enjoy light refreshments and hear stories directly from CCC enrollees themselves.
http://willcoxrangenews.com/articles/2010/04/29/news/news18.txt


Giant Sequoias Yield Longest Fire History from Tree Rings

A 3,000-year record from 52 of the world's oldest trees shows that California's western Sierra Nevada was droughty and often fiery from 800 to 1300, according to new research. It's the longest tree-ring fire history in the world, and it's from this amazing place with these amazing trees." said lead author Thomas W. Swetnam of the University of Arizona in Tucson. "This is an epic collection of tree rings
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100318093300.htm


Interior Secretary Salazar Promotes National Parks and Stimulus Efforts at Mesa Verde

U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar was at Mesa Verde National Park on Sunday to highlight nearly $50 million in improvements being made at the park, including a $23 million visitor and research center. The facility, which will be located just south of the park entrance on U.S. Highway 160, will replace the Far View Visitor Center, situated deep in the park and constructed 50 years ago as a temporary field lab. Construction on the new center, which is expected to meet the highest green-building standards, is scheduled to begin in the fall.
http://www.durangoherald.com/sections/News/2010/04/26/Investments_significant/


Hopi Hotel and Conference Center Opens at Moenkopi

A Hopi village has opened a hotel and conference center billed as the western gateway to the reservation. The Moenkopi Legacy Inn & Suites had its official dedication this week. The hotel features 100 guest rooms, a salt water swimming pool and whirlpool, an outdoor performance plaza and a kiva garden.
http://www.fox11az.com/news/local/92491004.html

Tucson's Mission Gardens Project Seeks Donations and Volunteers

May is National Preservation Month, and according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the focus this year is: "Old is the new green." Supporters of the Mission Gardens on South Grande Avenue believe the proposed project is a perfect example of that theme.
http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/putting-down-roots/Content?oid=1945862


Utah Prehistory Week

May 1st kicks off a week long celebration of Utah’s ancient past and archaeology. Utah Prehistory Week, May 1-8, 2010, is a statewide event in which local communities celebrate ancient heritage. Events are scheduled throughout the state and range from tours of archaeological sites, lectures, kids activities, and museum exhibit openings.
http://tinyurl.com/27qarh7 - Examiner.Com


Colorado Celebrates its Heritage

This May, cities and towns across the state will, once again, host events honoring Colorado's past during Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month. This year's theme is “Pathways to Colorado's Heritage,” and the entire month will feature plenty of free or modestly priced tours, exhibits, lectures, displays and events.
http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20100430/AE/100429764/-1/rss


Take a Historic Walk in Colorado with the Santa Fe Trail Caravan

Take a three-mile hike down the Santa Fe Trail behind an ox-driven Conestoga wagon. Interpreters from Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site will demonstrate trail life in the 1840s. The caravan will leave Sierra Vista Overlook on Highway 350 at 10 a.m. on May 8 and travel to the Timpas Picnic Area. For more information, please contact Rick Wallner at 719-383-5024 or rick_wallner@nps.gov.


Anasazi Heritage Center Celebrates Archaeology Month With Lecture And Free Admission

Archaeologist Ben Bellorado will speak at the Anasazi Heritage Center on Sunday, May 9, at 1 p.m. in connection with Colorado Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month. Admission to the museum will be free throughout the day.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/bellorado.doc - MS Word Document


Blanding Artifact Looting Defendants to Face Trial in October

Five defendants netted in a government crackdown on artifacts trafficking will take their case to trial before a federal judge in October. Co-defendants Joseph M. Smith, Meredith Smith, Tad Kreth, Reece Laws and Brandon Laws will take their case to trial before U.S. District Judge Ted Stewart on Oct. 25. The trial is slated to run for two weeks.
http://tinyurl.com/2dhbwps - Deseret News

Thanks to Carrie Gregory and Adrianne Rankin for contributions to today's newsletter.