Southwestern Archaeology Today

Southwest Archaeology Today Has Moved!

2010-12-31T13:06:00.000-08:00

To continue following "Southwest Archaeology Today" visit us at our new home on the Center for Desert Archaeology Website. Visit http://www.cdarc.org/what-we-do/information-resources/southwest-archeology-today/ to continue following the latest news in Southwestern Archaeology.

Global Conference Explores Preservation Archaeology

2010-10-19T15:18:00.000-07:00

Southwest Archaeology Today - A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

Global Conference Explores Preservation Archaeology
So, how can we manage these sites in a sustainable fashion? How can we create a system of site selection, preservation, and conservation that helps the local economy protect a cultural treasure that ultimately belongs to the world? How can technology be leveraged to assist these efforts? These are just some of the questions being asked today at Stanford University in California, where a group of experts in conservation, development, archaeology, philanthropy, technology, tourism and travel have gathered to attend the first Forum on Cultural Heritage in a Developing World.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-bernstein/why-heritage-matters_b_766566.html

Hollywood is Getting Ready to Tell "The Legend of the Hohokam."
We’re always on the lookout for interesting films currently gearing up for production, and we’ve been contacted by the team behind the movie The Legend of Hohokam with some news on directors circling the project. The Hohokam people disappeared from their Arizona homeland in the 15th century and this new film will tell their story, we’re promised, in the style of Dances with Wolves and Apocalypto.
http://tinyurl.com/2en9lso - HeyUGuys.Co.Uk

'Threads of Memory' Exhibition to Showcase Spanish Influence in American History
The pieces of paper and the maps that hang on the museum walls are like images rotated in a viewfinder toy camera — they become more intricate as the exhibit progresses. The conquered, explored and colonized territory, from the tip of Mexico to 17 U.S. states, is shown in black ink and in colored illustrations, all preserved on hemp paper. Spain's involvement in the American independence is something not everyone realizes, said Josef Díaz, curator of Southwest and Mexican Colonial Art and History Collections. One man in particular, Don Diego de Gardoqui, helped finance the Revolution.
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/SantaFeNorthernNM/A-shared-heritage

Arizona Archaeological Council’s Annual Conference Scheduled for Friday and Saturday, October 29-30, 2010
AAC’s annual conference is at Arizona State Museum this year! The public is invited to attend scholarly presentations by regional archaeologists 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. on Saturday. Schedule and abstracts posted soon. A reception on Friday from 5-7 p.m. includes a used book sale, offering huge selections in southwestern anthropology. Books start at $1, journals as low as 25¢. Conference registration is $10 per person/free for AAC members. Contact Dr. James Watson to register at 520-621-4794. Not an AAC member? Join now at the link below.
http://arizonaarchaeologicalcouncil.org/aac/

Texas Archeological Society Meetings to be held this Weekend!
Archeologists Convene at the Omni Hotel in Corpus Christi, Oct. 22, bring your artifacts for identification! You’re invited to Texas Archeological Society (TAS) annual meeting on October 22 at the Omni Bayfront Hotel, 900 North Shoreline Blvd., Corpus Christi, 78401. Friday, October 22 at 3:30 the first Round Table session will be “Archeology without Borders” and will feature speakers from Texas and Mexico with Native Americans as commentators. At 7:00 PM on Friday the topic “Native Peoples of the Texas Coast: Prehistory to Today” will be presented by archeologists Dr. Robert Ricklis, Rich Weinstein and Jose Medina. This Forum is free and open to the public.
Http://www.txarch.org

Call for Papers - "Origin Stories: Narratives of North American Diversity, 1400-1700"
Presenting the 28th Annual Visiting Scholar Conference, Center for Archaeological Investigations, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, April 22-23, 2011. The dynamic nature of Native American, European, European, American, and African American identities and interactions in North America between 1400 and 1700 is often acknowledged, but rarely elaborated. Past descriptions, as well as many current accounts, focus on a combination of “guns, germs, and steel,” as though history was a wave from Europe that swept across America bringing modernity, capitalism, and democracy. Archaeologists have increasingly been able to reveal a much more complex, diverse, and remarkable record of the Early Modern era.Yet these stories still only reach a limited audience.
http://www.cai.siuc.edu/vspages/wilshusen/callforpapers.html

NAGPRA at 20 Symposium Planned
Please join the National NAGPRA Program, The George Washington University's
Department of Museum Studies and Department of Anthropology, and several other partners for a two-day symposium to recognize the 20th anniversary of the passage of NAGPRA. A preliminary agenda and registration information, as well as lodging information (including a list of hotels costing under$100 night), can be found on the National NAGPRA Program website. The symposium is free but will be limited to 250-260 participants due to space limitations. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to register early.
http://www.nps.gov/history/nagpra/TRAINING/NAGPRA_at_20.html

National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers Offering a Workshop on Exhibition Development
"Telling Our History: Exhibition Development, ” November 8-12, 2010
Hosted by The Navajo Nation Museum. Comprised of four and one-half days of learning through presentations, dialogue, hands-on experience, and on-site visits to museum exhibits in the area. Tribal museum and cultural center directors and staff will learn about and share information that address the basics of exhibit development. Each day will include interactive activities, lessons from case studies and model museums, and opportunities for participants to learn from one another. Application Deadline: November 1, 2010 (participants accepted on a rolling basis; apply as soon as possible). Registration Fee: $125 (covers 3 lunches, 3 dinners and all course materials; any other meals will be on your own). Getty Scholarships: A limited number of travel scholarship are available from NATHPO thanks to the support of The Getty Grant Program. For more information and all applications, follow the link below.
http://www.nathpo.org/NNMTP/2010ExhibitsWorkshop.html

Avocational Archaeologists Found the Verde Valley Archaeological Center
Enough is enough. That is the mantra of some dedicated folks who are now pulling out all the stops in an effort to build a facility to house what treasures is left. Ken Zoll, current president of the Verde Valley Chapter of the Arizona Archaeological Society, along with two past presidents, Dr. Jim Graceffa and Sharon Olsen, and a handful of others have recently formed a new organization, the Verde Valley Archaeology Center. "We want to stop the bleeding," says Zoll, "We have been approached by some folks who have private collections and are also committed to keeping them in the Verde Valley. For that reason and some others, we believe now is the time to get started."
http://verdenews.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=38701

Historic Preservation or Public Art for the Rose Bowl: A Fight over One Percent
Historic preservation won, leaving art proponents miffed at their ongoing losing streak before the Pasadena City Council. Usually, city law requires developers to pay 1% of major construction projects’ cost to a public arts fund, to be spent on commissioning new art works at the development site. But when a project involves renovations to a historic landmark, such as the 88-year-old Rose Bowl, officials have the choice of commissioning new art with the 1% fee, or applying it to restoring worn or damaged historic elements of the site so they look new again.
http://tinyurl.com/2u7j5fb - Los Angeles Times

Mesa Verde Holds Groundbreaking on New Research and Visitor's Center
With the scrape of modern shovels and traditional Native American digging sticks against the rocky soil of Mesa Verde National Park, 80 years of dreams became reality Friday. Park officials, visiting dignitaries and about 150 spectators gathered to celebrate the start of construction on the $12.1 million Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center being built at the park's entrance. Superintendent Cliff Spencer opened the ceremony, commenting on the magnitude of the occasion.
http://tinyurl.com/36x2dyw - Durango Herald

Lecture Opportunity (Cortez)
The Hisatsinom Chapter of the Colorado Archaeology Society will present archaeologist Jerry Fetterman on November 2, 7:00 p.m., at the Cortez Cultural Center. His talk, "McLean Basin: North of Hovenweep - on the State Line" examines the results of archaeological surveys in the McLean Basin Area of the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. These surveys have been conducted over the past several years for the Bureau of Land Management by Woods Canyon Archaeological Consultants, Inc. and Smith Environmental and Engineering. Jerry Fetterman, a resident of Yellow Jacket, has been an archaeological researcher in southwest Colorado for 35 years. Since his graduation from University of Colorado in 1977, he has conducted hundreds of projects throughout the Four Corners Region. This presentation is free and open to the public. For more information about the talk or the Hisatsinom Chapter, please contact Marcie Ryan, 882-3391.

Employment Opportunity (Comstock TX)
Grow with SHUMLA, As The New Deputy Executive Director. SHUMLA is an internationally recognized nonprofit education and archeological research center located in the community of Comstock on the Southwest Texas border west of Del Rio. We seek a Deputy Executive Director ready to grow, professionally and personally, with us. The Deputy Director of SHUMLA will oversee education operations: motivating and supervising staff and volunteers; evaluating curriculum; promoting new programs; and writing grant proposals to support the vision. Contact Elton Prewitt with a letter of interest to receive a copy of the job specifications. Information about SHUMLA and its activities and programs can be found at http://www.shumla.org

Employment Opportunity (Short Deadline)
The BLM El Centro, CA Field Office is currently advertising for a Term
GS-07/09 Archaeologist. Below is the job announcement number for USAjobs.
The job announcement closes 10/22, so people need to get their applications
in ASAP. Please help spread the word! Thanks! Reference " FS-383168-AK10"
http://www.usajobs.gov/

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

Publication Note - Southwest Archaeology Today Newsletter Upgrade in Progress
This newsletter will take a break next week as we migrate to a new server that will allow the Center for Desert Archaeology to do a better job of sharing the news about archaeology, anthropology, and historic preservation in the American Southwest. For our readers who have enjoyed the newsletter here at Blogspot, this will be the final full newsletter posted at this location. We hope you will follow us over to the new home for Southwestern Archaeology Today in early November.

Arizona Republic Endorses a Preservation Approach to Ballot Initiatives

2010-10-08T13:48:00.001-07:00

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

Arizona Republic Endorses a Preservation Approach to Ballot Initiatives
Prop. 301 would divert all of the Land Conservation Fund, which voters approved 12 years ago, into a one-time-only budget patch. It would sacrifice long-term benefits that include educational funding, community open space, and protection for archaeology, habitat and scenic resources on trust land.
http://tinyurl.com/2ae4xe5 - Arizona Republic

Data Recovery Nearly Complete at the Site of the Future Peoria Palo Verde Park
On a hot September afternoon, archaeologist Mark Hackbarth tread carefully across the fenced site that is dotted with short sticks with pink and orange markers. He looked for "hot spots" of Hohokam activity. The archaeologist has been using a device that sends radar pulses to capture subsurface images. "This is as good as it gets as far as archaeological sites go," Hackbarth said, pointing dirt-lined fingers to a dug-up area.
http://tinyurl.com/2ec4fr7 - Arizona Republic

Archaeology under Attack
Somewhere out there, there's a modern Western explorer who decided he had something so important to say that it had to be slathered in silver paint on a remote rock wall full of ancient petroglyphs in the national forest. The mysterious etchings depicting people, animals and a blazing sun are in a box canyon known as Keyhole Sink in the Kaibab National Forest east of Williams, a mountain town off Interstate 40 that has welcomed sojourners since its namesake, fur trapper "Old Bill" Williams, explored the locale in the early to mid-1800s.
http://tinyurl.com/22m263c - Arizona Republic

Poster Contest for Utah Archaeology Week
Archaeology Week isn't until May 7-14 but the Antiquities Section of State History is now inviting Utah residents to participate in the Utah Archaeology Week Poster Contest. Cash prizes will be offered in three categories: grand prize: $250; secondary school winner: $100; elementary school winner: $100.
http://tinyurl.com/2v5dpzj - Deseret News

Contractor Selected for New Mesa Verde Visitor Center
PCL Construction Services of Edwards has been awarded a $12 million contract from the National Park Service to build a visitor and research center at Mesa Verde National Park.
http://www.vaildaily.com/ARTICLE/20101005/BIZ/101009910/-1/RSS

Tour / Hiking Opportunity
Wilderness Hike to the Dittert Site,Saturday October 16, 2010. “Coyote, Doctor Dittert, and the Ancestors” Dr. Dittert said this site was built over a Chacoan outlier-like site. Others say it is closer to Mogollon country and influence. It may be the last mansion locally built before the difficult times of the 1270s. Come find out about two great ancestral cultures of the southwest, and decide for yourself if this is where they met, whether they got along, and why they chose this place. Modern interpretations are in flux. In the late 1200s drought was pervasive as was the likelihood of political upheaval.
Http://www.cdarc.org/sat/dittert_hike_2010.doc

New Website Documents Efforts to Preserve the Colonial Missions of Chihuahua (from Gloria Eugenia Alvillar)
My cousin who lives in Chihuahua, Chihuahua has sent this website on the mission reconstruction effort there. The video on the bottom half of the page is very well done. There is a Tarahumara governor who speaks toward the end of the film and it is moving. I would love to do a translation so that it can be shown in English. The narrative is respectful of all who participated in the legacy that is ours today. There are two architects from Valencia, Spain who are working on this effort and a small book has been published on how to restore old Spanish missions. Enjoy.
http://www.misionescoloniales.org/

Crow Canyon Announces New Three-Year Field Project
The new project shifts our focus in a number of ways: from the end of the ancestral Pueblo occupation to the beginning, from the final migration out of the region to the initial migration in, and from the best-understood period of ancestral Pueblo history to the least understood. The Basketmaker Communities Project: Early Pueblo Society in the Mesa Verde Region will focus on the earliest substantial period of ancestral Pueblo settlement in the Mesa Verde region, known as the Basketmaker III period (A.D. 500–750), and will investigate where these initial settlers came from, what their society was like, and the ways these early farmers impacted a pristine environment.
http://www.imakenews.com/crowcanyon1/e_article001886894.cfm?x=b11,0,w

Hueco Tanks Interpretive Fair Scheduled for October 16 and 17th
The Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site's 2010 Interpretive Fair Weekend will be held from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. October 16, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. October 17. Attractions of the two-day event will include Native American dancing and drumming, folklorico dancers, pictograph, birding and nature tours and booths. Tours will begin at 8 a.m. both days of the fair, and will include birding tours, nature hikes, rare plant tours, hiking tours and tours to Native American pictograph sites. Visitors can browse informational booths on local history, desert wildlife, area parks and native plants. There will also be food, art and gifts for sale. An evening campfire storytelling program will start at 6 p.m. Saturday, October 16. The fair will be held at Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site, 6900 Hueco Tanks Rd. #1, El Paso, TX 79938. From US Highway 62/180, turn north onto Ranch Road 2775. Continue through the park gate to the headquarters building. The park is 32 miles northeast of El Paso.

Lecture Opportunity (Irvine)
The Pacific Coast Archaeological Society's October 14th meeting will feature Dr. Steven R. James speaking on “Archaeological Field Schools in California and the American Southwest: Historical Perspectives and Personal Reflections.” Meeting information: Thursday, October 14, 2010, 7:30 pm at the Irvine Ranch Water District, 15600 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine, CA. Meeting is free and open to the public.
http://www.pcas.org

Student Employment Opportunity (Delores)
The Curatorial Program at the Bureau of Land Management - Anasazi Heritage Center is recruiting for qualified students who are interested in learning about the museum profession – particularly museum collections management for BLM and the Department of the Interior. The Student Temporary Experience Program (STEP) is temporary employment in the Federal government that provides the student with an opportunity to gain experience in the Federal government.
Http://www.cdarc.org/sat/ahc_step.doc

Tutuveni Petroglyphs Provided with Extra Protection

2010-10-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

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

Tutuveni Petroglyphs Provided with Extra Protection
Recognized as a sacred site by the Hopi people, the Hopi "Tutuveni" petroglyph area located near Tuba City and state Highway 89 contains the largest, most significant concentration of Hopi clan symbols found anywhere in the American southwest.
http://tinyurl.com/258rwz5 - Navajo Hopi Observer

Archaeologists Dismiss Clovis Comet Impact Theory
New research challenges the controversial theory that an ancient comet impact devastated the Clovis people, one of the earliest known cultures to inhabit North America. Writing in the October issue of Current Anthropology, archaeologists Vance Holliday (University of Arizona) and David Meltzer (Southern Methodist University) argue that there is nothing in the archaeological record to suggest an abrupt collapse of Clovis populations. "Whether or not the proposed extraterrestrial impact occurred is a matter for empirical testing in the geological record," the researchers write. "Insofar as concerns the archaeological record, an extraterrestrial impact is an unnecessary solution for an archaeological problem that does not exist."
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-09/uocp-nef092910.php

Lost City Musuem Celebrates 75 Years of Interpreting Ancient Nevada
"Most people don't know that in Southern Nevada, we had such large-scale, prehistoric populations," says Dr. Karen Harry, an archaeologist and professor in the anthropology department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "It's kind of a big deal."
http://www.lvrj.com/neon/the-artifacts-of-life-103698249.html

23 Historic Preservation Efforts in Nevada Canceled
The 23 historic preservation projects awarded funding from the Nevada Commission on Cultural Affairs earlier this year are the latest casualties of the state's budget crisis.
Historic Preservation Officer Ron James said the grants totaling $3 million were pulled back after the announcement that the state has no capacity to issue new bonds this coming budget cycle.
http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20100923/NEWS/100929904/1001

Artifacts Stolen From Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site
The National Park Service says burglars stole buffalo hides and historical weapons from two historic sites in southeastern Colorado.
http://www.newsfirst5.com/news/artifacts-stolen-from-colorado-historic-sites/

Symposium on the Archaeology of the Arizona Strip is Scheduled for November
On Friday, November 12, and Saturday, November 13, 2010, the Kaibab Vermilion Cliffs Heritage Alliance will sponsor an archaeological symposium in Page, Arizona, Discovering the Archaeology of the Arizona Strip Region: Learning from the Past - Planning for the Future. The symposium will bring together agency archaeologists, professionals, students, tribal representatives, and the public to discuss questions that will guide a research design for the coming decades on the Arizona Strip north of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. On Friday night, November 12, keynote speakers Don and Catherine Fowler will share their archaeological experiences in the region. The public is invited without charge to the evening sessions. Early registration is $35.00 until October 1, 2010, after October 1 registration is $50.00.For symposium information and to register go to
http://www.public.asu.edu/~ohara/AZstrip.htm

Mesa Verde For Kids
here’s no time to be nervous. The kids charge ahead up the 32-foot ladder, squeezing through a narrow, 12-foot tunnel, walking in toeholds carved into dusty sandstone. Imagine if you could only get into your office or house via toeholds carved into rock. Imagine cooking by tossing a hot rock into a waterproofed basket filled with stew fixings and grinding corn with a rock. Imagine living with your family in small stone rooms. Imagine no TV or video games to entertain the kids — just stories passed down from generation to generation.
http://tinyurl.com/2bv37qh - Ventura County Star

Celebrating The Twelfth Annual Traditional Native American Indian Feast & Fundraiser Festival San Xavier Plaza
The Traditional Native American Indian Feast & Fundraiser Festival for the Golden Eagle Feather Award and Scholarship will be celebrating its TWELFTH ANNUAL, on Saturday, October 2, 2010, from 6pm to 9 pm at the San Xavier Plaza, Tucson, Arizona. This event is open to everyone.
http://tinyurl.com/2bmxup7 - Tucson Citizen

Montezuma Castle National Monument Celebrates 50th Anniversary
In the shadow of nearly 1,000-year-old ruins, Marie Carone joined a celebration of a small, but significant milestone in the Verde Valley's history. The visitor's center at Montezuma's Castle, the popular national monument, is turning 50-years old.
http://tinyurl.com/26qo8t2 - ABC 15.com

Taking a New Look at Old Digs: Trampling Animals May Alter Stone Age Sites
Archaeologists who interpret Stone Age culture from discoveries of ancient tools and artifacts may need to reanalyze some of their conclusions. That's the finding suggested by a new study that for the first time looked at the impact of water buffalo and goats trampling artifacts into mud.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100923162408.htm

Legend Rock Encodes 10,000 Years of Beliefs
Ice Age paintings and carvings in Europe are revered as sublime achievements of early humans, yet the prehistoric rock art in the American West is far less known. At Legend Rock in central Wyoming, 10,000 years of profound beliefs are inscribed on red sandstone cliffs.
http://tinyurl.com/2eagwtn - The Wall Street Journal

El Paso Museum of Archaeology Offers Free Tours
The El Paso Museum of Archaeology is offering free docent-led tours of the museum and its surrounding Chihuahuan Desert Gardens. Tours for families with children will be at 1 p.m. today and on Oct. 9 and Oct. 24. Adult tours will be at 10 a.m. on Wednesday and again on Oct. 13 and Oct. 20. Reservations are not necessary. To enjoy the gardens, wear suitable clothing, shoes and sun protection. The museum is at 4301 Trans Mountain. Information: 755-4332. - El Paso Times.

Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act: Back to Basics
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has issued a major new report evaluating how the federal government is meeting its statutory obligations to consider the effects of its activities on America’s historic and cultural resources. The report, entitled Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act: Back to Basics, urges federal agencies to take more seriously their obligations to comply with the basic statutory mandate (on the books since 1966) to consider the effects of their activities on the nation’s heritage.
http://tinyurl.com/28mnkmw - National Trust for Historic Preservation

Lecture Opportunity (Cortez)
Hisatsinom Chapter of the Colorado Archaeology Society presents "Recent Investigations Along the Chaco North Road: The Artifacts Don't Lie!" by Jim Copeland on Tuesday, October 5, 7:00 p.m. at the Cortez Cultural Center. Jim Copeland has been the Senior BLM archaeologist for the Farmington Field Office for the past 19 years. His investigations along previously unstudied sections of the famed Chaco North Road have identified consistent patterns in road artifact distributions and physical characteristics north of Pierre’s Ruin, a large Chaco outlier complex located along the road. Research also shows that the phenomenon of parallel roads extend twice as far north of Pierre’s Ruin than previously known, and may ultimately reach the escarpment of Kutz Canyon, where the North Road via a prehistoric stairway descends into the badlands. Aerial photo and archaeological site and artifact data also indicates that the North Road continued to Aztec Ruins. This talk is free and open to the public. For more information about the talk or joining Hisatsinom, call Diane McBride at 560-1643.

National Register Update
Congratulations to all those involved with listing the following places on the National Register of Historic Properties: Tonto National Monument Visitors Center, Tucson's Erskine P Caldwell House, the Don Martin Apartmentment House, the First Joesler House, Gable House, Haynes Building, Heckler House, and Type A and B Joesler Buildings, as well as Clarkdale's Tuzigoot Musuem,

Reminder - First Archaeology Expo Planning Meeting for the 2011 Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month.
This coming Tuesday, October 5, 2010 at 1:00 PM at the Deer Valley Rock Art Center, 3711 W Deer Valley Rd in Glendale, AZ. Please come and share your ideas as the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) initiates planning for the 2011 Arizona Archaeology Expo that will be held on March 26-27, 2011 at the Deer Valley Rock Art Center (Center) in Glendale. We will be touring the Center's grounds, exchanging ideas with the various partners, discussing programming, publicity, lay out and organization, sponsors, funding, off-site activities, etc. The SHPO values our partnerships with you we hope to see you at this meeting, and at future planning efforts, for the 2011 Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month public programming. For More Information, Please Contact: Ann Howard, Public Archaeology Programs Manager State Historic Preservation Office 602/542-7138, avh2@azstateparks.gov

Thanks to Carrie Gregory, Gerald Kelso, Brian Kreimendahl and Adrianne Rankin for contributing to today's newsletter.

Politics Push Back Bill to Expand Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

2010-09-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

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

Politics Push Back Bill to Expand Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
The Casa Grande Ruins National Monument expansion bill (HR 5110) received a substantial majority of votes on Thursday (Sept. 23), with 244 votes for, and 174 votes against. However, the bill was considered under “suspension,” which requires a two-thirds majority. The bill did not reach that threshold, so it failed.
http://tinyurl.com/38gkv97 - Center for Desert Archaeology
http://tinyurl.com/37byc2q = Arizona Republic

Arizona Republic Advocates Expansion of Casa Grande Ruins
The U.S. House of Representatives is taking a recorded vote today on a proposal to expand the boundaries of Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. If any bill should be a slam dunk, this is it. The significance of the site was obvious more than a century ago, when it became America's first archaeological reserve in 1892. It was designated as a national monument in 1918.
http://tinyurl.com/39yfbnw - Arizona Republic

The Site of a Coronado Skirmish Uncovered in New Mexico
A battleground in the first major conflict between Europeans and Native Americans in what would become the U.S. Southwest is a vacant lot on the west side of Albuquerque. For a century, archaeologists and pot hunters have known of the ruins called Piedras Marcadas ("marked boulders") — once one of at least a dozen thriving Tiwa-speaking villages in the central valley of the Rio Grande, known collectively as Tiguex (pronounced tee-wesh).
http://tinyurl.com/3adx4u2 - Santa Fe New Mexican

Archaeologists Claim Evidence for "Genocide" at Small Pit House Village
Crushed leg bones, battered skulls and other mutilated human remains are likely all that's left of a Native American population destroyed by genocide that took place circa 800 A.D., suggests a new study. The paper, accepted for publication in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, describes the single largest deposit to date of mutilated and processed human remains in the American Southwest.
http://www.enn.com/lifestyle/article/41799

Field School Students Excavate Folsom Site Near Albuquerque
Imagine finding evidence of one of the first human groups known to have traveled through the middle Rio Grande Valley in the Southwestern United States. That’s what students in Anthropology 375/575 did this summer as they excavated a Folsom site on a mesa west of Albuquerque. It was named Deann’s site after Deann Muller, the student who found it during a survey of the area in 2001.
http://tinyurl.com/3y9wywg - University of New Mexico

Don Garate Passes
Don Garate, a Rio Rico resident known for his colorful depictions of Juan Bautista de Anza II, died Tuesday of brain cancer at his son Gene’s home in Kansas. He was 59. While depicting Anza II, a Spanish captain who led an expedition in 1775 from Tubac to establish the first overland route to present-day San Francisco, Garate appeared in full costume with a red-trimmed navy blue cape and a black hat, sometimes on horseback.
http://tinyurl.com/2wnqtc2 - The Nogales International

(Related Story) A Tribute to Don Garate's Final Performance as Juan Bautista De Anza Available on Youtube
F or over 25 years Don Garate has played the role of Juan Bautista de Anza for the National Park Service, Tumacacori National Historic Park. He has embodied the legacy of Anza for us all to enjoy today. Presented here is a five minute tribute to Don excerpted from an in-production video on Anza, "Legacy of a Journey" being prepared for the Park Service for distribution in the summer of 2011.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTJF-8ners4

Paul S. Martin Passes
Paul S. Martin developed the idea that early humans had hunted North America's Ice Age big game, including ground sloths, camels, mammoths and mastodons, to extinction. Paul S. Martin, the University of Arizona geoscientist who developed the idea that overhunting drove North America's large Ice Age mammals extinct, died Sept. 13 at his home in Tucson, Ariz. He was 82.
http://www.uanews.org/node/34237

The Ancient City Underneath Phoenix
My hometown is greater Phoenix. Peel back just the top couple of feet there, and you'll find the remnants of a sprawling society of farmers who lived in adobe villages a thousand years ago.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128778236

Native American Cultural Preservation - Without a Casino
Like other native Americans, the Hopi of Arizona have faced adversity, including seeing their homeland, or tutsqua, shrink from more than 18 million acres to 1.5 million acres today. Hopi groups disagree about how to preserve their culture: Build a casino or remain gambling-free? Encourage tourists or restrict them? Their responses have stayed on the conservative side – they have twice voted down building a casino. But now, with the support of their tribal government, the progressive Upper Moenkopi have built the first major Hopi hotel, the Moenkopi Legacy Inn near Tuba City.
http://tinyurl.com/36xk2bk - The Christian Science Monitor

Astronomy Evening At Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
Saturday, October 2, 2010 - Take advantage of New Mexico’s magnificent dark skies by attending the season’s final astronomy evening at Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument on Saturday, October 2nd beginning at 5:00 p.m.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/gcd_astronomy3.doc - Ms Word Document\

The Story of George Hubbard Pepper
George Hubbard Pepper (1873-1924) landed a very big job anthropologically speaking. He directed the excavation of one of the wonders of the American West, Pueblo Bonito, the 800-room Native American brick complex built 1200 years ago in the Arizona (sic) desert.
http://www.silive.com/entertainment/arts/index.ssf/2010/09/native_art.html

Nanodiamonds Discovered in Greenland Ice Sheet, Contribute to Evidence for Cosmic Impact
Nanosize diamonds have been discovered in the Greenland ice sheet, according to a study reported by scientists in a recent online publication of the Journal of Glaciology. The finding adds credence to the controversial hypothesis that fragments of a comet struck across North America and Europe approximately 12,900 years ago.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100914143626.htm

National Park's Entrance Fees Waived this Saturday
This Saturday, Sept 25, the National Park Service is offering free access to 392 national parks to commemorate National Public Lands Day, reports the America's Great Outdoors Campaign, a community-based conservation awareness effort.
http://www.enn.com/lifestyle/article/41808

2011 Pecos Conference to be held on the Arizona Strip
The 2011 Pecos Conference of Southwestern Archaeology will be held in the Kaibab National Forest on the “Arizona Strip,” north and west of the Colorado River, August 11-14. The site is an open park at Mile-and-a-half Lake, 8 miles south of Jacob Lake and 2.5 miles west of SR 67. Jacob Lake is located at the intersection of US 89A and SR67 between Lee’s Ferry and Fredonia. Individuals and organizations interested in assisting in the organization as partners, sponsors, or vendors may contact David Purcell at davidepurcell@gmail.com. Additional information will be released as it is available through this channel and the conference website, which is in development. Please prepare for a celebration of the archaeology and history of the Arizona Strip, southwestern Utah, and southern Nevada in the 99th year of Arizona Statehood!

First Archaeology Expo Planning Meeting for the 2011 Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month.
This coming Tuesday, October 5, 2010 at 1:00 PM at the Deer Valley Rock Art Center, 3711 W Deer Valley Rd in Glendale, AZ. Please come and share your ideas as the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) initiates planning for the 2011 Arizona Archaeology Expo that will be held on March 26-27, 2011 at the Deer Valley Rock Art Center (Center) in Glendale. We will be touring the Center’s grounds, exchanging ideas with the various partners, discussing programming, publicity, lay out and organization, sponsors, funding, off-site activities, etc. The SHPO values our partnerships with you – we hope to see you at this meeting, and at future planning efforts, for the 2011 Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month public programming. For More Information, Please Contact: Ann Howard, Public Archaeology Programs Manager State Historic Preservation Office 602/542-7138, avh2@azstateparks.gov

Lecture Opportunity: Tubac
The Hohokam Southern Frontier Revisited: Recent Excavations at the Continental Site in Green Valley. Thursday October 14, 2010, 7 PM at Santa Cruz County’s North County Facility 50 Bridge Road, Tubac, Az. This presentation at the Santa Cruz Valley Chapter, Arizona Archaeological Society monthly meeting will illustrate and discuss all of the archaeological investigations that have been conducted at the Continental prehistoric site. Despite the toll that historic and modern developments have taken on this site, more than 100 intact archaeological features have been found still buried there, and 44 of those features have been excavated.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/ southern_hohokam_frontier.pdf

Hiking Opportunity: Chaco Migrants Meet Mountain Mogollon
Saturday, 16 October, 2010. Find out about two great ancestral cultures. Decide if this is where they met, whether they got along, how they differ, and why they chose here. Dittert Site. 4 mile hike. 5 hours. 9 AM El Malpais NCA Ranger Station. Grants, New Mexico. 505.280.2918
Http://www.cdarc.org/sat/dittert_hike.doc

Reminder - Only one week left to submit proposals for the Arizona History Conference. Proposals must be submitted by October 1, 2010, to Bruce J. Dinges, c/o Arizona Historical Society, 949 E. 2nd St., Tucson, AZ 85719. Only one proposal per presenter. Include name, address, phone number, and biographical information, along with title of presentation and no more than one page of description.
http://www.arizonahistory.org/2011conv/2011call.html

Thanks to Brian Kreimendahl and Adrianne Rankin for contributing to today's newsletter.

Ray Thompson to Speak at Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society Meeting

2010-09-14T12:55:00.000-07:00

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

Ray Thompson to Speak at Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society Meeting (Tucson)
Dr. Thompson will be presenting the monthly AAHS lecture on Monday, Sept 20th at 7:30 pm in DuVal Auditorium, UMC, 1501 N. Campbell Ave. Dr. Thompson's will share his stories of southwestern archaeology in a talk entitled "The Real Dirt of Southwestern Archaeology: Tall Tales from the Good Old Days." The event is free and open to the public.

San Xavier - "A Gift of Angels"
It’s possible to become so familiar with something that we begin to take it for granted. We begin to overlook the meaning and the beauty that is present in the details. Bernard Fontana is a leading authority on Mission San Xavier del Bac, and the author of A Gift of Angels. “It was a huge undertaking,” he says, “to photograph the building and façade in detail.” Bernard, or "Bunny," to you and I, has been quite curious about this church for many decades, and he’s devoted a large part of his life to the scholarly interpretation of the San Xavier del Bac.
http://tinyurl.com/sanxavier

Huhugam Ki Museum Lecture Series Begins at the Salt River Maricopa Community Building "Onk Akimel–Va Shly’ay" Huhugam Ki Museum presents 3 nights of community talks, starting Thursday Sept. 30, 2010. “Finding Traces of Our Past: What Will Your Grandchildren Tell Their Grandchildren?” will be presented at the SRPMIC Cultural Preservation Program and Archaeology Program, Salt River Community Building, Longmore and McDowell from 6;00pm to 8;00pm. Light supper served at 5:30pm
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/3_nights_poster.pdf

Gary Nabhan to Speak at the Arizona Humanities Council's 2010 Lorraine W. Frank Lecture (Tucson)
The Arizona Humanities Council is proud to announce that this year's featured speaker is Gary Paul Nabhan. Gary Nabhan is an internationally known writer, lecturer, food and farming advocate whose work has long been rooted in the U.S. / Mexico borderlands region. He is a Research Social Scientist at the Southwest Center of the University of Arizona. The talk will be held at the Leo Rich Theater in Tucson, Friday, Oct 22, 2010 with the reception starting at 5:30 pm. The lecture will begin at 6:30. This event is free and open to the public, but an RSVP is requested at the link below.
http://www.azhumanities.org/lwf_lecture5.php

NATHPO Training Program on Dangerous Chemicals in Artifacts Offered
Many museum collections were treated with pesticides to preserve them. Often there are no records and staff is unaware of what might be on the collection or how it may affect researchers. This class is designed for museum curators and others who work with Native American and ethnographic collections. It details methods to mitigate hazards from chemicals and pesticides and health issues stemming from their use on artifacts. Participants in Dangerous Materials: Chemical Poisons in Native American and Ethnographic Artifacts work through sections on their own. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and the instructor through online forums. The course is limited to 20 participants. The instructor, Dr. Nancy Odegaard is the Conservator and Head of the Preservation Division for Arizona State Museum. She is also a Professor in the Department of Anthropology. Nancy manages and supervises staff and programs in the conservation lab, advises on museum environmental issues, and seeks to promote the preservation of collections through improved exhibition and storage conditions. Registration deadline is Friday, Sept 24th, 2010.
http://www.nathpo.org/NNMTP/DangerousMaterialsApplication.html

Archaeo-Nevada Society Begins this Year's Lecture Series
The Archaeo-Nevada Society started its 2010-2011 season with its first meeting Sept. 9th with a talk given by Mark Boatright BLM Archaeologist for Redrock Canyon National Conservation Area. His talked was about the archaeological happenings a at the conservation area with an emphasis on the rock rings throughout the area. The Society meets monthly September through May on the second Thursday at 7 pm on the College of Southern Nevada West Charleston Campus in building K room 228. All are welcome for our monthly lectures. Octobers meeting will feature Chuck Williams from the Redrock Canyon Interpretive Association discussing the rockart in Redrock Canyon. For information about membership contact Bruce Holloway at bholloway9@cox.net

Rock Art Symposium Announcement
Rock Art 2010, the 35th annual Rock Art Symposium presented by the San Diego Museum of Man, will meet on Saturday, November 6, 2010, at the Otto Center at the San Diego Zoo on Park Blvd. in San Diego's Balboa Park. This day-long event offers participants the opportunity to share in the results of rock art research around the globe, presented in slide-illustrated lectures. Registration is $40 for students and Museum members, $50 for general admission, including a commemorative ceramic mug. The Rock Art 2010 Flyer with registration information and directions to the Symposium is now available at the link below.
http://www.museumofman.org/sites/default/files/RA2010Flyer.pdf

Rock Art Symposium Call for Papers
If you have rock art research to report, or a new discovery to announce to the world, we are accepting proposals for Rock Art 2010 papers until available time on the program is filled. To submit a paper, send the title and a brief abstract by e-mail to RockArt2010@cox.net <> no later than October 30, 2010. E-mail is preferred, but abstracts can be mailed if necessary to Ken Hedges at the San Diego Museum of Man, 1350 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101

National Register Report
Congratulations to Pima County's Robles Ranch House, for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.

Public Archaeology at Fort St. Joseph is the Latest Feature on the Archaeology Channel
Engaging the public in an archaeological project requires some stimulation of the imagination. As an example, the field school team at Fort St. Joseph in western Michigan take the public back to French colonial times in Making the Past Come Alive: Public Archaeology at Fort St. Joseph, the latest video feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel. Fort St. Joseph, begun as a French Jesuit mission in the 1680s, was one of the earliest European settlements in the western Great Lakes and an important link among the remote settlements of New France. For almost 80 years, French priests, enlisted men, and traders lived here closely with the native Potowatomi and Miami. After 1781, the fort eventually eroded away and its location was forgotten until its relocation by the Western Michigan University field School. WMU now carries out a very active public archaeology program at the site. http://www.archaeologychannel.org

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

The Archaeological Institute that Helped Define Santa Fe

2010-09-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

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

The Archaeological Institute that Helped Define Santa Fe
Adolph Bandelier was broke. Although he had received a $1,200 grant to explore the indigenous peoples and wondrous ruins of New Mexico, that money went quickly to travel and supplies. Exasperated, curious and probably a little bitter, Bandelier investigated the disbursements of funds dedicated to archaeology by American institutions. The vast majority of gifts and funds, he found, went to classics, the study of ancient civilizations in Europe. Very little money and very little attention went to scholarship of American antiquities. The United States needed a center for its own archaeology.
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/400-9SARS

Archaeology Cafe Tonight in Tucson
The next Archaeology Café will convene on Tuesday, September 7, 2010. We will be joined by a panel of archaeologists from William Self Associates, Inc., who will discuss their work at the Marsh Station Road (MSR) site. This 20-acre site is located near the confluence of Cienega Creek and Mescal Wash, southeast of Tucson. MSR was inhabited at several points in time between 1050 B.C. and A.D. 1400. The panel—which will be led by project director Michael Boley—will share what they have learned about life and subsistence at MSR, especially during the Early Agricultural and Hohokam Sedentary (Middle Rincon) periods. Their findings have implications for use of the “hinterlands” concept in Hohokam archaeology in the region.
http://tinyurl.com/343syqd - Center for Desert Archaeology

Tribes Seek Faster Repatriation of their Ancestors' Remains
Amid the broken treaties, confiscated lands and other injustices that Native Americans have endured at the hands of white people, few are as personal as the removal of their buried ancestors. For a culture that assigns special meaning to burial rites, it's been painful, Native Americans say, knowing that the remains of tens of thousands of their ancestors have been unearthed, carted off and kept in various federal agencies, museums and other institutions - and not being able to do much about it.
http://www.argusleader.com/article/20100830/NEWS/8300314/1001/news

Impact Hypothesis Loses Its Sparkle: Shock-Synthesized Diamonds Not Found
About 12,900 years ago, a sudden cold snap interrupted the gradual warming that had followed the last Ice Age. The cold lasted for the 1,300-year interval known as the Younger Dryas (YD) before the climate began to warm again. In the August 30 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team of scientists led by Tyrone Daulton, PhD, a research scientist in the physics department at Washington University in St. Louis, reported that they could find no diamonds in YD boundary layer material.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100830152530.htm

Lima Beans Domesticated Twice
Lima beans were domesticated at least twice, according to a new genetic diversity study by Colombian scientists. Big seeded varieties known as "Big Lima" were domesticated in the Andean Mountains, while small seeded "Sieva" and "Potato" varieties originated in central-western Mexico.The researchers also discovered a "founder effect," which is a severe reduction in genetic diversity due to domestication. This means that today's Lima bean varieties contain only a small fraction of the genetic diversity present in their respective wild ancestors.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100831222310.htm

Sacred Site gets Respite
PALA, Calif. – A site in rural San Diego County deemed culturally and environmentally sensitive by Indians was given a respite Aug. 5 from being turned into a landfill. The Pala Band of Mission Indians, whose community sits two miles away from the site, and an environmental group, objected to the application to operate the proposed 1,770-acre landfill filed from Gregory Canyon Landfill Ltd of San Diego, the tribe said in a press release. A San Diego County public agency rescinded its previous green light on the application after the tribe and the Natural Resources Defense Council pointed out the lack of financial responsibility and other inaccuracies in the application, the tribe said in the press release.
http://tinyurl.com/38fwj5s - Indian Country Today

Supaulovi Village and the City of Winslow Host Suvoyuki Day Celebrations
Sipaulovi Village hosts Suvoyuki Day on Sunday, September 12, 2010 at Hopi Second Mesa in northeastern Arizona. The day begins at 5:00 a.m. MST with registration for the 5-mile traditional foot race and 2-mile fun run and walk. From 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. MST, enjoy the Food and Artists Market, walking tours, and lectures. All events originate at the Sipaulovi Visitor Center on Second Mesa and are open to the public. Follow signs from the Highway 264/87 junction to the village.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/suvoyuki.doc- MS Word Document

2011 - Arizona Archaeology And Heritage Awareness Month Poster Design Competition
The Arizona State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is pleased to announce a call for original designs to be used on the 2011 Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month (AAHAM) poster. The winning poster design will receive $250.00! In addition to being featured on the AAHAM poster, the chosen design will also be utilized on other 2011 AAHAM publicity tools, e.g., the statewide Listing of Events brochure, bookmarks, websites, and other venues/materials to be determined by the SHPO. The poster design should address the theme for the month: “Arizona Through Time: Stories of Stone”
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/poster_competition.doc - MS Word Document

Coffee with the Curators at ASM
Join us Wednesday, September 8, 2010 at 3 Pm in the Arizona State Museum Library for a cup of coffee and an informal conversation with one of our curators! Dr. Dale Brenneman, assistant curator of documentary history, talks about the challenges—and the fun—of working with Spanish colonial documents to research the history of Native peoples. Enjoy freshly brewed coffee donated by Tucson Mountain Coffee Roasters and a delicious assortment of cookies donated by Paradise Bakery and Café. Future conversations on Oct 6, Nov 3, and Dec 1.

Publication Announcement - Leaving Mesa Verde - Peril and Change in the Thirteenth-Century Southwest
Crow Canyon is pleased to announce the publication of Leaving Mesa Verde: Peril and Change in the Thirteenth-Century Southwest. The 14-chapter volume, published by the University of Arizona Press, is edited by Dr. Timothy Kohler, regents professor at Washington State University (WSU) and a Crow Canyon research associate; Dr. Mark Varien, Crow Canyon vice president of programs; and Aaron Wright, a Ph.D. student at WSU and a preservation fellow at the Center for Desert Archaeology. As the title suggests, the book examines the depopulation of the northern Southwest, with a focus on the Mesa Verde region.
http://www.imakenews.com/crowcanyon1/e_article001851348.cfm?x=b11,0,w

Hiking Opportunity - 1230 to 1930. How Much has Changed
Grants, New Mexico – Saturday, September 11 - Hike from the stunning Lobo Canyon petroglyphs into the heart of BLM El Malpais NCA wilderness. End at a homestead built on a “Mogasazi” site in Mexican Spotted Owl habitat. Look for evidence that technology in the 1230s was more helpful than in the 1930s.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/1230_to_1920.doc

Lecture Opportunity (Irvine CA)
The Pacific Coast Archaeological Society's September 9th meeting will feature Dr. John Collins speaking on “An Introduction to Southwest and Southern California Indian Baskets.” Meeting information: Thursday, September 9, 2010, 7:30 pm at the Irvine Ranch Water District, 15600 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine, CA. Meeting is free and open to the public. For information follow the link below.
http://www.pcas.org

Travelogue - Navajo National Monument
The visitor center at Navajo National Monument traces the history and culture of both the ancient cliff dwellers and the Navajo Nation through displays of centuries-old pottery; sandals, cord, cloth and baskets woven from fibers of native plants; flaked stone tools; wooden utensils; shell, bone and turquoise beads and ornaments; and demonstrations by contemporary Navajo artisans of such traditional crafts as rug-weaving.
http://tinyurl.com/3azpeeq - The Chieftan.Com

Travelogue - Mesa Verde
There's no time to be nervous. The kids charge ahead up the 32-foot ladder, squeezing through a narrow, 12-foot tunnel, walking in toeholds carved into dusty sandstone. Imagine if you could only get into your office or house via toeholds carved into rock. Imagine cooking by tossing a hot rock into a waterproofed basket filled with stew fixings and grinding corn with a rock. Imagine living with your family in small stone rooms. Imagine no TV or video games to entertain the kids — just stories passed down from generation to generation.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38937842/ns/travel-family_travel/

Thanks to Adrianne Rankin for Contributions to Today's Newsletter.

Ground Grains - What the Locals Ate 10,000 Years Ago

2010-08-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

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

What the Locals Ate 10,000 Years Ago
ScienceDaily (Aug. 23, 2010) — If you had a dinner invitation in Utah's Escalante Valley almost 10,000 years ago, you would have come just in time to try a new menu item: mush cooked from the flour of milled sage brush seeds. five summers of meticulous excavation, Brigham Young University archaeologists are beginning to publish what they've learned from the "North Creek Shelter." It's the oldest known site occupied by humans in the southern half of Utah and one of only three such archaeological sites state-wide that date so far back in time.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100823131743.htm
http://tinyurl.com/2ehhook - Desert News

Cactus Genes Connect Modern Mexico to Its Prehistoric Past
ScienceDaily (Aug. 23, 2010) — In prehistoric times farmers across the world domesticated wild plants to create an agricultural revolution. As a result the ancestral plants have been lost, causing problems for anyone studying the domestication process of modern-day varieties, but that might change. A team led by Fabiola Parra at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) has managed to trace a domesticated cactus, the Gray Ghost Organ Pipe (Stenocereus pruinosus) to its living ancestor that can still be found in the Tehuacán Valley in Mexico.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100823113420.htm

New Foundation Practices Preservation in Central Arizona
While some people look at an old building or an abandoned site and see an eyesore, Gem Cox and other members of the Florence Heritage Foundation see an opportunity for history to come alive. “Our mission is to preserve our heritage and historic icons — buildings, sites and history,” said Cox, who serves as the president of the Florence Heritage Foundation, which was formed in 2009 and incorporated this year. Cox said that witnessing the degradation of many historic sites in the area helps to motivate the foundation.
http://trivalleycentral.com/articles/2010/08/27/front/doc4c77e53a6f952162784750.txt

Former Arizona State Parks Archaeologist Marilyn Mlazovsky Passes
Former Cultural Resources Manager for Arizona State Parks, Marilyn Mlazovsky, M.A., passed away on August 15, 2010. Marilyn was an archaeologist and often attended conferences and workshops throughout the state. With over 25 years in the cultural resources arena, she came to Arizona from the US Forest Service in California and Utah where she managed the USFS Heritage and Paleontology programs for a number of Forests. Marilyn also worked with the USFS International Forestry Section on a multi-government, multi-disciplinary team in Micronesia. She was a great fan of the Phoenix Symphony and can be remembered with donations to that organization. - From Ann Howard, AZ State Historic Preservation Office.

Rosetta Stone Releases Navajo Language Tutorial Software
Rosetta Stone, creator of the renowned language learning software, on Tuesday released its Navajo version, the first large-scale language revitalization project for the dialect. Navajo, traditionally an oral language, still is spoken by more than 100,000 people, making it the most common American Indian language north of Mexico. Yet use and fluency among the younger generations is on a decline with about 50 percent of Navajo age 17 and younger unable to speak their native language at all, according to data from the 2000 U.S. Census.
http://www.daily-times.com/farmington-news/ci_15886128?source=rss

Congratulations to Tucson's Menlo Park Nationhood and Mesa's Fraiser Fields Historic District, Both now listed on National Register of Historic Places.

Video Link about Revitalizing Piman Agriculture (from Tom Wright)
Here's a link to a short video about some traditional Pima agricultural practices as currently being revitalized in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community: Archaeologists should pay special attention to Jacob Butler's comments about "rock mounds" and "rock spirals" starting at about 2 minutes, 40 seconds into the video. Think about the features he uses in his garden, and then imagine what they would look like after about 1000 years. Anybody who has recorded Hohokam rockpile fields, in the Northern Tucson Basin or elsewhere, will have a pretty good idea of the result. Also watch his use of a digging stick at 4:55, and the "double-dug" garden at 6:30.
http://www.youtube.com/channeldown2earth#p/u/6/UpUD2vWMO6U

Lecture Opportunity (Glendale)
The Agua Fria Chapter of the Arizona Archaeology Society is offering a free lecture on Archaeological Findings During Light Rail Excavations, on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 at 6:00 PM at the Glendale Public Library Auditorium, 5959 West Brown (south of Peoria Ave). Membership is not required. The speaker, Hoski Schaafsma, is a Ph.D. student in Archaeology at Arizona State University. He participated in the Light Rail archaeological excavations near Sky Harbor Airport. His presentation will feature photographs of a major Hohokam field system that was discovered. For more information contact Sandy Haddock, (480) 481-0582, azmacaw44@cox.net.

Arizona Archaeology Expo Scheduled for 2011
Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month has been sceduled for march 1 – 31 with the Archaeology Expo Scheduled for March 26th and 27th. The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is pleased to announce that the theme for the 2011 celebration of Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month (AAHAM) is: “Arizona Through Time: Stories of Stone.” The Expo will be held at the Deer Valley Rock Art Center (DVRAC) (3711 W. Deer Valley Road, Phoenix, 85308. The first Expo Planning Meeting will be held at the DVRAC on October 5, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. More detailed information will follow soon. SHPO will be sending out participation forms in late September for the AAHAM statewide Listing of Events brochure and for the Archaeology Expo.

Can the Wiki System Help to Save Antiquities?
The field of archaeology and the timeworn Middle East would not seem the obvious places to look for a wiki revolution. But next month in Jordan, officials who oversee that country’s vast store of antiquities will begin an experiment aimed at bringing 21st-century tools to the task of protecting ancient sites, which is an especially pressing need in neighboring Iraq, where looting is once again on the rise.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/25/arts/design/25getty.html?_r=1

Cambodian Archaeology on the Archaeology Channel
The rich cultural history of Cambodia has generated an impressive archaeological record that until recently received little world attention. Raising awareness of this country’s remarkable legacy and the challenges posed for those exploring it is our motive in selecting Gold Diggers and Temple Rescuers: A Cambodian Expedition to be the latest video feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel.
http://www.archaeologychannel.org

Training Opportunity (Mt Pleasant, SC)
"Effective Interpretation of Archeological and Cultural Heritage Resources" a 5-day workshop that will enhance interdisciplinary communication skills for using a team
approach to develop and produce effective public interpretation and education programs and products.
http://www.nps.gov/history/seac/course-of-study/FOSU-CHPI_2010/index.htm

Employment Opportunity (Tucson)
Harris Environmental Group, Inc. is seeking an archaeological Project Director to direct compliance projects for federal, state, and commercial clients. Archaeological experience in the Southwestern United States is required. Candidates must meet Secretary of Interior standards, including a graduate degree in archeology, anthropology, or closely related field plus at least one year of full-time professional experience or equivalent specialized training in archeological research, administration or management; at least four months of supervised field and analytic experience in general North American archeology, and demonstrated ability to carry research to completion. Compensation package will be commensurate with experience. For more information on Harris Environmental Group, see www.heg-inc.com. To apply, please send resume and letter of interest via email to Lisa Harris, President, at lharris@heg-inc.com.

Thanks to Gerald Kelso and Adrianne Rankin for contributions to today's newsletter.

Craig Child's New Book Dives Head-First into Southwest Archaeology's "Underbelly"

2010-08-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

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

Craig Child's New Book Dives Head-First into Southwest Archaeology's "Underbelly"
Childs' "Finders Keepers" is a fascinating book, full of swashbuckling pothunters, FBI raids, greasy museum curators who don't really care and many, many other characters (including ghosts). "This is a book about the underbelly of archaeology, from both a personal and a global perspective," he explains. But it is not a simple moral tale, as he suggests: "To say the archaeologist is right and the pothunter is wrong seems instinctive, but why? And is it true?"
http://tinyurl.com/3a3d4y4 - Los Angeles Times

"Collectors" Reflect on the Blanding Raids, One Year Later
The nation's largest and longest-running Indian artifact show opened last year under a cloud of fear and uncertainty as a federal investigation into the sale of Native American artifacts intensified throughout the Four Corners region. Since then, suicide has claimed the government's informant and two defendants, the prehistoric Indian art market has bottomed out, some collectors' lives have been turned upside down and several federal indictments have resulted only in probation for some of those accused of plundering artifacts from federal lands.
http://tinyurl.com/2eszh4j - Santa Fe New Mexican

(Related Story) Colorado Artifact Dealer Pleads Guilty
A Grand Junction man has pleaded guilty to selling an ancient American Indian artifact that was taken from public land by a Utah state archaeologist. Robert B. Knowlton, 67, originally was indicted for illegally selling three artifacts. He pleaded guilty Tuesday to two misdemeanor charges related to the sale of a Cloud Blower pipe from Blanding, Utah, to a government informant.
http://tinyurl.com/24xhl2o - Durango Herald

Arizona Site Stewards Make Rare Find Near Flagstaff
Site Stewards Christine Stephenson and Rich Rogers and myself (Bern Carey) were out monitoring sites with Dr. David Wilcox of the Museum of Northern Arizona during February 2009. Rich Rogers happened to see a small piece of pottery exposed at the bottom of a gully created in a slope of volcanic cinders. Upon closer examination it appeared that what was being exposed by erosion of the volcanic cinder slope was a prehistoric pot.
http://azstateparks.com/volunteer/v_site_feature.html

Luke AFB Construction Project Requires Archaeological Mitigation
Archaeologists hired by Luke Air Force Base will excavate seven sites where hundreds of Native American artifacts have been found to clear the way for construction of the military's largest solar array. Base officials were aware of the artifacts sites before recently launching a project to install more than 50,000 solar panels manufactured by SunPower Corp. The panels, paid for by Arizona Public Service Co., would generate power that the utility company would sell to its Valley customers. Luke would receive a fixed electricity rate for providing land for the panels.
http://tinyurl.com/25q236q - Arizona Republic

History of an Intertribal Conflict at Laguna Pueblo
New Mexico author Erna Fergusson in 1955 noted that all is not harmony in an Indian pueblo, as many whites mistakenly believe. She was referring to bitter factionalism within the Native villages that has undoubtedly been part of daily life since prehistoric times. Upheavals at Taos, San Ildefonso and Isleta have been studied and written up by anthropologists. Less well-known is the case of Laguna, where the interference of whites living in the pueblo contributed to a permanent split between traditionalists and progressives.
http://tinyurl.com/2ahfarl - Santa Fe New Mexican

Help Promote Historic and Cultural Resources through the "America's Great Outdoors" Initiative.
Many of you are already familiar with the Obama administration’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative, which seeks to reconnect all people-- but especially youth-- with nature, including cultural and historic resources. As an initial step, the government is soliciting examples of creative ways in which local communities are already doing this successfully. If you have examples of local (non-federal) programs and projects that are successfully educating and engaging communities in history and culture via the “great outdoors” please submit them online through the web site that has been set up for this purpose.
http://www.doi.gov/americasgreatoutdoors/

Self-Expression: From Newspaper Rock to Facebook
an you read these headlines, still posted on Newspaper Rock for all the world to see a millennia after they were etched in stone? Self expression is one of our most fiercely defended American values, a newly released survey of Americans has found, and that truth has extremely deep roots these ancient etchings suggest.
http://www.freep.com/article/20100820/NEWS07/100820012/1025/rss05

Dwindling Green Pastures, Not Hunting, May Have Killed Off the Mammoth
ScienceDaily (Aug. 17, 2010) — A massive reduction in grasslands and the spread of forests may have been the primary cause of the decline of mammals such as the woolly mammoth, woolly rhino and cave lion, according to Durham University scientists.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100817211052.htm

Training Opportunity in Oral History, September 23 (Tucson)
The Cienega Watershed Partnership Oral History Work Group is sponsoring an oral history training workshop on September 23, 2010, in Vail, Arizona. The workshop will be instructed by Jim Turner and will focus on the basic techniques from organizing the work and conducting interviews to evaluating results. The work shop is supported by a grant from the Bureau of Land Management and is part of the Oral History Work Group's focus to collect, manage and disseminate oral histories in southeastern Arizona. To register, contact Shela McFarlin, shela_mcfarlin@yahoo.com. Maximum of 30 registrants. A bag lunch is required for the 9 to 3 workshop. Cost: $5.00.

Great Kiva Research to be the Topic of Cortez Colorado Archaeology Society Meeting
The Hisatsinom chapter of the Colorado Archaeology Society will hold its monthly meeting at the Cortez Cultural Center on Tuesday, September 7, at 7:00 p.m. Linda Wheelbarger will provide updates on her ongoing investigations of the Point Site outside of Farmington. The 2009-2010 San Juan College field school excavations at the Point Site revealed a great kiva estimated to be nearly 16 m in diameter. Great kiva research will be presented through the perspective of chronology, distribution, architectural features, masonry styles, associated ceramics types, Puebloan traditional context, and Puebloan continuity.
The Cortez Cultural Center is at 25 North Market Street in Cortez. For more information on the program or Hisatsinom, the Montezuma County chapter of the Colorado Archaeology Society, please contact Diane McBride at 560-1643.

Opportunity to Tour the TJ Site (Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument)
The Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument will offer a ranger-guided tour of the TJ Site on Saturday, September 4, 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, September 4th 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.

Astronomy Evening to be Held At Gila Cliff Dwellings
Saturday, September 4, 2010, Take advantage of New Mexico’s magnificent dark skies by attending the season’s second astronomy evening at Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument on Saturday, September 4th beginning at 7:00 p.m.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/gcd_astronomy.doc - MS Word Document

Mesa Museum Seeks Volunteers
The Arizona Museum of Natural History in Mesa is recruiting volunteers to serve as gallery interpreters once a week. Training in archaeology, paleontology, geology, interpretation techniques and customer service will be offered 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Mondays in October and Nov. 1 in the theater at the museum, 53 N. Macdonald.For more information, call (480) 644-2760, e-mail yvonne.petersen@mesaaz.gov
Http://www.azmnh.org - East Valley Tribune

Unique Symposium to Examine the Meaning of Night in Ancient Mesoamerica (Washington DC) Pre-Columbian Society Symposium, “Under Cover of Darkness.” The Pre-Columbian Society of Washington, D.C., is accepting registrations for its 17th annual symposium, to be held on Saturday, September 25, at the U.S. Navy Memorial and Naval Heritage Center in downtown Washington, D.C. This year’s symposium, Under Cover of Darkness: The Meaning of Night in Ancient Mesoamerica, covers a topic that has been largely understudied to date. Presenters include Linda Brown of George Washington University; Cecelia Klein of the University of California at Los Angeles; John Pohl of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, UCLA; Kent Reilly of Texas State University at San Marcos (moderator); Keith Prufer of the University of New Mexico, and Marc Zender of the Peabody Museum, Harvard University.
Http://www.pcswdc.org

Employment Opportunity (Phoenix)
Desert Archaeology Inc. is seeking archaeological personnel for upcoming projects in the Phoenix metropolitan area. An archaeological testing and data recovery project is expected to begin sometime in September and last from two to four weeks. Further work may include monitoring projects, cultural resources surveys, and other archaeological testing/data recovery projects. Experienced field technicians are sought, but entry level archaeologists will be considered. Some supervisory positions may be available. Wages will be competitive and commensurate with experience. There will be no lodging or per diem associated with this local Phoenix work. If you are interested, please email a cover letter, resume, and references to Kathy Henderson at khenderson@desert.com or fax to 480-967-9211.

Thanks to Cherie Freeman and Adrianne Rankin for contributing to today's newsletter.

Legal Battle over Geronimo's Remains Continues

2010-08-17T11:15:00.000-07:00

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

Legal Battle over Geronimo's Remains Continues
Descendants of Geronimo say they aren't giving up their legal effort to find out once and for all if the venerable Apache chief's remains are ensconced at Yale. A Washington judge late last month dismissed a suit demanding that Yale's Skull and Bones society turn over a skull and other remains that, according to legend, are inside the club's building in Connecticut.
http://tinyurl.com/2co6dhg - UPI.Com

Sacred Objects Repatriated to Northern California Tribe
White deerskins, condor feathers and head dresses made of bright red woodpecker scalps are among more than 200 sacred artifacts that are once again in the possession of a Northern California Indian tribe. The Yurok Tribe celebrated the items' return this past week — among the largest repatriation of Native American sacred objects ever — from the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian.
http://tinyurl.com/2a6ubvx - Earthlink

Hiking Opportunity with El Malapis NCA
BLM's El Malpais NCA hosts a ranger-led 2 mile hike, "Ancient Graffiti -
Sacred Altar", on 8/28/10 to the Aldridge Petroglyph Panels. Come to
Grants, New Mexico and delve into the wonders and wisdom of the ancestor's
creations. Info at 505.280.2918.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/8-28-10-aldridge.doc - MS Word Document

Lecture Opportunity (Phoenix)
Arizona State University’s Deer Valley Rock Art Center will kick off its fall season of events with a free lecture at 1 p.m., Sept. 4, titled “Hopi Pőnawit ~ Along Ancient Trails and the Cultural Landscape of the Hopi People.” Speaking will be Micah Loma’omvaya, a Hopi tribal member of the Bear Clan from Songoopavi Village on Second Mesa, Ariz. Loma’omvaya earned a B.A. degree in anthropology from the University of Arizona in 1997 and has worked in the field of anthropology since the age of 17.
http://asunews.asu.edu/20100726_hopilecture

Lecture Opportunity (Tubac)
The Center for Desert Archaeology’s Southwest Field Representative Andy Laurenzi will give a presentation to the Santa Cruz Valley Chapter of the Arizona Archaeological Society on September 9, 2010, 7 PM, at the North County Facility at 50 Bridge Road in Tubac. His topic will be the expansion of the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. The presentation is free and open to the public.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/laurenzi_press_release.doc

UKTV Documentary Examines Possible Clovis Connection to Solutrean Europe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1mPD3jbF5k

Ancient Armenia is the latest Topic on the Archaeology Channel
Built more than 2000 years ago as the grand capitol city of Armenia, Tigranakert succumbed to the Mongol invasion of the Thirteenth Century and came to light again only in 2005. We are pleased to bring this underappreciated story to the world in Tigranakert: An Armenian Odyssey, the latest video feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel http://www.archaeologychannel.org

Thanks to Terry Colvin and Cherie Freeman for contributing to today's newsletter.

Arizona Legislature Sweep of Heritage Funds Imperils San Xavier del Bac

2010-08-09T10:49:00.000-07:00

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

Arizona Legislature Sweep of Heritage Funds Imperils San Xavier del Bac
The mission known as "The White Dove of the Desert" shimmers with the unworldly glow of a mirage in the dry flatlands south of Tucson. San Xavier del Bac, with its asymmetrical towers, elegant curves and exuberant decoration, is the best example of Spanish colonial architecture in the nation. It's such an important window into the past that it was one of the original listings when the National Register of Historic Places was established in 1966. |
http://tinyurl.com/246clwd - Arizona Republic

Center for Desert Archaeology Researcher Featured on the History Detectives
The August 16, 2010, episode of “History Detectives” will feature Center Preservation Fellow Aaron Wright. Aaron asked the team to investigate the authenticity of an inscription in Phoenix’s South Mountain Park. The inscription includes the name of Fray Marcos de Niza, and is dated 1539.
http://www.cdarc.org/2010/08/06/center-researcher-featured-on-pbss-history-detectives/

In Memory of Jo Anne Medley
We are sad to inform you all that Jo Anne Medley, a fourteen-year veteran of the State Historic Preservation Office staff, passed away Wednesday, August 4, 2010. We will all miss her deeply not only as a professional colleague but as a good friend and wonderful individual.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/j_a_m.doc - MS Word Document

El Malpais Hike Scheduled for August 14, "Chaco Migrants Meet Mountain Mogollons" Dittert Archaeological Area, Grants, New Mexico
Some say this site is a Chacoan outlier. Others say it is closer to Mogollon country and influence. Come find out about two great ancestral cultures of the southwest, and decide for yourself if this is where they met, whether they got along, and why they chose this place. Modern interpretations are in dynamic flux. In the late 1200s drought was pervasive as was the likelihood of political upheaval. The Dittert site was built atop a Chaco era site (Pueblo 2), and may have been the last mansion in this area during Pueblo 3 times.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/el_malpais_hike.doc - MS Word Document.

Yet Another Light Sentence in 4 Corners Looting Case
A Utah man who once bragged about taking American Indian artifacts from federal lands avoided jail time Thursday after a federal judge said he decided to show leniency after reading letters from the man's two daughters. U.S. District Judge Dee Benson said he planned to give Aubry Patterson, 57, prison time but changed his mind after reading the letters, which said Patterson was an "amazing father" who had a hard life but always "provided for us and put food on the table." Patterson's teary daughters accompanied him to court.
http://tinyurl.com/24n5tyq - Washington Examiner

Steve Jobs Wins Right to Demolish Historic California Mansion
If the long saga of Steve Jobs and the Jackling House were a screenplay, we would be at the climactic moment. The billionaire computer king has won his long battle for permission to tear down the historic 1920s mansion he detests. Preservationists who fought him in court for six years have dropped their lawsuit, leaving the town of Woodside free to issue a permit for the 17,000-square-foot home built for copper baron Daniel Jackling to be razed.
http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_15669725?nclick_check=1

Kewa Pueblo Looks to Redevelop Historic Trading Post

2010-08-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

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

Kewa Pueblo Looks to Redevelop Historic Trading Post
Ray Tafoya's mind races with all kinds of ideas about how his pueblo can turn an old trading post into the cornerstone of a redevelopment that could bring jobs, business and tourists to this enclave west of Interstate 25. As he drives from the center of the village here north toward the burned-out 1920s adobe building that will be rebuilt with a $1 million federal grant, he rattles them off.
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Trading-up

Drug Wars in Mexico May End Popular Kino Mission Tour Program
The escalating shootouts between Mexican drug gangs in Sonora have created another casualty. Kino Mission Tours, which for 35 years has taken thousands of people on weekend trips to get to know and appreciate the history and culture of northern Sonora, is on the brink of discontinuing the tours.
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/article_338345ea-160a-5018-bf57-6e96526b0b40.html

Results from the Arizona Historic American Landscapes Survey
As the Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS), sister program to HABS and HAER, celebrates its 10thanniversary, I thought you would be interested in seeing what has been going on in AZ. The American Society of Landscape Architects members are people you can talk to about documenting landscapes and the possibility of getting volunteers to help with documentation that will be archived at the Library of Congress. Their expertise is currently in built landscapes, but HALS is available to all historic and cultural landscapes. Feel free to share this with others.
http://www.asla.org/ppn/Article.aspx?id=25942

Santa Fe Antiquities Dealer's Remains Believed to be Found in Panama
Two weeks ago, Panama authorities and investigators found bones they think are Icelar's in a shallow grave on a Bocas del Toro property near the body of another American missing since March, Cheryl Lynn "Cher" Hughes. Hughes' husband identified her body.
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/panama-murder-for-web

Planning Meeting for the Arizona Centennial Celebrations in Southern Arizona
The Arizona Centennial Commission and Arizona Historical Advisory Commission cordially invite you to the Southern Arizona Centennial Summit on Tuesday, August 10, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. at the Randolph Golf Course Club House, Copper Room, 600 S. Alvernon Way, Tucson This summit will give elected officials, business and community leaders the opportunity to hear first-hand about signature projects, signature events and official sanctioned events being planned by the Arizona Centennial Commission, in collaboration with the Arizona Historical Advisory Commission and its Centennial Legacy Projects
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/az_centennial.pdf

ASU Archaeologist Helps Model Human Impact on Land
Computer modeling is broadening the scope of archaeology by not only providing a better understanding of the past but also by predicting what might occur in the future. That topic, as related to human-environment interaction, is at the core of “Living in the Past and Looking Toward the Future,” an Inside Science News Service article featuring Arizona State University archaeologist Michael Barton.
http://asunews.asu.edu/20100729_barton

Calling All Crow Canyon Interns
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center is searching for our former interns! We want to know where you are and how you’re doing! If you or someone you know was an intern at Crow Canyon (in education, field, lab, zooarch, or envarc), please contact Alicia Holt at 800-422-8975 x 135 or aholt@crowcanyon.org. Share your story with us!

Visit Your National Parks for Free, August 14-15
U. S. Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar today announced that the National Park Service will waive entrance fees on August 14 and 15 to encourage all Americans to visit our national parks. The entrance fees being waived at the 146 sites usually charge for admission range from $3 to $25. There are 246 other parks that do not have entrance fees so you can plan a free visit year-round. The fee free waiver does not include other fees collected in advance or by contractors—such as fees charged for camping, reservations, tours and use of concessions.
Http://www.nps.gov

Publication Announcement from Left Coast Press
"Indigenous Archaeologies: A Reader on Decolonization" Edited by Margaret Bruchac, Siobhan Hart, and H Martin Wobst August 2010, 400 pages, $34.95 (Paper). Relationships with indigenous peoples has become a key issue in the practice of archaeology worldwide. Collaborative projects or projects directed and conducted by indigenous peoples themselves have become a standard feature of the archaeological landscape, community concerns are routinely addressed, oral histories incorporated into research. This reader of original and reprinted articles – many by indigenous authors – is designed to display the array of writings around this subject from around the globe, many difficult to access in standard academic settings. Cases range from Australia to Arctic Russia, from Africa to North America. Editorial introductions to each piece serve to contextualize these works in the intersection of archaeology and indigenous studies. This is ideal course text in both subjects, as well as a valuable reference volume.
http://lcoastpress.com/book.php?id=162

Thanks to Carrie Gregory and Beth Grindell for contributions to today's newsletter.

New Study to Examine Social and Political Contexts of Hohokam Ceramic Production

2010-07-27T13:05:00.000-07:00

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

New Study to Examine Social and Political Contexts of Hohokam Ceramic Production
Can a manufacturing industry purr along without a class system of managers and workers? That's part of a longtime mystery that may soon be solved: How did a prehistoric, egalitarian people called the Hohokam produce large quantities of decorated ceramic vessels without a "manager" hierarchy?
http://www.physorg.com/news198857381.html

Genetic "Reconstruction" Indicates High Degree of Diversity in Origins of New World Paleolithic Populations
Anthropologist have believed for a while that humans migrated to the Americas in a relatively short period from a limited area in northeast Asia across a temporary land corridor that opened across the Bering Strait during an ice age. However, government archeologist Alejandro Terrazas says the picture has become complicated because the reconstruction resembles people from southeastern Asian areas like Indonesia. "History isn't that simple," Terrazas told the Associated Press (AP). "This indicates that the Americas were populated by several migratory movements, not just one or two waves from northern Asia across the Bering Strait."
http://tinyurl.com/3ybmoc9 - Red Orbit

Audit Finds Fault With NAGPRA Administrators
But the first official audit of the government agency that administers NAGPRA portrays a troubled organization that has failed to serve tribes well, and does not always give a fair hearing to scientists' claims. The final report, from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), is expected by autumn, but Nature has obtained a draft that is currently under review. Both the GAO and the NAGPRA office in Washington DC declined to comment on the draft.
Warning - the following link contains an image of human remains of unknown archaeological provenance.
http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100721/full/466422a.html

New BYU Exhibit Examines Ancient Life in Utah
A new exhibit at Brigham Young University’s Museum of Peoples and Cultures brings into focus the efforts to preserve and study these sites and the thousands of artifacts they have yielded. Beneath Your Feet: Discovering the Archaeology of Utah Valley conveys the story of the Fremont. These pre-Columbian Indians, who populated much of Utah due to their farming prowess, coaxed crops from arid soils from 400 AD until the record of their occupation fades away in the 13th century.
http://tinyurl.com/2vfjy3b - Salt Lake Tribune

Excavations Provide Glimpse of Life in Old Town San Diego
the four-year effort led by San Diego State University professor Seth W. Mallios has turned up more than 60,000 artifacts from the well behind the house, and more from two other locations on the property. “It’s this great timeline of the way life was lived here from the 1940s back to the 1850s,” said Mallios, whose youthful enthusiasm complements his sterling credentials.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jul/21/peek-old-town-lore/

Archaeo-Nevada Society Starts Fall Season September 9th
Archaeo-Nevada Society a 501c3 organization begins its' fall season September 9,2010 at 7 pm on the College of Southern Nevada campus. Mark Boatwright BLM archaeologist about archaeological activities in the Redrock Canyon National Recreation Area. The Society meets September through May on the second Thursday of each month at 7pm at the College of Southern Nevada W. Charleston campus. Speakers are local archaeologists and historians from Nevada. Memberships include an informative monthly newsletter. The Society was formed in 1962 its' goal is the education about and protection of Nevada's past. The society has established a archaeology/anthropology scholarship at CSN to aid students. For information about membership or donations to the scholarship fund contact Bruce Holloway at bholloway9@cox.net

The Santa Fe Railyard Park Wins National Park Service Award of Merit in Site Design
Public, private and international design firms from more than 20 states and five countries vied for honors in the inaugural Designing the Parks competition. Entries had to engage people, expand beyond traditional boundaries and demonstrate reverence for place, sustainability, informed decision-making and an integrated development process. The National Park Service’s Denver Service Center, in partnership with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, recognized outstanding examples of park design in four categories: master planning, site design, building design and historic preservation.
http://tinyurl.com/234sywc - Designing the Parks Awards (PDF)

Kick Off Planning Meeting for the 2011 Arizona Archaeology And Heritage Awareness Month
Monday, August 23, 2010 at 10:00 a.m, at the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), Arizona State Parks, 1300 W. Washington, Phoenix, in the Basement Boardroom. Please come and share your ideas as the SHPO initiates planning for the 2011 Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month (AAHAM) celebration. We will be deciding on a theme for the month, identifying our partners, discussing the 2011 Arizona Archaeology Expo (to be held at the Deer Valley Rock Art Center, Phoenix, Arizona), and exchanging ideas for the promotion of this important educational program within our state. For More Information, Please Contact: Ann Howard, Public Archaeology Programs Manager, SHPO, 602/542-7138, avh2@azstateparks.gov

Publication Announcement - Ceramic Makers' Marks
Left Coast Press Announces the publication of Erica Gibson's Ceramic Makers' Marks, available for pre-order before the October 2010 release date. Erica Gibson’s comprehensive guide provides a much-needed catalogue of ceramic makers' marks of British, French, German, and American origin found in North American archaeological sites. Consisting of nearly 350 marks from 112 different manufacturers from the mid-19th through early 20th century, this catalog provides full information on both the history of the mark and its variants, as well as details about the manufacturer. A set of indexes allow for searches by manufacturer, location, mark elements, and common words used. This guide will be of interest not only to historical archaeologists, but material culture specialists, collectors, museum professionals, students, art historians, and others interested in ceramics. Coming October 2010, 256 pages, $24.95 Paper.
http://lcoastpress.com/book.php?id=315

Reminder and Link Update - TAS Annual Meeting Planned for Oct 22-24
Early registration continues through October 7 ($89 hotel reservations, too). This is also the end date for requesting a Banquet ticket or a table in the Exhibit Room. PDF and online forms for Texas Archeological Society Annual Meeting and Exhibit Room registrations are now available through the TAS website.
http://www.txarch.org/Activities/AnnualMeeting/am2010/index.php

A note of congratulations to the residents of the Indian Ridge Historic District in Tucson for their inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. The properties were added to the register on July 16th, 2010.

Thanks to Carrie Gregory and Gerald Kelso for contributing to today's newsletter.

Huhugam Ki Musuem Shares Dual Perspectives on Hohokam and Huhugam

2010-07-19T11:31:00.000-07:00

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

Huhugam Ki Museum Shares Dual Perspectives on Hohokam and Huhugam
The museum serves a dual function, according to Pacer Reina, an assistant there. Not only is it a source of information about the Hohokam to the world at large, it's an important cultural resource for the nearly 9,000 members of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, on the east side of the Valley. The Pima believe they are descended from the Huhugam, which is becoming the preferred transliteration (although Hohokam is still widely used). The museum helps the community's children understand their heritage, Reina said.
http://tinyurl.com/337apvj - Arizona Republic

Acting Superintendent Opens Mesa Verde to Back-Country Tours
“The resources are fabulous,” he says, “and the staff is very good, which makes my job easier. Mesa Verde National Park is in a great part of the country.” Nelligan is excited about the new Visitor and Research Center currently under construction which will house the park’s collection of over 4,000,000 artifacts in a state of the art facility. Under his leadership, three new backcountry tours are open to Mug House, Spring House and Wetherill Mesa, and in conjunction with the Mesa Verde Foundation, prominent artists recently had a day to paint plein aire style at Long House.
http://www.gjsentinel.com/opinion/articles/acting_superintendent_opens_up

12th Annual National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers Training Meeting Scheduled
On Monday, August 9, 2010, NATHPO is offering a pre-conference, NAGPRA-related training session this year, "Using 43 CFR 10.11 to Return 'Culturally Unidentifiable' Native American Human Remains and Associated Funerary Objects." This one-day training will focus on the new regulatory section finalized on May 14, 2010, that requires the return of "culturally unidentifiable" Native American remains to Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations. This training session is a follow-up to last year's workshop, "Using the Culturally Unidentifiable Native American Inventories Database." This important database includes listings and information on over 124,000 individual Native Americans and almost one million associated funerary objects. If you are attending the entire annual meeting, this one-day training is included in your registration fee. If you only want to attend the one-day training, there will be a $100 registration fee.
http://www.nathpo.org/PDF/NATHPO2010workshop.pdf

Mesa Arizona Has Tremendous Potential for Historic Preservation
Former Mesa Mayor Don Strauch smiles when he drives past his childhood home, the Fuller-Strauch house, about once a month. For Strauch, 84, viewing the Mission Revival house built in 1906 in Mesa's West Second Street Historic District is a way to stay in touch with his roots in the Valley's largely rootless society. It brings back memories of his long-deceased family members and reminds him of nights he spent as a boy on the sleeping porch in a bed that hung from chains.
http://tinyurl.com/2arzufs - Arizona Republic

Echos of the Old West at Nevada's Hamilton Ghost Town
Time was when Hamilton's streets bustled. The largest of several camps spawned by rich horn silver discoveries on Treasure Hill in 1867, Hamilton served a district population of about 30,000 miners and the usual hopefuls and riffraff lured by boom-towns. Today, Hamilton's scatter of ruins rising spectrally from the sagebrush and pinyons lure only those seeking glimpses of the Old West.
http://tinyurl.com/24rdgpb - Las Vegas Journal

Lecture Opportunity (Durango)
Crow Canyon research archaeologist Susan Ryan will give a talk at 7 p.m. July 23 at the center, 23390 Road K in Cortez. Ryan will discuss the ancestral Puebloan communities in the central Mesa Verde region that remained occupied despite severe drought in 12th century.
http://www.crowcanyon.org

Lecture Opportunity (Tucson)
The Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society Presents Linda Mayro and Roger Anyon speaking on "Preserving the Past for the Benefit of Future Generations: Accomplishments of the Pima County Historic Preservation Bond" Tonight, Monday, July 19 at 7:30 pm in the DuVal Auditorium at the University Medical Center, 1501 N Campbell Ave.
http://tinyurl.com/2723djk - Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society

Employment Opportunity
Currently this is just a heads up, but we will be posting an announcement on USA JOBS shortly for a GS9/11 archaeologist in the Moab Field Office. The applicant must have 4 months experience in the region. Contact Leigh Grench, Archaeologist with the BLM - Moab Field Office at 435-259-2114 for more information.

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

Another Light Sentence in 4-Corners Artifact Case

2010-07-13T12:50:00.001-07:00

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

Another Light Sentence in 4-Corners Artifact Case
Nicholas K. Laws has maintained he never collected ancient American Indian artifacts for sale, but when he was offered money by a federal informant the father of three desperately needed it. "For my client, this was not a living," Laws' attorney, Randy S. Ludlow, said in federal court Monday. "He was never doing it to make a fast buck."
http://tinyurl.com/263o2ef - Washington Examiner

Documentary Project "Postcards from the Parks" Looks to Resuscitate Arizona State Park System
Due to budget cuts enacted by the Arizona State Legislature and signed by Governor Jan Brewer, the state's park system is on the verge of complete collapse. A documentary film project entitled "Postcards from the Parks," created by four friends who visited all of the parks over a six-month period, details the problems our state parks face and
how it effects us all.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/postcards.doc - MS Word Document

Hopi Government Renews Pledge to Stop Snowmaking on San Francisco Peaks
The Hopi Tribe's legislative body voted unanimously Thursday to use any remaining legal avenues to stop snowmaking at Arizona Snowbowl, the tribe's leader said Friday. "Ultimately and straightforwardly, we're just opposed to any snowmaking at all," said Chairman Le Roy Shingoitewa.
http://www.azdailysun.com/news/local/31987aeb-5ac7-5af2-888b-0ad50d48e1dc.html

Extinction of Woolly Mammoth, Saber-Toothed Cat May Have Been Caused by Human Predation
New analysis of the extinction of woolly mammoths and other large mammals more than 10,000 years ago suggests that they may have fallen victim to the same type of "trophic cascade" of ecosystem disruption that scientists say is being caused today by the global decline of predators such as wolves, cougars, and sharks.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100701072732.htm

Hips Don't Lie: Researchers Find More Accurate Technique to Determine Sex of Skeletal Remains
Research from North Carolina State University offers a new means of determining the sex of skeletal human remains -- an advance that may have significant impacts in the wake of disasters, the studying of ancient remains and the criminal justice system.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100706112601.htm

Viejas Ceremonial Sanctified Burial Site to be Protected ‘In Perpetuity’
California Attorney General Jerry Brown filed a lawsuit June 24 against a water district which continued construction on a site that has been determined to be sacred to the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians and should be permanently protected.
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/national/southwest/97664204.html

Excavation Tour Opportunity (Tucson)
EcoPlan Associates, Inc. is conducting data recovery excavations at several archaeological sites on the Santa Cruz floodplain, in Tucson, along Interstate 10 between Prince and Ruthrauff Roads in advance of Arizona Department of Transportation road widening and reconstruction of the Prince Road traffic interchange. Thus far, excavations have revealed extensive Early Agricultural occupation of the area, as well as both later Hohokam (Rillito/Rincon) and earlier Middle Archaic components. Please join EcoPlan archaeologists for a tour of the project area and a summary of our findings on Wednesday July 21, 2010 at 7 am. The tour will meet at the intersection of Prince Road and Business Center Drive, west of I-10 (Exit 254). On-street parking is available. Please note that hard hats and reflective safety vests are REQUIRED of all visitors. Please bring your own. Carpooling is encouraged. Please contact Dan Garcia (480 733 6666 x105 or dgarcia@ecoplanaz.com) with any questions.

Mesa Verde Region and Crow Canyon to Share Pueblo Cultures Via Preserve America Grant
Mesa Verde Country will give its Indian Arts and Culture Festival a boost and translate its website into languages around the world with a Preserve America grant. "It's helping us to go global," said Mesa Verde Country Tourism Director Lynn Dyer. The $89,822 grant has been a long time coming, Dyer said. Mesa Verde Country applied for it in conjunction with Crow Canyon Archaeology Center in 2007, but payments were delayed because of the economy.
http://tinyurl.com/2uut4le - Durango Herald

Call For Papers For 81st Texas Archeological Society Annual Meeting
October 22-24, 2010 Omni Bayfront Hotel, Corpus Christi, Texas (361) 887-1600 TAS code:1450 0809 629 The Conference theme is Archeology without Borders.
You’re invited to join friends and colleagues for the 81th annual meeting of TAS. We hope to encourage colleagues south of the Rio Grande to attend and share their research with us. Papers and posters will be featured in sessions Friday afternoon and all day Saturday. The Public Forum and Career Social will attract regional visitors. Meetings and awards will honor many who have contributed to the Society and Texas archeology.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/tas_cfp_10.doc - MS Word Document

Rock Art Scholar Returns To The Anasazi Heritage Center
Sally Cole, author and rock art expert, will give a talk and slide show at the Anasazi Heritage Center at 1 p.m. on Sunday, August 8. Cole will give her presentation on the human form in rock art, which was canceled last June due to technical difficulties. Admission will be free throughout the day. Cole is the author of "Legacy on Stone: Rock Art of the Colorado Plateau and Four Corners Region." Her book is considered the best regional rock art reference currently in print.
http:// www.blm.co.gov/ahc

Lecture Opportunity - Tucson
The monthly Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society lecture will be given by Roger Anyon and Linda Mayro. The topic is Preserving the Past for Future Generations: Accomplishments of the Pima County Historic Preservation Bond Program. Monday, July 19th, 7:30 pm. DuVal Auditorium, UMC, 1501 N. Campbell Ave. Free and open to the public.

Position Announcement - Assistant Curator of Archaeology
The University of Arizona, Arizona State Museum (ASM), invites applications for an Assistant Curator of Archaeology (Mandated Programs Administrator) with tenure-equivalent status. The position serves as the ASM Director's designee to administer Arizona Revised Statute §§41-841 et seq. and ARS §41-865 through ABOR Chapter VIII ASM Rules. The incumbent is expected to collaborate across a wide range of state, county, municipal, and federal agencies on issues related to the implementation of the Arizona Antiquities Act and the protection of the state's archaeological resources.
http://www.cdarc.org.sat/asm_cofa_info.pdf

Thanks to Vincent Murray and Adrianne Rankin for contributions to today's newsletter.

Clovis News - Atlatls, Linguistic Evidence, and Mitochondrial DNA

2010-07-06T13:12:00.000-07:00

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

Melting Glacier Reveals Clovis Era Atlatl Dart
Global warming is turning out to be a savior for archaeologists like Craig Lee from the University of Colorado at Boulder, who are finding ancient relics in recently melted ice patches. Lee's lucky strike is the oldest known atlatl dart, an early wooden spear-like hunting weapon, in the Rocky Mountains.
http://tinyurl.com/atlatl1 - Discovery News

New Linguistic Studies Illuminate Migrations Across Bearing Sea Land Bridge
Research illuminating an ancient language connection between Asia and North America supports archaeological and genetic evidence that a Bering Strait land bridge once connected North America with Asia, and the discovery is being endorsed by a growing list of scholars in the field of linguistics and other sciences. The work of Western Washington University linguistics professor Edward Vajda with the isolated Ket people of Central Siberia is revealing more and more examples of an ancient language connection with the language family of Na-Dene, which includes Tlingit, Gwich'in, Dena'ina, Koyukon, Navajo, Carrier, Hupa, Apache and about 45 other languages.
http://tinyurl.com/2vq982e - Seattle Times

North America's First Peoples More Genetically Diverse Than Thought, Mitochondrial Genome Analysis Reveals
ScienceDaily (June 29, 2010) — The initial peopling of North America from Asia occurred approximately 15,000-18,000 years ago. However, estimations of the genetic diversity of the first settlers have remained inaccurate. In a report published online in Genome Research, researchers have found that the diversity of the first Americans has been significantly underestimated, underscoring the importance of comprehensive sampling for accurate analysis of Mitochondrial DNA.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100628170926.htm

Reminder - Join the Center for Desert Archaeology on July 8th for a Special Presentation with an International Perspective on Heritage Preservation
The Center for Desert Archaeology and the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation invite you to a special evening with Center member and distinguished guest Ian George, who will share an overview of England’s Inherited Landscape. Mr. George serves as Inspector of Ancient Monuments for English Heritage in the West Midlands. His presentation will take us on a journey through time to some of the most treasured features of England’s historic landscape. English Heritage is a national organization whose purpose resonates with that of the Center—championing special places, advising the government, sharing heritage widely now, and protecting it for the future. The program will be held in the Copper Hall of Tucson’s own landmark, the historic Hotel Congress. Admission is free. Guests are welcome to mingle and enjoy a no-host bar before and after the presentation, which will begin at 6:00 p.m.
http://www.cdarc.org/2010/06/18/special-evening-englands-inherited-landscape-2/

Mesa Verde Plans for Building of New Visitor's Center
Mesa Verde National Park officials are making plans for a September groundbreaking ceremony for the new visitors center and curatorial facility. The park took the first step toward construction of the multimillion dollar project at a pre-bid meeting last week
http://tinyurl.com/35f2xgj - Durango Herald

Exploring History and Identity in the Old West
Was Kit Carson hero or villain? Or both? The answer would seem to be a foregone conclusion for a predominantly-Navajo audience, among whom the famous “Indian fighter” is often remembered for his role in the Long Walk of 1864, when thousands left their fertile homeland on a forced march to the bleak Bosque Redondo.
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/national/97164039.html

New Mexico Archaeology Camp Provides Teens with Archaeological Education
A homestead site dating to around 1918 was recently discovered west of Hobbs and provided a perfect opportunity for Smith to allow youth interested in archeology to help excavate the site. The week-long Junior Archeology Camp had seven students. They learned the techniques to excavate the site during two days of classroom training and excavated portions of the site.
http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/education/hobbs-teens-dig-archaeology-camps

The Story of Prescott's Infamous Smoki
Like most legends, the story of the Smoki People is a combination of fact, fiction, rumor and speculation. "I always thought we were honoring the Native Americans," Prescott resident and bank employee Irene Winter said.
http://tinyurl.com/36kq8tw - Part I - Prescott Dailt Courier
http://tinyurl.com/33a7xx5 - Part II - Prescott Daily Courier

Tour Opportunities from the Archaeological Conservancy
The Archaeological Conservancy still has space available on three of its fall tours:
"Best of the Southwest" September 18 - 28, 2010. Experience the cultural and scenic diversity of the American Southwest. Our trip explores Native American cultures, both past and present, in New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado. "Effigy Mounds of the Upper Mississippi Valley, September 25 - 29, 2010. In what is now Wisconsin, prehistoric Native Americans constructed about 20,000 earthen mounds, more than in any other area of comparable size. We will visit the best surviving example of these fascinating constructions, with an emphasis on the sites of the Effigy Mound culture which created mounds in the shapes of mammals, birds and reptiles. "Oaxaca" October 29 - November 8, 2010. Join us during one of the most unusual festivals anywhere, Day of the Dead. On this day, people prepare home altars and cemeteries to welcome the dead, who are believed to return to enjoy the food and drink they indulged in during life. For more information you may request a tour brochure at (505) 266-1540 or visit the link below.
www.archaeologicalconservancy.org/tour.html

Historic Archaeology of the Great Lakes Region on the Archaeology Channel
The early history of the North American colonial frontier takes on more meaning when archaeologists recover direct evidence left behind at key sites. The search for such evidence can be very trying and may require both persistence and endurance, as demonstrated by In Search of Fort St. Joseph, the latest video feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel.
http://www.archaeologychannel.org

Thanks to Adrianne Rankin for contributing to today's newsletter.

BYU Field School Wraps Up Excavations at the Wolf Site

2010-06-29T14:01:00.000-07:00

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

BYU Field School Wraps Up Excavations at the Wolf Site
The 2010 Brigham Young University Archaeological Field School recently completed excavations at Wolf Village (42UT273), a large Fremont farming village in northern Utah near the south end of Utah Valley. The site appears to have been occupied mostly in the A.D. 1100s and 1200s, although there is some evidence of earlier occupation. Excavations include complete or nearly complete exposure of four structures, including two adobe-walled houses, and test excavations into four other structures. One of the adobe houses had a vent shaft and a series of exterior wooden buttresses supporting its walls, while the other was associated with a massive storage pit that had a roof still partially intact over it. Excavations also yielded several figurines, large quantities of maize, several shell and turquoise items, and the usual assortment of stone tools and debitage, pottery, and animal bone. A Facebook photo album showing some of the findings can be accessed at the link below
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=17977&id=100000416637044&l=56f48bb86e

Dr Laurence C. Harold Passes
Dr. Laurance C. (Larry) Herold, a geographer at the University of Denver, passed away in March of 2010. He had a long term interest in trincheras in northern Mexico. He began his career in archaeology, working as a ranger at Mesa Verde and then with Fred Wendorf on the Ranchos de Taos survey at Fort Burgwin. He is survived by his wife Joyce, long time curator of anthropology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and student of Native American basketry.
A tribute to Dr. Herold may be found at:
http://blogs.du.edu/today/news/geographer-traveled-the-world-but-loved-teaching-the-most

Museum of Indian Arts and Culture Receive Grant to Survey Ceramics Collection
A $57,370 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services will let the state-run Museum of Indian Arts & Culture in Santa Fe survey its collection of 5,300 whole and reconstructed archaeological ceramics vessels. The collection includes examples of some of the earliest known Mogollon and Ancestral Puebloan ceramics and others made during the 17th and 18th centuries.
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/living/97174799.html

Its Time for the Museum of Northern Arizona Hopi Festival of Art and Culture
The Hopi village of Orayvi is considered the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the United States. Its traditions go back centuries, but in more recent times, a new tradition has taken hold in Orayvi - also known as Old Oraibi - and other Hopi villages. For 76 years, Hopis have traveled to Flagstaff to participate in a festival that showcases their artists and performers. The 77th annual Hopi Festival of Arts and Culture is next weekend at the Museum of Northern Arizona.
http://tinyurl.com/32n7gaf - Arizona Republic

Studies of Skull Morphology Suggest a Pair of Ancient Migrations into the Americas
Recent morphological studies of two groups of skulls support the idea that the New World was settled in two migratory waves, not one, as has been previously suggested by genetic studies. Paleoanthropologists from Brazil, Chile and Germany came to this conclusion by comparing the cranial morphology (or shape of the skulls) of an older group of remains, dating back 11,000 years ago with a more recent gropup of Amerindian skulls. Based on the test results, the scientists believe that 2 groups, one earlier and one much later, began settling the New World via Beringia; the now-submerged land bridge connecting present-day Russia with Alaska.
http://tinyurl.com/297sjmt - Yahoo News

Plein Air Painting Summer Show At Anasazi Heritage Center
The Plein Air Painters of the Four Corners will present their 2010 summer exhibition at the Anasazi Heritage Center from July 1 through September 6 (Labor Day). An opening reception will take place at the museum on July 4, 2010 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. This will be a juried event. The paintings on exhibit will be offered for sale. Proceeds benefit both the artists and the nonprofit Canyonlands Natural History Association. The paintings will feature landscapes and features of the Four Corners area.
http://www.co.blm.gov/ahc

Preserving Navajo History In Canyon De Chelly
Every spring and summer, after the winter thaw allows, about a dozen Navajo families still return to their old homesteads at the bottom of Arizona's Canyon de Chelly. The canyon has cradled human civilization for thousands of years. Early Puebloans, ancestors of the Hopis, built cliff dwellings high in the sandstone alcoves. And the canyon has been a sacred refuge to the Navajos for centuries.
http://www.gpb.org/news/2010/06/28/preserving-navajo-history-in-canyon-de-chelly

O'odham Saguaro Harvest Keeps Tribal Traditions Alive
At a small camp nestled at the end of a dirt road in the heart of Saguaro National Park, Stella Tucker keeps a time-honored tradition of the Tohono O’odham tribe alive. Every summer, Tucker and her family return to their small camp to gather fruit from the saguaro cactus until the monsoon rains come. Tucker uses saguaro fruit to make syrup, jam and a wine that is used in a Tohono O’odham wine ceremony.
http://wildcat.arizona.edu/news/tribal-tradition-lives-on-1.1494024

Thanks to Jim Allison, Jeff Boyer, Terry Colvin, Adrianne Rankin, and Wolky Toll for contributing to this week's newsletter.

Join the Center for Desert Archaeology for a Special Presentation on Heritage Preservation

2010-06-22T12:01:00.000-07:00

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

Join the Center for Desert Archaeology on July 8th for a Special Presentation with an International Perspective on Heritage Preservation
The Center for Desert Archaeology and the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation invite you to a special evening with Center member and distinguished guest Ian George, who will share an overview of England’s Inherited Landscape. Mr. George serves as Inspector of Ancient Monuments for English Heritage in the West Midlands. His presentation will take us on a journey through time to some of the most treasured features of England’s historic landscape. English Heritage is a national organization whose purpose resonates with that of the Center—championing special places, advising the government, sharing heritage widely now, and protecting it for the future. The program will be held in the Copper Hall of Tucson’s own landmark, the historic Hotel Congress. Admission is free. Guests are welcome to mingle and enjoy a no-host bar before and after the presentation, which will begin at 6:00 p.m.
http://www.cdarc.org/2010/06/18/special-evening-englands-inherited-landscape-2/

Despite Public Objections, Santa Fe Indian School is Proceeding with Plans to Demolish Historic Paolo Soleri Amphitheater
A memorial to be held Sunday for former U.S. Interior Secretary Stewart Udall will be one of the last gatherings at the Paolo Soleri ampitheater in Santa Fe. The Santa Fe Indian School, will destroy the famous, half-century old amphitheater named for its designer, architect Paolo Soleri. The City of Santa Fe and the state Cultural Properties Review Committee asked the school to reverse its decision last week.
http://tinyurl.com/2vu87zk - New Mexico Independant

Excavations Continue on the Harris Site
For the fourth summer in a row, archeology students from the University of Nevada Las Vegas and Paradise Valley Community College in Phoenix have come to the Mimbres Valley to do field work and study the ancient culture of the Mimbres people. Barbara Roth of UNLV has been studying the Mimbres culture since 1992 and for the past four years has brought her students to excavate at the Harris Site, on the Stewart Ranch, recognized by archaeologists as the largest known pithouse village in the Mimbres area.
http://www.scsun-news.com/ci_15340889?source=most_emailed

Students from the University of Texas at San Antonio Excavate Spanish Colonial Ranch
To the untrained eye, the grass-covered mounds at the end of County Road 144 could be mistaken for nothing more than a local dumping site or someone's abandoned, overgrown property. But these are actually the remains of the 18th century ranching outpost for San Antonio's Mission Espada. It was called Rancho de las Cabras, a settlement that once covered 1,000 acres of what was then the rugged terrain of northern New Spain.
http://tinyurl.com/237zqvt - My San Antonio.com

Efforts Continue to Nominate Route 66 to National Register of Historic Places
The California Preservation Foundation, the National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, and consultant Mead & Hunt is to hold informational presentations June 14-17, along Route 66. The group is to visit Needles on June 17, with a meeting beginning at 6 p.m. in the Wagon Wheel restaurant, 2420 Needles Hwy. This will be the first visit by the project team to the route during a year-long process to complete a National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form.
http://www.thedesertstar.com/articles/2010/06/16/news/local/news889.txt

Phoenix Historic Preservation Commission Helps to Renovate Historic Adobe Home
Last year, Black took her retirement nest egg and purchased almost 10 acres of south Phoenix farmland, vacant except for an old, neglected adobe Spanish colonial revival. With the help of her general contractor, Mike Schrader, they're removing and repairing years of water and fire damage and detrimental "improvements" by previous owners."I just feel it is what I was supposed to do," Black said. "I think it's going to be a beautiful new historic home for the city. I want it to be my retirement home."
http://tinyurl.com/2553tkk - Arizona Republic

Friends of Cedar Mesa Launch New Website
Celebrate Cedar Mesa" took place last Saturday in Bluff, Utah, organized by Friends of Cedar Mesa, Mark Meloy, and Bluff-area folks. It was good to see so many of you there. Now that Mark is off on his summer pro-fun circuit, I’d like to introduce you to the new Friends of Cedar Mesa website, http://cedarmesafriends.org. The group exists to promote stewardship of Cedar Mesa’s natural and cultural resources. We’ve posted some information and photos from the event, including some great links to archaeological research courtesy of Bill Lipe. Please bookmark the website—there’s much more information on the way.
http://cedarmesafriends.org

Southwestern Archaeologist David Gregory Passes

2010-06-15T11:04:00.000-07:00

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

Archaeologist David Gregory Passes
We are sad to report that on the evening of June 13, 2010, David A. Gregory passed away in Show Low, Arizona. Dave had been working from his home in Pinetop for the Center for Desert Archaeology and for Desert Archaeology, Inc. He had experienced a series of health complications in recent years, but he had always battled his way back from the brink.
Dave’s remarkable skills as a field archaeologist, his intelligence, and his broad mastery of the archaeological literature were applied with his signature intensity throughout his career. Mike Jacobs noted: “I have admired immensely his work, not only at Las Colinas, but especially his more recent work on Archaic and Early Agricultural Period sites here in Tucson and on the Zuni Origins book with Dave Wilcox. His collected body of work includes some really significant contributions that will stand as a tribute to him for years to come.” And Doug Craig summed things up in a grand, straightforward way: “I consider Dave to have been one of the great southwestern archaeologists of our generation.”
In order to continue to expand Dave’s already considerable legacy, the Center for Desert Archaeology has established the David A. Gregory Research Fund—a permanent, endowed fund. Contributions are tax deductible, and may be sent to: Center for Desert Archaeology, 300 North Ash Alley, Tucson, AZ 85701. Plans for a memorial service and celebration of Dave’s remarkable life are not final at this time. They will be announced here and as broadly as possible when they are final.

Archaeologist Gary Yancy Passes
The AAS received the sad news that Gary Yancy passed away on May 28th. He was a stalwart of the AAS, having served as our Chair beginning about 1989 and ending in 2003. He was a mentor, a cheerleader, keeping us supplied with enthusiasm and cheer. He traveled the whole state to visit every chapter.
http://www.azarchsoc.org/

Center for Desert Archaeology President William Doelle Testifies Before Congress on the Potential Benefits of Expanding Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
“The Casa Grande Ruins National Monument preserves the remains of an ancient Hohokam farming community and “Great House,” one of the largest prehistoric structures built in the United States. It is one of our most famous cultural landmarks and is prominent in Akimel O’odham, Tohono O’odham and Hopi oral traditions.”
http://tinyurl.com/cdarc-doelle-cg - Center for Desert Archaeology

Representative Kirkpatrick Argues for Expansion of Casa Grande Ruins National Moument
Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick urged a House Natural Resources subcommittee to push forward on her legislation to expand the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in a hearing on that bill held Thursday. Her testimony before the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands pointed to the bill’s potential to grow the tourism industry and bring new jobs to the area while protecting a unique Arizona treasure.
http://tinyurl.com/2uafuq3 - Tri Valley Central
See Also http://tinyurl.com/cdarc-kirkpatrick - Center for Desert Archaeology

Stephanie Meeks Named New President of National Trust for Historic Preservation
Stephanie currently serves as president and CEO of Counterpart International, a $110 million development organization operating in 25 countries. She earlier spent 18 years at The Nature Conservancy, one of the largest and most influential conservation organizations in the world where she held a number of leadership positions including chief operating officer and, for nearly a year, acting president and CEO.
http://blogs.nationaltrust.org/preservationnation/?p=10568

BYU Field School Excavating Fremont-Era Village
Named the Wolf Site, after the property owner, this Fremont village site dates to AD 1100. The site is relatively large and contains a mixture of adobe wall square house structures and round pithouse structures as well as adobe lined fire pits, fish and mammal bones, ancient corn, arrow points, arrow shaft straightener, shell beads groundstone, and pottery fragments.
http://tinyurl.com/byu-fremont-village - Examiner.com

Bridge to Gila Cliff Dwellings Now Open to Automobiles
The New Mexico State Department of Transportation staff has reopened the West Fork Bridge to vehicles, which means that visitors will now be able to drive directly to the Cliff Dwellings trailhead. Effective Friday, June 11 entrance fees, which had been waived since the bridge was closed, will resume at $3.00 for individuals over 16 years and $10.00 for families. For further information, please contact the Gila Visitor Center at (575) 536-9461.

Guided Tour of TJ Ruin Scheduled for July 17th
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument will offer a ranger-guided tour of the TJ Site on Saturday, July 17, 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, July 17th 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

Santa Clara Man Accidentally Unearths Ancient Human Remains
A man digging in his yard in Santa Clara unearthed a human skull that has been determined by the New Mexico Office of Medical Investigator to be ancient remains. On Friday, a resident of Cleveland Street in Santa Clara was building forms to pour concrete to build an addition to his home when he struck something hard while digging and started to dig it up, OMI Field Deputy Melissa Arzaga said.
http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_15249768?IADID

A Cooler Pacific May Have Severely Affected Medieval Europe, Southwest North America
June 10, 2010 — A new study has found a connection between La Nina-like sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific and droughts in western Europe and in what later became the southwestern United States.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100609122842.htm
http://tinyurl.com/38nscbv - National Geographic

Prehistoric pet? Dog burial found in Orange County
It might have been a treasured pet, or the victim of traditional destruction of property after its owner's death. The reason for its burial remains a mystery. But 18 centuries ago, someone carefully positioned the body of a small dog in what was likely a shallow grave in the marshlands of Laguna Canyon, then turned over a stone grinding bowl to cover the animal.
http://www.ocregister.com/news/dog-252748-burial-href.html

Travelogue - Stepping Back in Time at Chimayo N.M.
In the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains along the high road to Taos, N.M., the brown paths winding into Chimayó match the tan buildings and lend a timeless look. About 30 miles north of Santa Fe, Chimayó is a treasure of ancient cultures, mountain scenery and Mediterranean climate.
http://tinyurl.com/385pqwh - Dallas Morning News

Lecture Opportunity (Tucson)
Chip Colwell-Chanthaphonh will present the monthly Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society Lecture, "Massacre at Camp Grant: Forgetting and Remembering Apache History". The lecture will be June 21st at 7:30 pm at DuVal Auditorium, UMC, 1501 N. Campbell Ave. Free and open to the public.
http://tinyurl.com/aahs-chip - Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society

Archaeology of the Aegean is the Latest Feature on the Archaeology Channel
Nowhere is the imprint of ancient human activity more visibly evident than in the Aegean region of today’s Turkey. You can witness a remarkable series of well preserved, substantial, impressive, and well documented ancient cities and buildings from the Classical world–and the modern context in which they exist--in The Aegean, the latest video feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel.
http://www.archaeologychannel.org

Thanks to Adriane Rankin for contributions to today's newsletter.

Utah Family Helps to Excavate Ancestral Home

2010-06-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

Archaeology Making the News, a Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

Utah Family Helps to Excavate Ancestral Home
On Saturday, many descendants of the Benjamin F Johnson and Joel H. Johnson families gathered to assist the Uinta National Forest Archaeologist, Charmaine Thompson, and the local residents of Spring Lake with the excavation of the foundation of the B. F. Johnson home. Because The home was so large and made of adobe's, it was dubbed the "Mud Castle," and is located between Payson and Santaquin, Utah, on the East side of highway 6.
http://tinyurl.com/2f4tswm - Daily Herald

NBC News Covers Arizona State Parks Crisis
"It would make it very easy for illegal collectors to come in here and dig up the sites and do irreperable damage." - Karen Berggren, former Homolovi Ruins State Park Manager.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/ns/nightly_news#37541223

BLM’s El Malpais National Conservation Area Presents the Next Chapter of "Walking with the Ancestors" Hikes
Celebrate Summer Solstice and beat the heat with a sunrise hike to possible solstice-marking petroglyphs and the mesa top site, Citadel. Discover El Malpais secret cool weather and the active time for its wildlife. The hike will be held on Saturday, June 19th.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/el_malpais_solstice.doc

New Issue of Preserve America Newsletter Available
This issue focuses upon the selection of Wayne Donaldson as the new chairman of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and the termination of Preserve America Funding.
http://www.preserveamerica.gov/newsletter/june10/june10.htm

Avocational Archaeologist Rex Owens Donates Research Materials to Thatcher Museum
The personal notes and books of amateur archaeologist Rex Owens of Eden are at the Graham County Historical Society Museum in Thatcher. Though not on display yet, the donated items are being cataloged by museum volunteers and will soon be a welcome addition to reference and research materials housed in the museum, said Hal Herbert, museum historian.
http://www.eacourier.com/articles/2010/06/04/news/doc4c059c7a02d5a394961150.txt

X-Rays Fail to Find Clovis Tool Remnants in Controversial Ancient Bison Remains
Architect (sic) Steve Kenady examined the bones of an ancient, extinct giant bison by x-ray today at Orcas Family Health Center, unarguably the clinic's oldest "patient". Kenady was checking for remnants of stone tools that could have been used to slaughter the animal, but the scans revealed nothing but bison bone. The discovery roughly three years ago piqued curiosity in the global scientific community, inspiring new theories of human migration to the Pacific coast because some of the bones bear the marks of human butchery using stone tools. Earlier theories had maintained that the Clovis people were the earliest inhabitants of the region, but the bones, estimated by radiocarbon dating in an Irvine lab to be roughly 14,000 years old, pre-date the Clovis era by 800 years.
http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/sanjuans/isj/news/95810309.html

Arizona Archaeology Council Publishes Statement on Arizona State Park Closures

2010-06-01T16:25:00.000-07:00

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

Arizona Archaeology Council Publishes Statement on Arizona Park Closures
The Arizona Archaeological Council (AAC) writes to you as a state-wide organization of professional archaeologists whom have expressed considerable concern for the fate of cultural resources in state parks being affected by the current economic crisis. We understand that economic changes are forcing the State of Arizona to make difficult decisions and severe cuts, and the state parks have suffered disproportionately as a result. To this end, the AAC would like to make a position statement regarding, and offer assistance with, the protection and continued diligent management of cultural resources held in trust at Arizona’s State Parks.
http://tinyurl.com/aac-az-state-parks - Arizona Archaeology Council

12th Annual Meeting of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers Scheduled
Information on the 12th Annual NATHPO Meeting that will be hosted by the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin the week of August 9, 2010, is now on the NATHPO website. This year's theme is "Respecting our Heritage, Protecting our Quality of Life, Strengthening our Future." Our children and young people of today are the future cultural leaders of tomorrow. Our decision to highlight Native youth – in addition to our annual discussions on current cultural preservation issues – is to encourage Native communities to continue preserving, protecting, and rejuvenating their respective languages and traditional lifestyles and unique cultures. We will be showcasing Native youth programs and hope that Native youth from across the country will be able to join us.
http://www.nathpo.org/meetings/12meeting.htm

New Publication Summarizes Clovis Technologies
A new book on the stone and bone tool technologies of Clovis culture of 13,500 years ago, published by faculty at Texas State University, is the first complete examination of the tools themselves and how the Clovis culture used them and transmitted their production. The book, “Clovis Technology (International Monographs in Prehistory, Archaeological Series 17),” covers the Clovis culture's making and use of stone blades, bi-faces and small tools as well as artifacts such as projectile points, rods, daggers, awls, needles, handles, hooks and ornaments made from bone, ivory, antler and teeth.
http://tinyurl.com/clovis-tech - San Marcos Daily Record

Learn More About Stone Tool Technologies at the Valles Caldera National Preserve
Stone tool "flintknapping" and atlatl-throwing demonstration in the Valle Grande, Sunday May 30, 2010, Valles Caldera National Preserve. Come out to the Valles Caldera National Preserve and spend a day with skilled flintknappers demonstrating how tools
are made from obsidian.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/stone_tool_demo_2010-05-30.pdf

Bill Introduced to Transfer the Valles Caldera National Preserve to the National Park Service
Management of the Valles Caldera National Preserve would be transferred to the National Park Service under legislation by New Mexico's senators. Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall, both D-N.M., introduced the measure Thursday. According to a Government Accountability Office report, the northern New Mexico preserve is years behind schedule in developing a management control system, and a path to be financially self-sustained by 2015 will be a major challenge.
http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/environment/valles-caldera-may-move-to-park-service

Lecture Opportunity (Irvine, CA) - Life by the Lakes in Laguna Canyon
The Pacific Coast Archaeological Society's June 10th meeting will feature Roderic McLean, Paul E. Langenwalter II, and Joyce Stanfield Perry speaking on “Buried Sites Archaeology: Life by the Lakes in Laguna Canyon during the Intermediate and Late Prehistoric Period.” Meeting information: Thursday, June 10, 2010, 7:30 pm at the Irvine Ranch Water District, 15600 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine, CA. Meeting is free and open to the public.
http://www.pcas.org

The Ancient Maya Developed Rubber Compounds Hundreds of Year Before Goodyear
The researchers "have compiled a compelling case that ancient Mesoamerican peoples were the first polymer scientists, exerting substantial control over the mechanical properties of rubber for various applications," said materials scientist John McCloy of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, who was not involved in the research.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-rubber-20100531,0,1397986.story

"I told you I was sick" - The Last Wish of James Deetz
It was those close family ties that inspired Wheelock to carve Deetz's gravestone. Though he had no formal training in stone carving, he decided to do research and carve a replica of Deetz's favorite. That stone, which marks the grave of Elizabeth Tillson, is on Burial Hill in Plymouth, the cemetery where some of the first English colonists are buried. He found the reference to the Tillson stone in Deetz's book, "In Small Things Forgotten," which has a section on stones and stone carvers, he said. "I tried to research the cutter and it was in my house all along," he said
http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100530/NEWS/5300323

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

Representative Kirkpatrick Introduces Legislation to Expand Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

2010-05-25T15:19:00.000-07:00

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.

New Technologies for Archaeological Research

2010-05-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

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

Its Time to Start Planning for the Pecos Conference

2010-05-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

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.

Congresswoman Wants to Expand Nation's Oldest Archaeological Preserve

2010-05-03T14:00:00.002-07:00

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.

Rediscovered Notes Shed Light on the OK Corral Incident

2010-04-26T11:55:00.000-07:00

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

Rediscovered Notes Shed Light on the OK Corral Incident
Just days after the famous shootout at the O.K. Corral, the Cochise County coroner convened an inquest to hear testimony from the witnesses and survivors. On Wednesday, the yellowed and taped original handwritten minutes of that inquest made their way to the state Department of Library and Archives, where officials hope to properly preserve them so they're around for researchers for the next half-millennium.
http://tinyurl.com/2dzblla - Arizona Daily Star

Short Course on Preservation and Sustainability (New York)
Preservation and Sustainability addresses energy and resource-conscious design at both building and neighborhood scales through the strategies, tools and ethos of historic preservation. Topics will include ratings and metrics, planning for sustainability, and negotiating conflicting value systems. The course format will be seminar presentations, discussions, and site visits to projects in the city. Faculty will include John Anderson, Engineer, LEED AP; Jeffrey M. Chusid, Cornell University; Walter Sedovic, FAIA; Stephen Tilly, Architect. These courses are open to design professionals in private practice, government and non-profit agencies, and students in architecture, landscape architecture, planning and historic preservation. These courses are open to design professionals in private practice, government and non-profit agencies, and students in architecture, landscape architecture, planning and historic preservation.
http://www.preservation-shortcourse.org/

3 More Guilty Pleas in 4-Corners Looting Case
Three southern Utah men who admitted selling ancient artifacts taken from public land are the latest to plead guilty after a lengthy federal crackdown on theft and trafficking of American Indian relics in the Four Corners area. At a hearing in Moab on Friday, Nick Laws and Dale Lyman each pleaded guilty to one count of violating federal laws aimed at protecting artifacts on public and tribal lands. Aubry Patterson pleaded guilty to trafficking in stolen artifacts and theft of government property.
http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20100423/NEWS/100429750/1062/rss

Crow Canyon and BLM Video "Visit With Respect" Wins SAA Award
A short film produced in the Four Corners area has won a national award from the Society for American Archaeology during its 75th anniversary meeting held recently in St. Louis. “Visit With Respect” was one of 65 submissions to the Society for American
Archaeology’s 7.5 Film Fest. After initial review by the National Geographic Society, 30 films were selected for screening in St. Louis, with only four films, including “Visit With Respect” ultimately receiving awards.
http://www.archaeologychannel.org/content/video/visitrespect.html

14th Annual Sheep is Life Celebration, June 14-19, 2010
Diné be’ iiná (The Navajo Lifeway) presents the 14th Annual Sheep is Life Celebration
The Celebration will be held from June 14–19, 2010 at the Diné College Land Grant Program Facility in Tsailé, AZ, in the Navajo Nation. The Celebration is organized by Navajo sheep herders and weavers to honor the central role of sheep and fiber arts in the spirituality, philosophy, and daily life of cultures throughout the world. Everyone is invited to participate, bring tools, spindles, fibers, and creativity to share.
http://tinyurl.com/29hsmlt - the Navajo Lifeway.org

Havasupai Settle Blood Sample Case with ASU
An Arizona Indian tribe has ended a seven-year legal fight over blood samples members gave to university scientists for diabetes research that were later used to study schizophrenia, inbreeding and ancient population migration in what tribal members called a case of genetic piracy. The Havasupai Indians, who live deep in a gorge off the Grand Canyon, settled their lawsuits with Arizona State University in an agreement announced Wednesday and approved by the Legislature's Joint Legislative Budget Committee on Tuesday.
http://tinyurl.com/36zf8ug - Yahoo News

Lecture Opportunity (Sedona)
The Sedona Historical Society is hosting the next in their 2010 series of Living History presentations on Wednesday May 5 at 9:00 a.m. at the Sedona Heritage Museum. Speaker Micah Loma’omvaya is a Hopi tribal member of the Bear Clan from Songoopavi Village on Second Mesa, Arizona. Micah will discus the ancient routes the prehistoric people, the Hisatsinom, blazed thousands of years ago with destinations as varied as the landscape they traversed.
http://www.sedona.biz/hopi-talk-sedona042110.php

"What's up in the 13th century?" Free Field Trip - Grants, New Mexico
The suspects include changes in climate, governance, and spirituality. Ceramic designs, villages, geographic dispersion and more are in flux. We'll discuss these topics and more on a walk to some evidence, the Aldridge Petroglyph Panel in the Cebolla Wilderness of El Malpais National Conservation Area. Join us in celebrating the 10th anniversary of BLM's National Landscape Conservation System and meet on Saturday May 1st at 10
AM at the Ranger Station on State road 117. Drive 25 miles south and park.Walk slowly on level terrain for an hour. Bring a lunch and dine near the site. Be back at the vehicles around 2 PM. Bring 4 liters of water (2 for the walk & 2 for before and after), sturdy shoes, and outerwear in case of wind or a shower. Recommended are binocs for the bird life, hiking poles, hat & sunscreen. Info at 505.289.2918 or PYoder@BLM.gov Happy Trails!

Celebrate Mother’s Day at the Deer Valley Rock Art Center!
The Deer Valley Rock Art Center, a museum and archaeological site located in northwest Phoenix, is pleased to offer a Mother’s Day special. On May 9, 2010 from 8am to 2pm, we invite visitors to bring their mother to the Center for free! Pay one regular admission and your mom is free as we celebrate mothers on this special day.
http://dvrac.asu.edu

Did Clovis People Notice Climate Change?

2010-04-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

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

Archaeologists Suggest that Ancient Adaptations to Younger Dryas Climate Change Posed no Particular Hardship to Clovis Peoples

Paleoindian groups occupied North America throughout the Younger Dryas interval, which saw a rapid return to glacial conditions approximately 11,000 years ago. Until now, it has been assumed that cooling temperatures and their impact on communities posed significant adaptive challenges to those groups. David Meltzer from the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, USA, and Vance Holliday from the University of Arizona in Tucson, USA, suggest otherwise in their review of climatic and environmental records from this time period in continental North America, published in Springer’s Journal of World Prehistory.
http://tinyurl.com/y2epfj3 - Springer Media

Essay Takes an Dim View of the Closure of Homol'ovi Ruins State Park

One of the easiest targets in any governmental budget crisis is state parks. No individual park has much of a constituency, and lots of them are sparsely visited and collect admission fees on the honor system. Arizona decided to close five of its 30 state parks, a lot of them rural. The jewel of that crown is Homolovi Ruins State Park, which lies just south of the Hopi Nation and contains a lot of pottery (probably a lot undiscovered) and burial grounds and sundry amulets, tools and whatnot.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/04/15/DD681CUT7B.DTL

Phoenix Preservationists Seek to Preserve Fitch Farmhouse

An adobe farmhouse built in 1934, the Fitch Farmhouse has been proposed for historic landmark overlay zoning. The adobe bricks were made with mud excavated for the basement. Historic preservation would commemorate the legacy of the Fitch family. W. Larkin Fitch, who raised corn on a large farm, donated the land for Fitch Park where the Chicago Cubs train each spring.
http://tinyurl.com/y5t7lvy - Arizona Republic

Archaeological Forgeries Complicate Mexican Repatriation Case

Within the framework of actions that the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE), the Attorney General’s Office of Mexico (PGR) and the Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have coordinately adopted regarding the recovery of cultural property illegally taken from Mexican Territory... After performing a detailed analysis by direct inspection in the city of Munich, Germany, where the above mentioned seized pieces are being kept in custody, INAH experts found that 252 objects out of a total of 1029 are false, i.e., they are copies recently manufactured and thus do not belong to Mexico’s archaeological heritage.
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=37492

Photographers Focus upon Archaeological Preservation

Gustavsen-Stapleton Studios opened in 2005 when its owners received an assignment to capture the Southwest's prehistoric ruins. Anthem resident Cheryl Stapleton, 50, and New River's Gil Gustavsen, 56, teamed up when True West Magazine asked them to find and photograph vandalized ruins. The inquiry focused their New River-based business on photographing dwellings built by prehistoric people called the Hohokam and the Anasazi in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.
http://tinyurl.com/y2adef8 - Arizona Republic

Lecture Opportunity (Cortez)

Florence Lister and Gwinn Vivian to Share "Personal Reminiscences of Old Chaco"
On April 22, distinguished Southwestern archaeologists Florence Lister and Gwinn Vivian will talk about their experiences at Chaco Canyon in a presentation entitled “Personal Reminiscences of Old Chaco.” The talk is a Four Corners Lecture Series presentation and will be held at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, 23390 Road K, Cortez, at 7:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Lecture Opportunity (Glendale)

The Agua Fria Chapter of the Arizona Archaeology Society is offering a free lecture
on Petroglyphs of Perry Mesa, on Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at 7:00 PM at the Glendale
Public Library Auditorium, 5959 West Brown (south of Peoria Ave). Membership is not
required. The speaker, George DeLange, has been a mortician, science and math teacher, school administrator, Sheriff’s Deputy and judge. His main interest is archaeology and he has explored many archaeological sites in Arizona as well as over a hundred sites in Mexico, Central America and Peru. At the meeting, Mr. DeLange will discuss archaeoastronomy petroglyphs of Perry Mesa, including one which he believes to represent the supernova of 1054 AD.

Lecture Opportunity (Tubac)

“Tubac’s Presidio—Past and Present” is Topic of Santa Cruz Valley AAS Program May 13th. Local historian and president of the Tubac Historical Society Shaw Kinsley will give a presentation to the Santa Cruz Valley Chapter of the Arizona Archaeological Society on May 13, 2010, 7 PM, at the North County Facility at 50 Bridge Road in Tubac. His topic will be the Presidio San Ignacio de Tubac, from its founding in 1752 to today’s effort to maintain the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park in the face of the state’s elimination of funding. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Eastern Woodland Quarry Site is the Latest Feature on the Archaeology Channel

Pre-contact peoples in southeastern Ontario, Canada, were part of the Eastern Woodlands cultural sphere. This week we feature a spectacular example of this cultural connection in Legacy of Stone, the latest video feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel.
http://www.archaeologychannel.org

Thanks to Terry Colvin for contributing to today's newsletter.

New Exhibit at Arizona State Museum Highlights Clovis Era Naco Kill Site

2010-04-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

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

New Exhibit at Arizona State Museum Highlights Clovis Era Naco Kill Site
"The Naco site is arguably the best evidence for human killing of a mammoth in the world, in all of human prehistory," said Jesse Ballenger, a doctoral student in the University of Arizona School of Anthropology, whose thesis is on the topic.
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/44ad1162-9f23-58fe-92e9-3bc18a6f0996.html

Charges Upheld In Four Corners Looting Case
A federal judge has denied a request to dismiss 14 felony counts against a Utah man charged after a two-year federal investigation into illegal trafficking of American Indian artifacts.
http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20100412/NEWS/100419903/1058/rss

Hopi Ruins Threatened by Closure of State Park
As states across the country scramble to close budget gaps, many are targeting state parks. Arizona is the first to go through with it. In February, the state closed five of its 30 parks, and a number of them contain fragile archaeological sites.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125672892&ft=1&f=1003

Utah Prehistory Week to be Celebrated May 1-8
During Utah Prehistory Week you can learn about Utah's long-ago past and have fun while doing it. Statewide events will give you insight into groups who made their lives here for thousands of years...
http://history.utah.gov/archaeology/i_love_archaeology/prehistory_week/index.html

Cultural Resource Management in the Tularosa Basin
A diverse crew of archaeologists and interns are about to finish excavation of a large pre-Columbian site in a narrow strip of land on U.S. Highway 54 just south of Carrizozo. In a grid barely 100-feet wide and 200-feet long, three Navajos, a Pueblo-Comanche, two women of German and Jewish heritage, and two Mexican Americans have worked side by side since last October, despite roaring semi-tractor trailers, cars and recreational vehicles on the two-lane highway.
http://www.alamogordonews.com/ci_14879083

Recent Earthquake Damages Yuma Territorial Prison
Sunday's 7.2-magnitude earthquake has lent new urgency for the need to repair the sally port at Yuma Territorial Prison. "It was cracked already," said Charles Flynn, executive director of Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area, which took over operation of the state park on March 30. "There are now additional cracks," he said. "There has been further degradation of the sally port. The earthquake just added deterioration on the structure where we already saw deterioration."
http://www.yumasun.com/news/prison-57537-sallyport-need.html

Heritage Sites in Northern Baja California Not Damaged by Earthquake
The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) reports that Baja California cultural heritage presents no damage provoked by the earthquake of April 4th 2010. Baja California INAH Center informed that after several inspections conducted at main cultural centers and archaeological sites guarded by INAH, no affectations were reported.
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=37368

National Endowment for the Humanities offering Small Preservation Grants
Preservation Assistance Grants help small and mid-sized institutions—such as libraries, museums, historical societies, archival repositories, cultural organizations, town and county records offices, and colleges and universities—improve their ability to preserve and care for their humanities collections.
http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/pag.html

Publication Announcement: Archaeology and Cultural Resource Management: A Vision for the Future. Edited by Lynne Sebastian and William D. Lipe.
By most estimates, as much as 90 percent of the archaeology done in the United States today is carried out in the field of cultural resource management. The effects of this work on the archaeological record, the archaeological profession, and the heritage of the American people would be difficult to overemphasize.
http://tinyurl.com/y3vzrt2 - SAR Press

Lecture Opportunity (Albuquerque)
Eric Blinman, Ph.D. will present "The Rear View Mirror: 2000 Years of People and Climate Change in the Southwest" on Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 7:00 PM in the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science DynaTheater. Debates about climate change tend to lack a historical context. As we look back on the archaeological record of human and climate history in the Southwest, two conclusions are obvious: climate change will happen, and it will have consequences for our way of life. Admission will cost $5 public, $4 members, and $3 for students.

Lecture Opportunity (Tucson)
Monday, April 19th, 7:30 pm. The monthly Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society lecture will be given by Will Tsoise. Will's talk is entitled “Y á d i i l a, H á d i i l i ł ? !: Perspective from a practicing Native American archaeologist”. The lecture which is free and open to the public will be held at DuVal Auditorium, UMC, 1501 N. Campbell Ave, Tucson.
Thanks to Carrie Gregory, Gerald Kelso, Doug Kupel, and Paul Yoder for contributing to today's newsletter.

More Research on Clovis Era Comet Impact Hypothesis

2010-04-07T13:49:00.000-07:00

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

Vance Haynes and a Team of Arizona Archaeologists Determine Evidence for Clovis Era Comet Impact Flawed

A team of researchers from the University of Arizona has revisited evidence pointing to a cataclysmic event thought by many scientists to have wiped out the North American megafauna – such as mammoths, saber tooth cats, giant ground sloths and Dire wolves – along with the Clovis hunter-gatherer culture some 13,000 years ago. The team obtained their findings following an unusual, multidisciplinary approach and published them in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS).
http://uanews.org/node/31096

Younger Dryas Comet Impact Hypothesis - Astronomer Proposes Multiple Impacts from Portions of a Known Comet

A British astronomer has published new evidence that North America was strafed by thousands of fragments from a massive comet about 12,900 years ago, a theory he says is the best explanation yet for why the planet was plunged into a 1,000-year cooling period and dozens of Ice Age mammals went extinct at that time.
http://tinyurl.com/yahx5j3 - Canada.Com

Why Does the Younger Dryas Matter?
What caused the last great stab of cold 13,000 years ago? Almost overnight, it seems, something drove the gradually warming Northern Hemisphere back into the ice age for 1,000 years or more until warming resumed. People researching the behavior of ancient climate have been ruminating over this question for 20 years now, ever since they detected unexpectedly sharp changes in temperatures in a variety of sources -- ice cores, ocean sediments, pollen layers in old dirt.
http://news.discovery.com/earth/why-the-younger-dryas-matters.html

Dawn of the Anthropocene Epoch? Earth Has Entered New Age of Geological Time, Experts Say

Geologists from the University of Leicester are among four scientists- including a Nobel prize-winner -- who suggest that Earth has entered a new age of geological time. The Age of Aquarius? Not quite -- It's the Anthropocene Epoch, say the scientists writing in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. And they add that the dawning of this new epoch may include the sixth largest mass extinction in Earth's history.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100326101117.htm

Is Enforcement of Section 106 a "Government Taking?"

In the lawsuit, filed in Federal District Court in Providence in August, Downing claimed the measures the state had taken to prevent it from developing the subdivision had amounted to a “de facto” taking of the property. The state is seeking to create a public archaeology park out of private land that Downing had already started to develop, not only violating the developer’s private property rights but also causing it considerable financial harm, the lawsuit states.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/realestate/commercial/07indian.html

Native America, Archaeology, and Development

Legally, Native Americans have a growing role in shaping the cultural preservation process. They have an unofficial role too: giving voice to our ambivalence about "progress."
http://crosscut.com/2010/04/05/mossback/19726/

Traces of Early Native Americans -- In Sunflower Genes

ScienceDaily (Apr. 3, 2010) — New information about early Native Americans' horticultural practices comes not from hieroglyphs or other artifacts, but from a suite of four gene duplicates found in wild and domesticated sunflowers.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100402110131.htm

Shelby Tisdale Nominated to NAGPRA Review Committee:

The director of the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture and the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe has been chosen to serve as a member of the Smithsonian Institution's Native American Repatriation Review Committee. Shelby Tisdale was nominated by the board of the Society for Applied Anthropology.
http://www.kob.com/article/stories/s1494099.shtml?cat=504

Monthly Presentations Help Preserve Navajo Culture

The staff at the Navajo Nation Museum is on a mission to preserve Navajo language and culture. Part of the effort includes monthly cultural presentations that have now been going on for more than a year. For many of the participants, the information from the presentations is something they had once known. “It’s good. It’s something that comes back to you,” said Nellie Beno of Tselani-Cottonwood. “When you’re small, you don’t think about it.”
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/living/89269417.html

"Finding" Folsom

I first heard of Folsom Man more than 50 years ago when, as an undergraduate at the University of Texas, I took a beginning course in archaeology. To this day, I remain fascinated by his story.
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Folsom-s-early-fossil-hunters

Legal Brief Details the Dispute over a Reversion Clause Within a Conservation Easement

The Case of The Archaeological Conservancy V. Wilson Land And Cattle Company.
http://www.leagle.com/unsecure/page.htm?shortname=intxco20100330455

Jr Ranger Day at Gila River Cliff Dwellings

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument will celebrate Junior Ranger Day on Saturday, April 24th with an entire day of free family-friendly activities. Learn about the Ancient Peoples who once inhabited this region, and attend a variety of presentations on the wildlife of the Monument.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/gcd_jr_r.doc

Lecture Opportunity (Sedona)

Dr. Riley will present these findings from his latest book, "Becoming Aztlan," at the Distinguished Speaker Series hosted by the Verde Valley Chapter of the Arizona Archaeological Society on April 22 at 7:00 pm at the Sedona Creative Life Center, 333 Schnebly Hill Road, Sedona, AZ. This free lecture presentation is open to the public as part of the Society's mission to increase public understanding of the richness of Arizona's archaeological heritage. Aided by extensive illustrations, Dr. Riley will argue that although the Southwest remained "southwestern" in its basic economy, there were drastic changes beginning around AD 1200 that transformed societies and religious life throughout the region. For more information call the Verde Valley Chapter at 928-284-4764.

Lecture Opportunity (Irvine)

The Pacific Coast Archaeological Society's April 8th meeting will feature Dr. Nancy Anastasia Wiley speaking on “Bolsa Chica Archaeology: A Tribute to Hal Eberhart - Part One: The Sites.” Meeting information: Thursday, April 8, 2010, 7:30 pm at the Irvine Ranch Water District, 15600 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine, CA. Meeting is free and open to the public.
http://www.pcas.org

Connections between the Ancient Mediterranean and Sub Saharan Africa is the Latest Feature on the Archaeology Channel

For millennia a link between the Mediterranean world and sub-Saharan Africa, Mauritania today is one of the poorest and least known countries in the world. We like to bring attention to such places, so we offer you Eyes in the Eyes, the latest video feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel.
http://www.archaeologychannel.org

Employment Opportunity - Archaeological Field Supervisor (Southern Arizona)

The Center for Desert Archaeology has an opening for an archaeologist to serve as Field Supervisor on a Site Relocation and Assessment project in portions of Arizona and possibly southwest New Mexico. The position entails the planning and organization of field site visits, supervision of an archaeological field technician, field data collection and management, and subsequent report preparation. The posting is for a full-time temporary, 10 week position beginning in mid-May to early June. The position pay is $18/hour.
http://www.cdarc.org/2010/04/07/employment-001/

Employment Opportunity – Archaeological Field Technician (Southern Arizona)

The Center for Desert Archaeology has an opening for an Archaeological Field Technician to assist in a Site Relocation and Assessment project in portions of Arizona and possibly southwest New Mexico. The position will be supervised by a Field Supervisor and will require familiarity with site recordation, and use of global positioning systems, (Trimble proficiency preferred). The posting is for a full-time temporary, 8 week position beginning in mid-May to early June. The position pay is $9/hour.
http://www.cdarc.org/2010/04/07/employment-002/

Employment Opportunity - Project Director (US Southwest)
Harris Environmental Group, Inc. is seeking an archaeological Project Director (PD) to direct compliance projects for state, federal, and commercial clients. Archaeological experience in the Southwestern United States is required. The position will assist with project development, direction, coordination and quality control for cultural resource management projects while expanding our archaeological and historical consulting team. Responsibilities will include project direction (including some fieldwork and possibly travel), training of staff, oversight of field directors, and producing quality reports, managing multiple projects, and budgets. Candidates must have an M.A. or Ph.D. in Anthropology or Archaeology and a minimum of five years of work experience and two to three years experience as a PD. Compensation package will be commensurate with experience. To apply, please email resume and letter of interest to Lisa Harris, Ph.D. President, at lharris@heg-inc.com

Thanks to Adrianne Rankin for contributions to today's newsletter

Gathering in Tucson to Honor the Memory of Dwight Riggs

2010-03-30T10:48:00.000-07:00

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

Gathering in Tucson to Honor the Memory of Dwight Riggs

Dwight left his friends with many memories. Memories yet to share. There is now a chance to meet with Dwight's diverse cadre of friends and give him the honor he is due. Dwight's family will be visiting Tucson on May 2, 2010, please plan to join them at Agua Caliente Park, 9:30 am to 12 pm.
Http://www.cdarc.org/sat/dwight_memorial.pdf

Utah State University Plans to Convert Historic Barn into Anthropology Museum

The aging, roughly 90-year-old "Art Barn" will be transformed into the USU Museum of Anthropology as early as December 2012. The remodeling will need a $4 million fundraising drive, said Museum of Anthropology Director Bonnie Pitblado. But even in a sagging economy, Pitblado is confident donors will pitch in. The project is a top priority for the university's College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, she said.
http://tinyurl.com/y9xm69o - Deseret News

Two Accused In Blanding Raids Expected to Plead Guilty

Two Moab residents accused of selling ancient tribal artifacts including a scrap of blanket or clothing, a loom component and a stone hoe stolen from public land may plead guilty next week. Brent Bullock, 62, faces five felony charges. His co-defendant, Tammy Shumway, 40, faces four felonies. They are scheduled to appear at a plea hearing Monday before U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball, court papers say. Bullock and Shumway, previously had been set to go to trial on May 3.
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14758618?source=rss

Update on Grapevine Canyon Petroglyph Vandalism

A 20-year-old Bullhead City, Ariz., man is suspected of vandalizing petroglyphs at Grapevine Canyon in Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Federal officials said the man was cited for defacing/disturbing an archaeological resource, using and discharging a weapon, littering and vandalism.
http://tinyurl.com/ykoarba - Arizona Republic

Archaeology Month to Be Celebrated at the V-Bar-V Ranch Near Sedona

In celebration of Archaeology Month, the Red Rock Ranger District of the Coconino National Forest and volunteer partners are hosting V Bar V Archaeology Discovery Days and Agave Roast, Friday April 16 through Sunday April 18, 2010, 9:30 am - 3pm.
http://www.sedona.biz/v-bar-v-archaeology-days-sedona041710.php

National Park Service Plans Another Week of Free Admissions

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that all 392 national parks will have free admission during National Park Week, April 17 to 25. Parks will also offer additional family friendly activities and special offers on tours, lodging, food, and souvenirs. A listing of parks and promotions is available at the link below.
http://www.nps.gov/npweek

Museum of Northern Arizona Announces Summer Festival Schedule

The Museum of Northern Arizona has been a strong supporter of the region’s natural and cultural heritage for more than 80 years. This year the museum will feature four festivals and a variety of shows that will continue to promote the strong cultures in the area; cultures that reflect those of the Zuni, Hopi, Navajo and Havasupai along with many others.
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/living/tourism/89266352.html

Reminder - Huhugam Ki Museum to Host New Exhibit

"Pieces of the Puzzle - New Perspectives on the Hohokam" opens on Saturday March 27th 2010 at 10am, the Huhugam Ki Museum will open its doors allowing the public to view the traveling exhibit from the Center for Desert Archaeology, entitled "Pieces of the Puzzle: New Perspectives on the Hohokam." Research for this particular exhibit includes artifacts already excavated and cataloged in museum repositories from the state including Arizona State Museum and Pueblo Grande Museum. Research and theory had been put together by leading archeologists and museum fellows to present new perspectives on how the Hohokam are viewed by the scientific and anthropological fields.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/pieces_press_release.doc - MS Word Document

Lecture Opportunity, Deer Valley Rock Art Center (Phoenix)

For prehistoric Southwest peoples, ceramic art was more than something to set on a shelf and admire. It was something to use for meals, for drinking, to carry water and store food, or to incorporate into a ceremony. Barbara Moulard, a faculty associate in the Herberger Institute School of Art, will give a free lecture on the painted ceramic art of prehistoric Southwest peoples, titled “Re-Creating the Word: Painted Ceramics of the Prehistoric Southwest,” at 1 p.m., April 3 at Arizona State University’s Deer Valley Rock Art Center.
http://asunews.asu.edu/20100315_ceramicslecture

National Preservation Institute to Offer Class in Conflict Resolution

Conflict Resolution and Consultation Tools for Cultural and Natural Resource Projects, Richmond, VA - May 18-20, 2010 in cooperation with the University of Virginia, Institute for Environmental Negotiation, and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Laws and regulations related to cultural and natural resources often require participatory processes that can be mired in conflict and misunderstanding. Projects frequently can be more effectively navigated when stakeholders use collaborative processes to identify and resolve problems during consultation. Learn how to design and manage a collaborative process and how to use a range of tools associated with negotiation and consensus building through participatory role-plays, interactive exercises, and case studies. An agenda is available online at the link below.
http://www.npi.org

Employment Opportunity (Silver City)

Silver City Mainstreet Project seeks a new manager. The position is full time, with a salary of $30,000, and the application deadline is April 16, 2010. Contact Name: Laurie Bentley, Vice President at 575-534-9005 or by email at scmainstreetasst@gilanet.com. The national award-winning Silver City MainStreet Project is celebrating 25 years of service to Silver City in May 2010. It is recognized as one of the most successful programs in New Mexico. The Mission Statement is "To encourage a vibrant, historic downtown which is recognized as the heart of our diverse community."
http://www.silvercitymainstreet.com/JobListing/tabid/498/Default.aspx

Thanks to Carrie Gregory, Gerald Kelso and Doug Kupel for contributions for today's newsletter.

Change to NAGPRA Regulations Ensures Museums Repatriate Culturally Unidentifiable Human Remains

2010-03-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

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

Change to NAGPRA Regulations Ensures Museums Repatriate Culturally Unidentifiable Human Remains

A change in the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act may force the University of Michigan’s Museum of Anthropology — as well as museums across the country — to redistribute their collections of Native American human remains. On Monday, a NAGPRA committee approved a change in the act that will force museums to inform Native American tribes that “culturally unidentifiable” remains found in their tribal regions may potentially be returned to them.
http://tinyurl.com/ybbkd3w - Michigan Daily

Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community’s, Huhugam Ki Museum to Host “Pieces of the Puzzle – New Perspectives on the Hohokam”

On Saturday March 27th 2010 at 10am, the Huhugam Ki Museum will open its doors allowing the public to view the traveling exhibit from Tucson’s Center for Desert Archaeology, entitled “Pieces of the Puzzle: New Perspectives on the Hohokam.” Research for this particular exhibit includes artifacts already excavated and cataloged in museum repositories from the state including Arizona State Museum and Pueblo Grande Museum. Research and theory had been put together by leading archeologists and museum fellows to present new perspectives on how the Hohokam are viewed by the scientific and anthropological fields.
http://www.cdarc.org/satpieces_press_release.doc - MS Word Document

Arguing for a Much Earlier Colonization of the New World
Two U.S. scientists have published a radical new theory about when, where and how humans migrated to the New World, arguing that the peopling of the Americas may have begun via Canada's High Arctic islands and the Northwest Passage -- much farther north and at least 10,000 years earlier than generally believed. The hypothesis -- described as "speculative" but "plausible" by the researchers themselves -- appears in the latest issue of the journal Current Biology, which features a special series of new studies tracing humanity's proliferation out of Africa and around the world beginning about 70,000 years ago.
http://tinyurl.com/y86lsmn - Vancouver Sun

Colonial Spanish Empire Utilized an Ancient Roman Perspective on the New World

The Getty Villa, California's temple to ancient Greece and Rome, is currently hosting a show of objects and manuscripts from the earliest days of Nueva España. What's the connection? "From the moment Europeans went to Mexico, … they encountered a culture that was so unfamiliar, the only frame of reference they had was their knowledge of Roman antiquity."
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-aztecs21-2010mar21,0,6456017.story

Local Funding to Keep a Few Arizona State Parks Open

Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park is one of six Arizona state parks slated for closure that will stay open, at least for now. The state Parks Board on Wednesday approved agreements to accept money from city governments and other state agencies to keep some parks open. Agreements with the cities of Camp Verde, Yuma and Tombstone call for those cities to take over part or all of the operations at Fort Verde, Yuma Territorial Prison and Tombstone Courthouse state historic parks.
http://tinyurl.com/ydteocu - Arizona Daily Star

Petroglyphs Near Tucson Vandalized

Vandals have damaged priceless petroglyphs - ancient rock carvings - at popular Picture Rocks northwest of Tucson. The vandalism incidents, which occurred over the past three years, prompted owners of the site to post warning signs and call for vigilance by visitors. "People have been seen vandalizing petroglyphs. There has been some damage - defacing of the rocks," said Peter Tran, assistant director of the Redemptorist Renewal Center, 7101 W. Picture Rocks Road.
http://tinyurl.com/yfto93a - Arizona Daily Star

The Petroglyphs of Grapevine Canyon, Nevada

History buffs travel for many miles to explore Grapevine Canyon near Laughlin, Nevada because of a site in the canyon full of ancient and fascinating drawings. The wide varieties of Native American petroglyphs are found on the canyon walls and in the caves. The tribes that created the petroglyphs are unknown but thought to be the Mojave. They probably farmed nearby and retreated to the canyon when the Colorado River flooded.
http://tinyurl.com/yeg4dgr - The Galt Herald Online

National Park Service Finds Ways to Save Money and Fund Additional Projects

The National Park Service (NPS) announced recently that favorable pricing on its American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) large construction projects has resulted in savings of over 20 percent totaling approximately $129 million. The Service will use these dollars to fund an additional 30 high priority projects across the country putting additional people to work in ways that will leave a permanent legacy for our national parks through critical facility improvements, infrastructure repairs, and energy efficiency enhancements.
http://tinyurl.com/ylew8b4 - Public Works.Com

Travelouge - Canyon de Chelly

I feel a sense of mystery and adventure while crossing the sweeping Arizona high desert toward this hidden place. A black ribbon of tarmac rises and falls down the road ahead. Arid pasture land, spotted with free-range livestock, flows by. Few passing cars break a spell of isolation from the outside world of Interstates. Only the modest settlement at Chinle restores any perception of civilization in this wilderness. Still, there is no hint of the beauty to be found below the plateau surface awaiting me at Canyon de Chelly pronounced "day-shay."
http://tinyurl.com/y88sra9 - San Diego Source

Scientology Founder's Phoenix Home Listed on National Register

About one hundred local residents of the Arcadia and surrounding Phoenix neighborhoods gathered as the sun set opposite Camelback Mountain on Friday to celebrate the designation of the L. Ron Hubbard House by The National Register of Historic Places in Washington D.C. as a "historic place worthy of preservation." Keynote speaker Mr. Bill Runyon, historian and chairman of the L. Ron Hubbard Foundation in Washington D.C. stated: “During the almost three-year period (1952-1954) when L. Ron Hubbard lived in the suburban home, he formulated his main ideas about the soul and produced writings and lectures to help Man from a spiritual viewpoint. Here is where the religion of Scientology was born.
http://tinyurl.com/yg7ryta - Yahoo News

Thanks to Terry Colvin for contributing to today's newsletter.

Santo Domingo Pueblo Reestablishes Traditional Pueblo Name

2010-03-15T11:03:00.000-07:00

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

Santo Domingo Pueblo Reestablishes Traditional Pueblo Name

The tribal seal now says Kewa (KEE-wah) Pueblo. Tribal councilors for what has been known as Santo Domingo Pueblo late last year unanimously changed the pueblo's name back to what it was traditionally. Former pueblo Gov. Everett Chavez, who proposed the change, says Kewa is how the tribe's people refer to themselves.
http://www.newswest9.com/Global/story.asp?S=12115964

Arizona Blogger Questions True Costs of Closing Arizona State Parks

Well, it's making national news: Arizona is closing many of its state parks because of budget problems. My father called this week from the East Coast asking if it's true. Sadly, I see the reasoning and the why; however, a problem remains in keeping the parks secure. State parks officials are struggling to figure out how they're going to keep closed state parks free of vandals and looters. The first wave of closures began Feb. 22.
http://tinyurl.com/y8b4s7o - Prescott Daily Courier

Resurrected Arizona State Museum Southwest Indian Art Fair Benefit, at Desert Diamond Casino

On March 27 and 28, 2010, Meet 100 Native artists and shop for top-quality handmade artwork including pottery, Hopi kachina dolls, paintings, jewelry, baskets, rugs, blankets, and more. Saturday 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Sunday 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., adult admission $6 (members $5). Proceeds go directly to strengthening SWIAF 2011. We are grateful for the expertise of the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance and the generosity of Desert Diamond Casino in helping to make this benefit a reality. Special thanks to Madden Media/Tucson Guide.
http://www.southernazfestivals.org/indianartfair.html

Tour Opportunity (Flagstaff)

Celebrate archaeology month by taking a guided walk with an expert to Keyhole Sink, a petroglyph site in the Kaibab National Forest west of Flagstaff. The free hikes are at 2 p.m. Saturdays in March. Creeks are flowing as a result of the wet winter, and "there's almost guaranteed to be a waterfall" next to the petroglyph site, said Neil Weintraub, archaeologist at the forest's Williams Ranger District.
http://tinyurl.com/ybtrrc8 - Arizona Republic

Exhibit Celebrating the Life and Work of Michael Kabotie Opens at MNA

A monumental and stark-white triptych hangs against lava-blue walls inside what is now called the Walking in Harmony gallery at the Museum of Northern Arizona. The 6-foot by 15-foot panel seems blank, but a closer inspection reveals delicate blue outlines on the left panel, the beginnings of a sketch of images yet to come. The Zen-like work has a name, and an artist: "3 Ladies of the Americas," by Michael Kabotie, a much-respected Hopi painter, printmaker, jeweler, poet and spiritual seeker.
http://tinyurl.com/y8aulb2 - Arizona Daily Sun

Analysis of Alabama Case Pitting Archaeological Preservation Against Urban Sprawl

Overlooking the Interstate and an outdoor shopping mall here stands a sad little hill, bald but for four bare trees and a scattering of stones. That the stones are there is beyond argument. But everything else about them — whether somebody put them there, how long they have been there and what should be done with them — became a matter of fierce debate last summer and has continued to yield surprising twists into recent weeks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/14/us/14oxford.html

Lecture Opportunity (Tucson)
Steve Lekson will present "Chimney Rock and Chaco Canyon, Pinnacle and Mesa Verde: Ancestral Pueblo Regional Dynamics" at the monthly meeting of the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society. Tonight, Monday, March 15th 7:30 pm DuVal Auditorium, University Medical Center, 1501 N Campbell Ave. The AAHS will have Dr. Lekson's newest book A History of the Ancient Southwest for sale at a discounted price of $32.00 to benefit the archaeology society.

Reminder - Archaeology Cafe (Tucson)
The Center for Desert Archaeology and Casa Vicente invite all to the next meeting of Archaeology Café, a casual, happy hour-style discussion forum dedicated to promoting community engagement with cultural and scientific research. Join us Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 6:00 p.m for Steve Lekson's presentation on "Where Did the Mimbres Go, and Where Did Casas Grandes Come From?" The cafe will be held at Casa Vicente, 375 S. Stone Avenue, Tucson, AZ. The event is free and open to the community—all are welcome. Guests are encouraged to support our host, Casa Vicente, by buying their own food and drinks.
http://www.tinyurl.com/yzl3ftc - Center for Desert Archaeology

Native American Grant Opportunity with IMLS

The Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services program promotes enhanced learning and innovation within museums and museum related organizations, such as cultural centers. The program provides opportunities for Native American tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge by strengthened museum services in the following areas:Programming: Services and activities that support the educational mission of museums and museum related organizations. Professional development: Education or training that builds skills, knowledge, or other professional capacity for persons who provide of manage museum service activities. Individuals may be paid or volunteers. Enhancement of museum services: Support for activities that enable and improve museum services. Eligible applicants are: federally recognized Indian tribes, Alaskan Native Villages and corporations, and, organizations that primarily serve and represent Native Hawaiians. For more information about these IMLS grant programs, contact: Sandra Narva, Senior Program Officer, Phone: (202) 653-4634, E-mail: snarva@imls.gov or Reagan Moore, Program Specialist, Phone: (202) 653-4637, E-mail: rmoore@imls.gov.

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

Suicides Continue to ComplicateFour-Corners Looting Prosecutions

2010-03-10T15:40:00.000-08:00

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

Suicides Complicate Blanding Looting Case

For 90 tense minutes last month, Sheriff Mike Lacy in Utah tried to prevent yet another person connected to the theft of Native American artifacts from committing suicide. Two defendants had already taken their own lives after federal authorities charged 24 people in June with looting Native American sites in the West. Now a despondent relative of a third defendant had called Lacy. The sheriff of San Juan County kept the caller on the phone until deputies could arrive and make sure everything was OK. But there was still another suicide to come.
http://tinyurl.com/yhgpxcs - LA Times

More on the Suicide of Ted Gardiner

A suicidal man who shot and killed himself during a confrontation with police Monday was the informant who helped federal officials in a case involving stolen Indian artifacts in the Four Corners region. A lover of Native American culture, the work Ted Dan Gardiner, 52, did for the FBI was work he did voluntarily, his son Dustin Gardiner said. He wanted to protect a history that was important to him.
http://tinyurl.com/ygw9z3k - Deseret News

Join the Center for Desert Archaeology at Our Next Archaeology Cafe (Tucson)

The Center for Desert Archaeology and Casa Vicente invite all to the next meeting of Archaeology Café, a casual, happy hour-style discussion forum dedicated to promoting community engagement with cultural and scientific research. Join us Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 6:00 p.m for Steve Lekson's presentation on "Where Did the Mimbres Go, and Where Did Casas Grandes Come From?" The cafe will be held at Casa Vicente, 375 S. Stone Avenue, Tucson, AZ. The event is free and open to the community—all are welcome. Guests are encouraged to support our host, Casa Vicente, by buying their own food and drinks.
http://www.tinyurl.com/yzl3ftc - Center for Desert Archaeology

William Lipe to Present and Discus the Archaeology of Lake Powell (Cortez, Co)

Two million visitors per year fish, play or soak in the waters of Lake Powell, but the area once was the heart of the most rugged and least populated part of the American Southwest. Archaeologist William Lipe, professor of anthropology at Washington State University, will be in Cortez, Colo., on Friday to present memories of Glen Canyon, a place transformed forever when the man-made lake flooded the area.
http://www.daily-times.com/farmington-news/ci_14632223?source=rss

New Book on Pueblo Revolt Dismisses Traditional Western Concepts of Native Histories

Historical, archaeological and anthropological portrayals of Native American experiences, especially during colonial periods, have focused on the decimation of indigenous populations through rampant disease, cultural extinction and military conquest. But a new book by anthropologist and archaeologist Michael Wilcox argues that we've got the story all wrong. In The Pueblo Revolt and the Mythology of Conquest, Wilcox, an assistant professor of anthropology, argues that the real story of Native peoples in the Americas as reflected in New Mexico has a lot more to do with cultural brutality than disease. And it is infinitely more compelling than the lessons we're taught in school.
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2010/march/wilcox-native-american-030310.html

Single State Legislator Torpedoes Plan to Save Arizona State Parks

A single legislator is blocking a plan to ask voters to permanently fund the state parks system with a surcharge on vehicle license fees. Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, refuses to schedule a hearing on HCR 2040 in the Appropriations Committee, which he chairs, and will not agree to have the measure withdrawn from his committee.
http://azstarnet.com/article_e9a60aaf-dc27-531e-84af-76273b535bfd.html

Lecture Opportunity (Irvine)

The Pacific Coast Archaeological Society's March 11th meeting will feature Dr. Gary Stickel speaking on “Ice Age Man in Malibu: The Clovis Culture Discovery at the Farpoint Site.” Meeting information: Thursday, March 11, 2010, 7:30 pm at the Irvine Ranch Water District, 15600 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine, CA. Meeting is free and open to the public. For information:
Http://www.pcas.org

New Exhibit on Perry Mesa Opens at Pueblo Grande

Phoenix’s Pueblo Grande Museum is thrilled to announce the opening of a new exhibit featuring an exploration of a stunning geographic and cultural landmark in central Arizona. Landscape Legacies: The Art and Archaeology of Perry Mesa will be opening on March 5, 2010. Visitors can explore the interaction of the environment and people that form the cultural landscape of Perry Mesa through the photographer’s lens, and through the scientific examination of a changing archaeological landscape.
http://www.evliving.com/2010/03/05/perry-mesa-exhibit/

Grand Canyon Hosts Third Annual Alternative Spring Break

Grand Canyon National Park will host the third annual Alternative Spring Break program sponsored by the Student Conservation Association (SCA), in partnership with American Eagle Outfitters. Grand Canyon is the only site hosting an SCA Alternative Spring Break program this year. The program gives college students the opportunity to spend their spring break volunteering in one of America’s iconic national parks. Students will work with park and SCA staff on a variety of projects directly leading to the preservation and protection of Grand Canyon’s natural and cultural resources. The two one-week sessions begin on March 15. For more information, please contact Kassy Theobald, Restoration Biologist, Grand Canyon National Park, at 928-638-7857 or kassandra_theobald@nps.gov.

Grand Canyon National Park to Celebrate Archeology Day

On Saturday, March 27, Grand Canyon National Park will celebrate Archeology Day. This event provides park visitors with the opportunity to learn more about native peoples who inhabited the Grand Canyon long ago. Visitors can gain a greater understanding of what archeologists do and how their work informs an understanding of the past. Archeology Day will feature a series of special, family-friendly activities at Grand Canyon Visitor Center between the hours of 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., including opportunities to make clay pinch pots and split-twig figurines and to “sift for artifacts.” There will also be two special evening programs associated with the event: Vanishing Treasures archeologist Ian Hough will share new archeological research in Grand Canyon on March 26, and Park Guide Jennifer Onufer will share her experiences on an archeology trip down the Colorado River on March 27. For more information, please contact Libby Schaaf, Supervisory Park Ranger, at 928-638-7641.
http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/arch_day.htm

Save America's Treasures and Preserve America Remain on the Federal Budget Chopping Block

As Hillary Rodham Clinton was leaving the White House, she asked Laura Bush first lady to first lady to continue one program if nothing else - the historic preservation program Save America's Treasures. Mrs. Bush said she knew about the project and pledged to see it through. Now, the grant program Clinton created that helped restore the original star-spangled banner, Rosa Parks' bus, President Lincoln's summer cottage in Washington and hundreds of sites across the country is on the current administration's chopping block.
http://dailymail.com/News/NationandWorld/201003070562

Farming on the Gila in Ancient and Modern Times

Long before the city of Coolidge was established, the Gila River Valley flourished with then inhabitants the Hohokam natives (sic). The Hohokam culture was the way of life in this area from approximately 300 B.C. to 1450 A.D. when the tribe up and left the area and the remains of their presence in the dust. The reason for their move is still unclear but resulted in the name Hohokam, which is a Tohono O’odham word that translates into ‘those who have gone.”
http://tinyurl.com/yz9ankz - Coolidge Examiner

Archaeology Month in Northern Arizona

Throughout the month of March, Flagstaff area national monuments will host several activities in honor of Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month. In the Flagstaff area, more than 3,000 archeological sites have been recorded to date. Some of the artifacts found in the park are more than 1,000 years old. Through a combination of archeological information and the oral traditions of present-day tribes, park rangers are able to help park visitors learn more about how the Ancestral Pueblo people lived and how their descendants continue many of the traditions and life-ways today.
http://www.azdailysun.com/news/local/7099dde8-9aa3-5ccc-82fb-4998f913b2d9.html

"Finding Clovis" is the Latest Feature on the Archaeology Channel

The search for the first Americans remains a high-profile quest sparking lots of debate. You can get familiar with some of the recent thinking on the subject, with a focus on South Carolina’s Topper Site, by watching Finding Clovis, the latest video feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel.
http://www.archaeologychannel.org

Dept of Agriculture Seeking Compromise to Protect Native Religious Rights and Prevent the use of Effluent at Snowbowl, Arizona Senators Outraged

A federal agency is pressing the city of Flagstaff to offer potable water for snowmaking at Arizona Snowbowl that does not come directly from reclaimed wastewater. In addition, Snowbowl could get government aid to cover the $11 million in higher costs for the water over 20 winters. Arizona's two U.S. senators are blasting the plan as a waste of taxpayer money and a violation of court decisions in favor of making snow at Snowbowl with treated effluent.
http://tinyurl.com/y8kstlo - Arizona Daily Sun

Employment Opportunity (Az Army - National Guard - Phoenix)

The Environmental Branch, Facilities Management Office (FMO) at the Arizona Department of Emergency & Military Affairs / Arizona Army National Guard is seeking an archaeologist for their facilities statewide. My understanding is that the job announcement is not yet available, but it will be posted very shortly -- within the next few days. Here is what you can do if you are interested in obtaining the position: A. Visit https://secure.azstatejobs.gov/ and register or log on or log in (get in the system as a registered user) B. Complete your registration in the database and create or upload your curriculum vitae or resume and make sure it is active in the system. C. Send and email cover letter to Major John Ladd <>. Attach a copy of your digital CV or resume, so as position supervisor, he knows of your interest in the position D. The Arizona Department of Administration (DOA) selection process will be conducted, including official application, in-person and phone interviews, reference checks, and background checks.

Thanks to Cherie Freeman, Carrie Gregory, Brian Kenny and Michael D Mauer for contributions to today's newsletter.

Utah Politicians Fighting Against Archaeological Law Enforcement

2010-03-02T14:36:00.000-08:00

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

Utah Legislature Seeks to Limit Federal Law Enforcement
Kane County Sheriff Lamont Smith said the federal encroachment has been so broad that federal rangers have taken to writing tickets for everything from expired registrations to broken tail lights to violators stopped on U.S. 89 near Lake Powell. As an example of what they say is "encroachment," Noel and the sheriffs pointed to events like last spring's federal raid that led to more than two dozen arrests of people accused of stealing or possessing Native American artifacts and a May showdown between BLM agents and off-road enthusiasts at the Paria River corridor.
http://tinyurl.com/ygddzt3 - Deseret News

Utah Politicians Express Outrage over Potential Cedar Mesa National Monument Designation
A leaked memo from the U.S. Department of the Interior has raised the prospect that the Cedar Mesa area in San Juan County could be designated as a national monument. The monument could be designated without Congressional approval or public input through the Antiquities Act. The same course was used near San Juan County in the 1996 designation of the Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument in adjacent Garfield and Kane counties and in the 1999 designation of the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument in adjacent Montezuma and Dolores counties in Colorado. While federal officials downplayed the document and stated that it is just a “draft memo”, the response was strong among Congressional, state and local officials.
http://www.sjrnews.com/pages/full_story/full_story?content_instance_id=6450758

Accused Artifact Trafficker Claims Federal Misconduct
The brother of a Utah sheriff accused federal agents Tuesday of misconduct when they arrested him last June for allegedly trafficking in ancient American Indian artifacts. David Lacy testified in federal court in Salt Lake City that heavily armed agents stormed his house and held him for hours while grilling him about his collection of artifacts -- all without reading him his Miranda rights against self-incrimination. Two agents earlier testified on Tuesday that they did everything properly.
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=9789863

Last Call for Nominations - Arizona Awards in Public Archaeology
Dear Friends of Archaeology: Just a reminder that the deadline for nominations for the 2010 Governor's Archaeology Advisory Commission's Awards in Public Archaeology is March 15, 2010. The Nomination Form is attached for your convenience. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Thanks!, Ann Howard, SHPO
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/2010_gaac_award_nom.doc

March is Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month
The idea is to increase awareness of Arizona's remarkable history and prehistory, and to serve as a reminder of the importance of preserving and protecting these non-renewable resources. "Once they're gone, that's it; they're gone forever," said Ann Howard, the public archaeology programs manager for the State Historic Preservation Office, which sponsors the month. Dozens of parks - city, state and federal - as well as museums and other agencies are participating in the program, now in its 27th year.
http://tinyurl.com/yfd2h67 - Arizona Republic

Homol'ovi Village Cluster At Risk
Wandering across her parents' cattle ranch in the 1950s, Georgia Nagel often found pottery shards, petroglyphs and other remnants of an ancient Anasazi village along the Little Colorado River. Unfortunately for Homolovi Ruins and its treasures, so did a lot of people with less honorable intentions.
http://www.azdailysun.com/news/local/b661729b-c38d-51cf-b17c-92dc3e99eef8.html

Introduction to Historic Preservation Class Offered at Arizona-Nevada History Convention
This "Introduction to Historic Preservation" workshop is offered as a
pre-conference workshop in conjunction with the Arizona-Nevada History
Convention. Registration for the workshop is separate from the conference. For more information about the convention please visit the website linked below. Please feel free to share this information with anyone you think would be interested. The class will be held Thursday, April 15, 8:00 a.m. – 11:45 p.m., at the Aquarius Casino Resort, 1900 S. Casino Drive, Laughlin, NV, 89029.
Http://www.arizonahistory.org

Ancient Technology Days at Pueblo Grande to Continue (Public Archaeology Opportunity)
Pueblo Grande Museum will be hosting its annual Ancient Technology Day at Pueblo Grande Museum on Saturday, March 13th from 10am to 3pm. I know that the Arch Expo is not a go for this year so PGM thought if anyone is interested in setting up a booth at our Ancient Technology event, you are more than welcome to. If you are interested please email me as soon as possible. You will need to provide your own table, chairs and canopies. We will have atlatl throwing, flintknapping, fire starting, shell jewelry, pottery firing, gourds, rock art, agave roast and kids craft activities. We will also have a frybread vendor. Contact Stacey Mays at stacey.mays@phoenix.gov

Tempe History Museum Reopens
It is a rare occasion when we can be a part of history making history. After nearly a year of demolition, reconstruction and installation, the newly renamed Tempe History Museum will be revealed for the first time. The history of the museum began with the Tempe Historical Society, formed in 1967, to "foster the preservation of historical items relating to the development of the city of Tempe."
http://tinyurl.com/yky6gb6 - Arizona Republic

ASU offers a Pair of Presentations on Virtual Reality and Cultural Heritage
On Wednesday March 3, the ASU School of Art will Present Jan de Rode and Geeske Bakker of DeRode 3D speaking on "Virtual Reconstruction and Artistic Tradition. 3:30 Pm, Coor Building, Arizona State University
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/virtual_historic_reconstruction.pdf

On Thursday, March 4th, a round table discussion with virtual (re)construction of the past will be held at 4:30 pm with Jan de Rode and Geeske Bakker, Arizona State Historic Preservation Officer Jim Garrison, and a variety of archaeologists and art historians. The discussion will be held in the Brickyard Building (699 S Mill Ave. Tempe).
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/roundtable_on_v_h_r.pdf

Lecture Opportunity (Glendale/Phoenix)
The Agua Fria Chapter of the Arizona Archaeology Society is offering a free lecture
on Across the San Juan: Rock Art and Murals of the Mesa Verde, Aztec and Chaco
areas, on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at 7:00 PM at the Glendale Public Library
Auditorium, 5959 West Brown (south of Peoria Ave). Membership is not required.
Refreshments will be served. The speaker, Sally Cole, is a consulting archaeologist and author living in Dolores, Colorado. She has an M.A. in anthropology and has spent 30 years studying prehistoric rock art, murals and associated archaeology of the Colorado Plateau.

Lecture Opportunity (Phoenix)
Throughout history, the early people who lived here left paintings and drawings on stone. From Pueblo clans in the Four Corners to the Hohokam in the Valley, people felt the need to leave marks on canyon walls and stony passages. On Saturday, March 6th, Lyle Balenquah, a Hopi archaeologist, will talk about his experiences with rock art from 1-2 p.m. at the Deer Valley Rock Art Center in northwest Phoenix.
http://tinyurl.com/ygsmwwq - Arizona Republic

Tour Opportunity (Tumacácori)
Tumacácori National Historical Park is offering nature walks to the Santa Cruz River through April 2010. A park volunteer will lead the walks on Saturday and Sunday, beginning at 1 p.m. in February, and at 10 a.m. in March and April. The last tour is scheduled April 18. There will also be two Friday tours, at 1 p.m. on March 12 and 26. The River Walks will last approximately one hour.)Tumacacori National Historical Park is offering nature walks to the Santa Cruz River through April 2010. A park volunteer will lead the walks on Saturday and Sunday, beginning at 1 p.m. in February, and at 10 a.m. in March and April. The last tour is scheduled April 18. There will also be two Friday tours, at 1 p.m. on March 12 and 26. The River Walks will last approximately one hour.
http://tinyurl.com/ylzj6ee - Nogales International

New Park Opens at the Yuma Wash Site (Tucson)
The park "reflects the community's rich cultural and archaeological history and offers the latest in recreational amenities," a town release said. The area occupied by the park, lying west of the Santa Cruz River, historically was a center of activity because of the water and good farmland there, parks director Ellis pointed out. Marana did extensive archeological excavations in the park area and along the rebuilt Silverbell Road, uncovering approximately two dozen adobe pit houses that were part of an 80-acre Hohokam Indian village that dates between 1100 and 1400. Both Desert Archeology and Old Pueblo Archeology performed the archeological investigative work.
http://tinyurl.com/ylaprho - NW Explorer

State Parks Across the Southwest Facing Closure

2010-02-23T09:57:00.000-08:00

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

State Parks Across the Southwest Facing Closure

As Utah lawmakers look to reduce spending even more in the future, they have some state parks on a possible chopping block as they explore the idea of privatizing them.A list of six possible candidates will be drafted by an internal audit committee and presented to lawmakers this summer for potential consideration. The step is similar, but not as drastic, as those being taken by other states around the country where bleeding budgets are forcing unpopular decisions. Last month, the largest closure of state parks in the nation began in Arizona, and in California, 278 parks face being shut down.
http://tinyurl.com/yc3kx89 - Deseret News

Arizona Unprepared to Secure Closed Archaeological Parks

With the first wave of state park closures set to begin this week, officials are still struggling with basic questions on how to secure the vast properties. Homolovi Ruins near Winslow and Lyman Lake near St. Johns will close on Monday as a result of steep budget cuts to the parks system. Parks officials will post signs telling visitors about the closures, and a ranger is expected to be on hand to answer questions. More than a month after the shutdown announcement, officials remain uncertain about how to secure the park perimeters and protect their assets.
http://tinyurl.com/yzmeg59 - Arizona Republic

What's Obama Got Against Historic Preservation?

The Great Recession and federal and state budget cuts are creating hurdles for heritage advocates who see historic preservation and urban revitalization as a way out of the economic doldrums. Obama's budget is a major setback because it slashes cherished programs.
http://crosscut.com/2010/02/16/mossback/19584/

New Centennial Museum to Open in Phoenix

Governor Jan Brewer today announced that in celebration of Arizona’s 100th anniversary of statehood, an Arizona Centennial Museum will be created for all residents and visitors to enjoy. In a ceremony at the historical Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum located in downtown Phoenix, the governor presented her vision and plans that will be instituted over the course of the next two years to transform the historic Mining and Mineral Museum into the Arizona Centennial Museum. The museum’s exhibits will be devoted to showcasing the enduring legacy of Arizona’s dynamic economic growth and industrial development.
http://www.evliving.com/2010/02/12/arizona-centennial-museum/
http://www.arizona100.org/

Aztec National Monument Seeks Public Opinion on the Future of the Monument

Officials from Aztec Ruins National Monument plan to host a series of informational meetings to gather community input as they update the existing general management plan, which dates back to 1989. The public comment period runs through April 8. Residents can comment in person, mail suggestions, or call the national monument."I'm really giving people enough time to thoroughly engage in the process," Aztec Ruins National Monument Supervisor Dennis Carruth said.
http://www.daily-times.com/farmington-news/ci_14443047?source=rss

Time Running Out to Join Archaeoastronomy Workshop

The Archaeoastronomy in the Field workshop, presented by the Conference on Archaeoastronomy of the American Southwest on March 11-12, 2010, is rapidly approaching. Online registration for the workshop will end on March 1. The deadline for the discounted hotel rate at the Crowne Plaza Phoenix Hotel ends this Wednesday, February 24. If you are planning to attend, please get your reservations in by this Wednesday. The revised agenda of presenters, as well as workshop and hotel registration information, is available on our website at
http://www.caasw.org/workshop.html

Profile of Avocational Archaeologist Shelly Rasmussen

Shelley Rasmussen drives 50 miles each way for her one-day-a-week job – and she gets no pay. But she wouldn’t trade her commute for anything. She’s doing what she loves most: helping people learn more about archaeology. Rasmussen, a Wickenburg resident, is a docent at ASU’s Deer Valley Rock Art Center. She drives to the DVRAC every Tuesday to lead tours or do whatever else comes along. It truly is a labor of love for Rasmussen, who says she is an “avocational archaeologist.”
http://asunews.asu.edu/20100218_rasmussen

New Exhibit at New Mexico State University Explores Hopi Mayo and Yaqui Traditions

Explore the cultural worlds of the Hopi, Mayo and Yaqui in two new exhibits opening with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. today at the NMSU Museum, kicking off months of special events and activities. The Hopi have more than 400 katsinam (also known as kachinas) who guide them in their daily lives and help them survive on the arid mesas of northeast Arizona. Learn about some of these spirit beings through the carved dolls that are given to Hopi girls to familiarize them with the katsina world in a new exhibit: "Spirit Messengers: Hopi Katsina Dolls."
http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-entertainment/ci_14420919?source=rss

Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month Calendar of Events Now Available

Dear Friends of Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month (AAHAM): The 2010 AAHAM statewide Listing of Events brochures have been printed and are ready for pick up at the SHPO. Many thanks to SRP and APS, as well as SWCA, WSA, and Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, for providing corporate and private funding for the printing of this brochure -- we literally could not have done it without you all! Thank you all for helping to distribute the Listing brochures to the public. Ann Howard, SHPO
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/aahm_calendar_2010-1.pdf

Interesting Series of Southwestern Archaeology Photo Galleries Now Online

Galleries include places like the Anasazi Heritage Center, Aztec National Monument, Chaco Canyon and the Maxwell Musuem.
http://jqjacobs.net/blog/index.html

Rim Country Chapter of Arizona Archaeology Society Celebrates 24 Years of Archaeological Research and Preservation

They work with some of the oldest elements of the Rim Country. But the organization is one of the newer groups in the area, in spite of celebrating its 24th anniversary at its meeting Feb. 20.
The Rim Country Chapter of the Arizona Archaeology Society organized in February 1986. It traces its roots to a class at Gila Pueblo Community College in Payson, Introduction to Archaeology.
http://www.paysonroundup.com/news/2010/feb/17/touching_past/

Opportunity to Tour Historic Fairbank Townsite and Presidio Santa Cruz de Terrenate

Sponsored by the Friends of the San Pedro River. Come to Fairbank, Arizona for a day of history. Music, re-enactments, walks and a hike. Visit a ghost town that was once a thriving boomtown of the wild west, the cemetery which holds the remains of many residents, the old school house, and the two-story adobe Mercantile building. Walk along the old railroad bed to “Willow Wash,” cross the San Pedro River, and visit the Presidio Santa Cruz de Terrenate. The hike starts at Fairbank Townsite at 8 a.m. and is approximately 6 miles roundtrip over good trails with a few steep inclines.
http://tinyurl.com/yc4rj8e - Sierra Vista Herald

Budget Cuts for NAGPRA?

2010-02-16T09:46:00.000-08:00

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

- Proposed Federal Budget Cuts Funds for NAGPRA Grants: One area of the Obama administration’s proposed fiscal year 2011 budget sticks out like a sore thumb. While most Indian-focused programs are remaining steady or are set to make increases, the National Park Service has proposed to dramatically reduce the amount available for NAGPRA grants. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act is the 1990 law that created a legal process for federal agencies and institutions that receive federal funding to return American Indian human remains and cultural items to respective tribes or lineal descendants. NAGPRA grants, supported by appropriations from Congress, are meant to build cultural resources capacity for Indian tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations and museums, so they may work to fulfill the law.
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/home/content/83643187.html

- Two Day Symposium on NAGPRA Scheduled: Enacted in 1990, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act ("NAGPRA") was the culmination of a long term struggle for human rights and equal protection for American Indians. "NAGPRA at 20" is a forum to remember the past and why NAGPRA was created, to discuss present-day best practices and challenges, and to plan for the future of NAGPRA. As we mark the 20th anniversary of the passage of the law, we aim for the symposium to be a forum to critically assess and evaluate the first two decades of implementation through case studies, workshops and featured speakers. The intent is to allow for open dialogue about what has and has not worked. The goal of the symposium is to work toward a shared vision for tribes, museums, Federal agencies and the National NAGPRA program on the direction NAGPRA should take for the next ten or twenty years. The hope is to address the wounds of the past and look toward a more just future.
http://www.nps.gov/nagpra/TRAINING/NAGPRA_at_20.html

- National Preservation Institute Offers Pair of Classes on Archaeological Curation and Conservation in Tucson, March 15-19: Become familiar with principles and methods for curation and management of archaeological collections. Topics will include responsibilities under federal regulations (36 CFR Part 79) and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act; archaeological standards; collections policies; costs of curation; storage facilities; proper housing of collections; archaeological laboratory procedures; cataloguing systems; and educating the public with archaeological collections. This seminar is offered in conjunction with Conservation Strategies for Archaeologists.
http://www.npi.org/sem-arch.html
http://www.npi.org/sem-archconserv.html

- Utah Rock Art Digital Archives: The Earthwatch/BLM Rock Art Project digital image archives are available for research at Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum, 660 West 400 North, Blanding, UT. The collection features more than 1,500 digital images of southeastern Utah rock art ranging from pre-Basketmaker through the historic period. Digitization was funded through a grant from the Utah State Historical Records Advisory Board. The digital archives represent about half the sites documented by the Earthwatch/BLM project (1993-2001) in areas including Cedar Mesa, Grand Gulch, and the San Juan River corridor. The museum also houses the complete project records including some 3,000 drawings, 11,000 color slides, and 5,000 prints, negatives, and transparencies. Both the original documentation and the digital archives are available for research by appointment; contact 435-678-2238.

- A History of Casa Grande National Monument: In the Sonoran Desert just north of downtown Coolidge, stands the sole remaining relic of a time long past. It was around the year 1350 when the Hohokam people completed an amazing four-story, 2,400-square-foot structure that archeologists believe served, in part, as an astronomical observatory. It is not known what the Hohokam called this massive structure or the large village that surrounded it, but we call it Casa Grande National Monument.
http://tinyurl.com/yak99um - In and Out of Anthem Magazine

- Tour Parts of Casa Grande National Monument Normally Closed to the Public: n honor of the Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month in March, Casa Grande Ruins National Monument will host special tours of the park's backcountry area. Tours will be on Saturday and Sunday mornings, starting on March 6th and ending on March 28th. Each tour will begin at 9 a.m. and will run for one hour.
http://tinyurl.com/ygmzvgt - About.com

- National Park Service Rehabilitates Ancient Farmland Near Montezuma Well: The fields and flood plains surrounding Montezuma Well have provided for those who made the area their home for at least the last 1,500 years, if not the last 10,000 years. The Hohokam, then the Sinagua, the Yavapai and Apache used the rich soil, efficient irrigation system and abundant water to survive.
http://tinyurl.com/ycxayzr - Camp Verde Bugel

- C14 Calibration Curve Refined: Researchers have designed a new archaeological tool which could answer key questions in human evolution. The new calibration curve, which extends back 50,000 years, is a major landmark in radiocarbon dating — the method used by archaeologists and geoscientists to establish the age of carbon-based materials. It could also help determine the effect of climate change on human adaptation. The curve called INTCAL09 not only extends radiocarbon calibration but also considerably improves earlier parts of the curve.
http://tinyurl.com/yd69a6o - Queen's University

- Archaeoastronomy and Arborglyphs: Though local lore held that the so-called "scorpion tree" had been the work of cowboys, paleontologist Rex Saint Onge immediately knew that the tree was carved by Indians when he stumbled upon it in the fall of 2006. Located in a shady grove atop the Santa Lucia Mountains in San Luis Obispo County, the centuries-old gnarled oak had the image of a six-legged, lizard-like being meticulously scrawled into its trunk, the nearly three-foot-tall beast topped with a rectangular crown and two large spheres. "I was really the first one to come across it who understood that it was a Chumash motif," says Saint Onge, referring to the native people who painted similar designs on rock formations from San Luis Obispo south through Santa Barbara and into Malibu.
http://tinyurl.com/yhsocat - Time Magazine

- European Scholars Hope to Create Digital Archive of Archaeological Sites, Monuments, and Artifacts: Berlin - Just as US internet giant Google has made great strides in preserving digital versions of great literature and books with its Google Books project, European scientists hope they can create an online repository of culture and archaeology. The system planned for the undertaking is dubbed 3D-COFORM. It should provide the platform into which humanity's most important treasures, reflecting thousands of years of cultural development, can be gathered in one online archive for easy access.
http://tinyurl.com/y8lbdmp - Earthtimes.org

- Online Course on the Care of Photographs Delayed due to Weather Problems: Due to the weather’s impact -- both in Washington, DC, and in Indian country -- NATHPO has extended the application deadline for the online class, Care of Photographs, and also delayed the start of the class by one week.
www.nathpo.org/NNMTP/onlineclasses.html

- Travelogue, Bandolier National Monument: One of the most unusual and highly-popular archeological attractions in New Mexico is the 33,000 acre Bandelier National Monument about an hour’s drive northwest of Santa Fe and a mere 15 miles from the Los Alamos National Laboratory, where they developed the nuclear bomb. You’ve probably heard of Bandelier and have most likely seen images on television of the towering columns of smoke associated with it because the monument nearly burned to the ground in 2000 during the infamous 48,000-acre Cerro Grande fire.
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/19835

- Position Open: Acquisitions Editor for Kiva: The Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society seeks an acquisitions editor for Kiva, which has been publishing Southwest archaeology, anthropology, history, and linguistics since 1935. The acquisitions editor spearheads the publishing process and works with a book reviews editor, production editor, and the copublisher, AltaMira Press. Although the editorship is based in Tucson, Arizona, the acquisitions editor is an independent contractor and may reside elsewhere. The acquisitions editor solicits and reviews volunteered manuscripts for publication in four issues per year and will maintain the journal’s established high standards of professional quality, working in coordination with the other editors, Publications Committee, and Board of Directors. The acquisitions editor serves a three-year term, and compensation is $7,000 yearly. Please send a letter of interest and curriculum vitae by May 15, 2010, to: Stephanie M. Whittlesey, Ph.D., RPA, Chair Kiva Acquisitions Editor Search Committee. 2441 N. Grannen Rd. Tucson, Arizona 85745 520-240-0988, swhittlesey@cox.net

- Internship Opportunity: The Anasazi State Park Museum in Boulder, Utah is looking for Summer 2010 Interns. The internship is for 10-12 weeks and includes a stipend of $75/week, plus board. Within the park is one of the largest Ancestral Puebloan villages (Coombs Archaeological Site) west of the Colorado River. The village was occupied from AD 1160 to 1235. Archaeological excavations revealed more than 100 structures which may have housed as many as 200 people. The internship familiarizes interns with projects and duties in all areas of a state park museum. The interns will spend time collections management, interpretation, and visitor services. The focus of this internship will be research relating to the analysis of stone tools found in southeastern Utah. The intern will be to implement typological analysis, functional analysis, and technological analysis of projectile points curated at the Anasazi State Park Museum and affiliated Museums with similar collections. Additionally, the selected interns will facilitate a Lithic Technology Symposium. The Symposium will be held either late August or early September 2010. Featured will be a recent collection (Behunin Collection) of over 1,000 projectile points.
http://www.stateparks.utah.gov/parks/anasazi

- Historic Archaeology and the Lives of Pioneer Women is the Latest Feature on the Archaeology Channel: Ironically, the chance discovery of a historical burial can bring history alive and serve as a reminder of the path already trodden. The 19th Century pioneer history of Colorado became the subject of interest after such a discovery, as you can see in Pioneer Woman, the latest video feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel
http://www.archaeologychannel.org

Thanks to Terry Colvin and Gerald Kelso for contributing to today's newsletter.

New Findings on Ancient Turkeys of the Southwest (and no, this is not about your dissertation chair)

2010-02-08T14:12:00.000-08:00

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

- More Information on Ancient Southwestern Turkey Domestication: Today at Discovery News you can find out how Native Americans domesticated turkeys, not just once, but twice, well over 1,500 years before Christopher Columbus and other Europeans set foot on American soil. Native Americans were hardly starved for food. They had long before gotten their farming act together. They instead raised turkeys for their feathers, which were "used in rituals and ceremonies, as well as to make feather robes or blankets," according to Simon Fraser University's Camilla Speller, who led the recent research project on North American turkey domestication. Her team's paper is in the latest Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
http://tinyurl.com/yhfmbjs - Discovery News
http://tinyurl.com/yb69oly - National Academy of Sciences

- Center for Desert Archaeology Settling Down in New Location: The Center for Desert Archaeology has moved downtown. The nonprofit, which is dedicated to research and preservation of archaeology, has moved to 300 N. Ash Alley, on the property of the Bates Family House and Mountain Oyster Club on North Stone. The 138-year-old adobe brick building is the former home of the ranch culture-oriented Mountain Oyster Club, which moved in 2003 to its current home at 6400 E. El Dorado Circle.
http://tinyurl.com/ya9zkql - Arizona Daily Star

- In the Aftermath of Park Closure, Northern Arizonans Attempt to Save Riordan Mansion: After 106 years of a mostly happy storyline, the tale of Riordan Mansion, including its almost 30 years as an Arizona state park, may take on an element of tragedy Feb. 22 when the facilities are officially closed to the public, as mandated by a Jan. 15 decision by the Arizona State Parks Board. As the mansion hovers on the brink of its closing date, a growing band of concerned parties, including paid park staff, volunteers, historians, and various government and nonprofit agency officials, are rallying to raise money to keep this unique state treasure open.
http://tinyurl.com/ye7p3rs- Arizona Daily Sun
http://tinyurl.com/yba3jys - Arizona Daily Sun

Gila Cliff Dwellings to Reopen to Foot Traffic: Superintendent Steve Riley announced today that Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument will likely reopen the West Fork Bridge to foot and bicycle traffic next weekend. Beginning on Saturday, February 13th, visitors will be permitted to cross the bridge on a pedestrian gangway and make the 3-mile roundtrip hike to the Cliff Dwellings. Visitors must park their vehicles at Woody’s Corral and hike down the closed road to the trailhead. Please plan on allowing at least three hours to visit the site. The Cliff Dwellings will be staffed daily from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. and while the gate to the Cliff Dwellings closes at 4:00 p.m., visitors have another hour in which to complete their visit. There will be no guided tours during this interim period. Both Lower Scorpion Campground and Upper Scorpion Campground have been reopened for pack-in camping, but there is no potable water available. TJ Corral and the West Fork Trail (#151) will be accessible for those wanting to use the trailheads for wilderness travel. Please note that the West Fork Bridge remains closed to any motorized traffic. For further information, please contact the Gila Visitor Center at (575) 536-9461.

- Lecture Opportunity (Blanding): Thursday, February 11th, 6:30 PM. Memories of Glen Canyon Archaeology with Dr. Bill Lipe From 1958 through 1961, Bill Lipe led crews engaged in studying some of the many archaeological sites destined to be destroyed or otherwise affected by the Lake. In this presentation, Dr. Lipe will draw on his recollections, as well as on 50 year-old photos and films, to discuss the significance of flooding Glen Canyon, and what was learned about the area’s archaeology before it was forever affected by the development of Lake Powell. The Glen Canyon Project crews came into Blanding, Utah every two weeks to re-supply and mail collections and notes back to the University of Utah. A number of Blanding residents assisted with the project and their contributions are also highlighted in the talk. The talk is free, and will be held at Edge of the Cedars Museum State Park, 660 West 400 North, Blanding, Utah 84511. Contact 435-678-2238

- Lecture Opportunity (Irvine): Pacific Coast Archaeological Society's February 11th meeting will feature Alexander (Sandy) Rogers speaking on "Dating the Coso Petroglyphs." Meeting information: Thursday, February 11, 2010, 7:30 pm at the Irvine Ranch Water District, 15600 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine, CA. Meeting is free and open to
the public. For more information follow the link below: '
http://www.pcas.org

- Lecture Opportunity (Salt Lake City): The Salt Lake/Davis Chapter of the Utah Statewide Archaeology Society February meeting will be February 10 at 7pm at REI (33rd South). Dr. Joel Janetski, Professor of Anthropology at BYU, will be speaking. His topic is “The Archaeology of North Creek Shelter: 10,000 Years of Human History in Southern Utah.” Please bring treats to share. Convention Planning Committee will meet at 6pm at REI. ALL members are welcome and encouraged to attend. Even if you're a new member or haven't been to a meeting in a while, we would love your input, ideas, and suggestions. Help us make our convention a success!
http://www.utaharchaeology.org/Chapters/SL-Davis/SL-Dcurrent.html

- Lecture Opportunity (Tucson): Cherie Freeman, an Arizona Site Steward and long time member of Center for Desert Archaeology, will present “Beneath the Rails” on Feb 16th at 12 noon and 7 pm at the ParkWise Conference Room, 110 East Pennington Street, Suite 150 Rm 112. (Pennington Street garage). The presentation will view bridges and other Railroad structures in the Cienega Creek Preserve. This is the kick-off presentation in the 5th annual Lecture series presented by Southern Arizona Transportation Museum. Admission is $5 per person per presentation. All proceeds go to the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum (a Division of Old Pueblo Trolley, Inc a 501 (C) (3) Corporation.) Call 623-2223 for further information.

- Call for Papers / Posters - Sonoran Desert Symposium: A tri-national symposium addressing successes and continuing challenges of conserving the beauty of the Sonoran Desert. The symposium will focus on cultural and natural resource issues and is being organized by representatives from the Tohono O’odham Nation, Mexico and the U.S. Date: March 16th thru 18th, 2010 Location: Curley School Campus, Ajo, Arizona, USA.
Field Trips: March 19th, 2010
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/sonorandesertdymposium2010.pdf

- High Tech Hotel Planned for Grand Canyon Interior? A state of the art, out of this world design for a new resort at the western end of the Grand Canyon has been presented to Mohave County supervisors. The hotel would use new technology similar to what's used in a space station. Architect Michael Sarda says the self-sufficient hotel also would use solar, geothermal and possibly wind systems for power. It would be built into the Canyon's walls similar to the Anasazi Native American cliff dwellings of Northern Arizona.
http://www.kswt.com/Global/story.asp?S=11919465
http://www.lvrj.com/news/grand-plan-pitched-to-arizona-county-83323277.html

Thanks to Adrianne Rankin for contributing to today's newsletter.

Obama Administration's Proposed Budget Would Eliminate Key Federal Heritage Preservation Programs

2010-02-02T10:39:00.000-08:00

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

- Obama Administration's Proposed Budget Would Eliminate Key Federal Heritage Preservation Programs: In a shock to the historic preservation community, President Obama’s 2011 Budget Request – released this morning – slashed funding for several key components of the national preservation program. It proposes to completely eliminate funding for Save America’s Treasures and Preserve America grant programs. Perhaps what is most alarming is a White House blog that singles out these two programs as examples of programs that “weren’t working well”. Proposed funding for National Heritage Areas is reduced as well.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/nat_trust_letter.doc - MS Word Document
Also see - http://blogs.nationaltrust.org/preservationnation/?p=8203
And - http://tinyurl.com/yaxant8 - Tacoma Daily Index

- Arizona Preservation Foundation Responds to Arizona Bill SB1166 to Kill Historic Preservation Tax Exemptions: A great group of individuals truly explained the benefits of these (historic) neighborhoods to their cities and the state, the limitation put upon homeowners by historic preservation, and the difference between maintaining and restoring these homes versus the simple slab homes built in the 60s, 70s, and today. It was brought up that the increase in a tax to historic neighborhoods would provide a negligible increase to the state. Also that without the tax break there is nothing to require homeowners to retain the historic character of their homes...
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/ az_pres_foundation_SB1166.doc - MS Word Document

- Senator Gray Pitches Her Bill as Putting Historic Preservation in Opposition to Education: This week Sen. Linda Gray, R-Phoenix, came under fire for proposing a bill to eliminate a preservation-focused tax break benefiting roughly 2,400 central Phoenix historic-home owners.
http://tinyurl.com/yayzjvy - Arizona Republic

- Join the Center for Desert Archaeology Tonight for an Archaeology Cafe on Hopi History: The next Archaeology Café will convene on Tuesday, February 2, 2010. Our presenter will be Thomas Sheridan, Research Anthropologist with The Southwest Center and Professor of Anthropology at the University of Arizona. Tom will discuss how Hopi oral traditions concur and differ from the documentary record created by the Spaniards.
http://www.cdarc.org/2009/12/02/

- A Remembrance of Avocational Archaeologist & Site Steward Dwight Riggs: A year ago I sent an email broadcast announcing that Old Pueblo Archaeology Center member Dwight Riggs had recently disappeared. It was known that Dwight liked to hike into the mountains behind his house northeast of Tucson, but after he went missing Pima County Search and Rescue had covered a 12 mile grid around his home looking for him, with no luck. I regret to report that Dwight's skeletal remains were found this past week near the Agua Caliente Park in northeastern Pima County. Dwight was well-known to many of us in the Tucson area as an avocational archaeologist, an Arizona Site Steward, a member of several archaeological societies, and a person of inquiring mind who valued and supported cultural research and conservation. May he rest in peace and long be remembered. Respectfully, Allen Dart.

- DNA Analysis of Ancient Southwestern Turkeys Reveals Surprising Subspecies Designation: Modern dinner-table turkeys are descended from birds first domesticated 2,700 years in Mesoamerica, and bred with sophistication by the Aztecs. But they weren’t the only turkey tamers: Indigenous inhabitants of what became the southwestern United States had their own prize breeds, now lost to posterity.Until now, it was assumed that all domesticated turkeys could be traced to the Aztec-bred lineage. However, a genetic analysis of bones and droppings at 38 archaeological sites in the southwestern U.S. shows that the birds there belonged to a distinctly different subspecies.
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/02/lost-turkeys/#ixzz0ePA06tnw

- Crow Canyon Annouces New President: The Crow Canyon Archaeological Center Board of Trustees announced in January the selection of Dr. Deborah J. Gangloff as the Center’s new president and CEO. She assumed her duties February 1, succeeding Dr. Ricky Lightfoot, who is retiring from the position after more than 11 years. Gangloff, who holds a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from Rutgers University, comes to Crow Canyon with 30 years experience in not-for-profit management, nearly all of it with the 135-year-old American Forests. Outgoing President and CEO Ricky Lightfoot was reelected to Crow Canyon’s Board of Trustees and will stay involved with the Center by serving as a scholar on selected travel programs and working with various special projects.

- Special Workshop to Offer 4 Day Course on Working with Historic Photographs (Tucson): This 4-day workshop (March 13-16, 2010) is an introduction to the history, identification, and preservation of photographic materials. Participants will acquire hands-on identification skills and learn practical photograph preservation techniques. Using handheld 30x microscopes and a large set of photographic and photomechanical samples, they will learn how a variety of processes were created, why they look the way they do, and how they deteriorate. Knowledge about photographic processes is essential to their preservation and leads to a greater appreciation of the aesthetics and history of photographic prints.
http://gawainweaver.com/workshop/care-id-photos-2010-tucson/

- NATHPO Announces New Online Museum Classes: The New Year brings good news for Native American museums. The National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers has received a federal grant to expand its National Native Museum Training Program and is offering six (6) online courses over the next two years. The federal grant was one of seven awarded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services as part of its 21st Century Museum Professionals program. Tribal museums have the mission of preserving, perpetuating and revitalizing the cultural and historic heritage of Native peoples. The National Native Museum Training Program provides a variety of opportunities for established tribal museum directors and current and future tribal museum personnel. The Northern States Conservation Center is aiding this initiative by providing three online courses in 2010 and three more in 2011.
http://www.nathpo.org/NNMTP/index.html

- Pueblo Clothing Yesterday and Today: I was reading an article recently by Marian Rodee, a noted expert on Pueblo textiles and clothing. She described a prehistoric shirt found intact in a cliff dwelling and compared it to a modern Pueblo shirt that is visually similar. In clothing of the Indians, Rodee pointed out, it is possible to observe "continuity over long periods of time."
http://tinyurl.com/ya8auf7 - Santa Fe New Mexican

- Cyarc Digitizing Spanish Missions: n a dimly lit corner of the Mission San José granary, visitors can find a large diorama of the mission as it once was during Spanish colonial times. The model is accurate and intricate — but also more than four decades old. So the National Park Service has decided it's time to dust off the models and create new, 3-D digital replicas of the four Spanish missions in the organization's care. The scans are important, park officials said, because they show the missions as they are now, providing a historical record park to which park officials can later refer. They can help officials study structural stability or wall thickness, for example.
http://tinyurl.com/yaml3bd - My San Antonio.Com

- Lecture Oppprotunity (Sedona): The Sinagua Indians were among those attracted to the Verde River and its tributaries. They farmed along the streams, hunted the hills and valleys, and built stone dwellings in the cliffs. Some of these cliff dwellings still stand. They have been the subject of much study and are the focal point of a number of parks and monuments in Arizona. You can learn more about the Sinagua, central Arizona cliff dwellings and other structures the Sinagua built when archaeologist Matt Guebard leads a discussion at 2 p.m. Feb. 7 at Red Rock State Park in Sedona.
http://tinyurl.com/y9w56j9 - Arizona Republic

- John Peabody Harrington and Chumash Heritage: John Peabody Harrington relentlessly studied Indian families for decades. Today, a 71-year-old woman who considered him a pest is grateful for his intense scholarship.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ernestine31-2010jan31,0,4949712.story

- Only 2 Weeks Left to Register for the Arizona Preservation Conference at Discounted Rates!
http://tinyurl.com/ye849nm - Arizona Preservation Foundation

Position Announcement (Flagstaff): Grand Canyon NP Cultural Resources Program Manager GS-12 (interdisciplinary) duty station: Grand Canyon South Rim, Job Announcement Number: AZSHRO 10-016 DEU. Closes: February 9, 2010. Are you (or someone you know!) interested in working for the Grand Canyon National Park as a principal advisor in the management of cultural resources and program development and implementation? This position is with the Socio-Cultural Resources Program, Division of Science & Resource management, duty stationed in Flagstaff, Arizona. Please direct any inquiries to Jane Rodgers, 928-638-7475

Thanks to Carrie Gregory, Gerald Kelso, and Michael Mauer for Contributing to Today's Newsletter

Arizona Legislator Sponsors Bill to Terminate Historic Preservation Property Tax Exemptions

2010-01-29T10:17:00.000-08:00

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

- Arizona Legislator Sponsors Bill to Terminate Historic Preservation Property Tax Exemptions: Owners of historic homes in Arizona would have to pay property taxes just like anybody else to help pay for public schools and community colleges. That's if a state senator has her way. Sen. Linda Gray, R-Phoenix, wants to eliminate a 34-year-old property-tax classification for historic residences that cuts a homeowner's property taxes in half.
http://tinyurl.com/ya4yjex - Arizona Republic

- KAET Interview with Arizona State Parks Director Assesses the Legislature's Sweeping Damage to State Park System and Possible Means of Future Funding: State parks are in a life or death battle for their existence as state lawmakers look for ways to cut the budget. Renee Bahl, Executive Director of Arizona State Parks, will talk about the dire situation.
http://www.azpbs.org/horizon/detailvid.php?id=2264

- Additional Footage of Jan 15th Public Meeting on Arizona State Parks Provided by Arizona Heritage Alliance:
http://azheritage.wordpress.com/

- National Trust for Historic Preservation Sponsors Rally for Arizona State Parks: What you’ve heard is true: the Arizona State Legislature is devastating parks funding, forcing the closure of all but nine state parks. By the end of March, seven of Arizona’s eight state historic parks will be shuttered. Among parks that will close their doors to visitors are such historic icons as the 1882 Tombstone Courthouse, the Yuma Territorial Prison, and the 1904 Arts & Crafts Riordan Mansion in Flagstaff.
http://www.cdrac.org/sat/save_arizona_state_parks.doc - Ms Word Document

- The Center for Desert Archaeology Moves to New Offices in Downtown Tucson: On Jan 27th, the Center has moved from its old location at 300 East University into the Historic Bates Mansion complex at Toole and Stone. The Center's new address is 300 N Ash Alley, Tucson AZ, 85701.

- Defense Attorney in 4-Corners Looting Case Seeks Informant's Records: A defense attorney is seeking an address book, recordings and other information in an attempt to challenge the integrity of an undercover operative key to a multistate investigation into illegal artifact trafficking. Walter Bugden, a Salt Lake City lawyer, is representing Durango, Colo., antique dealers Carl Lavern Crites and Marie Crites and two other indicted co-defendants rounded up during a June 10 raid that federal agents coordinated across Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14273748

- Casa Grande Ruins Music Festival to be Held Tomorrow: Casa Grande Ruins National Monument was created to preserve the culture of an ancient desert tribe - the Hohokam. Last year, the monument organized a music festival to celebrate and explore the connection of modern tribes to their Hohokam roots. The festival begins at 9 a.m. Jan. 30 at the monument, outside Coolidge. American Indian artists and craftsmen will demonstrate skills. Merchants will offer a selection of jewelry, wood carvings, gourd art, basketry, pottery, flutes and other musical instruments. There will be storytellers and a flute booth for the kids.
http://tinyurl.com/ybeccdz - Arizona Republic

- Desert Diamond Casino and the Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance Adopt Southwestern Indian Art Fair: The Southwest Indian Art Fair has been resurrected because Desert Diamond Casino stepped up to sponsor the annual event. The Arizona State Museum, which has hosted the event for 16 years, announced in October that it was canceling the fair this year due to $478,000 in state budget cuts. The museum also made other changes, including cutting jobs and pay, closing on Sundays and charging $5 admission for some visitors.
http://tinyurl.com/yawc9vz - Arizona Daily Star

- Damage from Heavy Rains Temporarily Closes Gila Cliff Dwellings: Heavy rains have forced the closure of New Mexico Highway 15 between the Gila Visitor Center and the trailhead for the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. The approach to the West Fork Bridge has washed away; Lower Scorpion Campground, Upper Scorpion Campground, TJ Corral, Woody’s Corral and the trailhead to the Cliff Dwellings are all closed until further notice. The Gila Visitor Center remains open, but anyone considering visiting the area should use extreme caution. Continued rain and snow have caused numerous mud and rock slides along Highway 15 and many road dips are running with water. Travel at present is not advised.

- Southwestern Cave Providing Detailed Ancient Climatic Data: UA researchers report that the Southwest's climate had rapid shifts between wet and dry periods 11,000 to 55,000 years ago. Ice Age climate records from an Arizona stalagmite link the Southwest's winter precipitation to temperatures in the North Atlantic, according to new University of Arizona research.
http://uanews.org/node/29591

- Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Sponsoring Advanced Section 106 Training Class in Tucson, on March 10, 2010: The Advanced Section 106 Seminar focuses on the effective management of complex or controversial undertakings that require compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Taught in a small, interactive setting, this seminar encourages group discussion and problem solving. Designed for experienced Section 106 users, the seminar focuses on the challenges of seeking consensus and solving adverse effects to historic properties. The class is taught by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation staff who are engaged both on a daily basis and have practical hands-on experience with Section 106 issues.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/sec_106_advanced_training.pdf

- Lecture Opportunity (Glendale): The Agua Fria Chapter of the Arizona Archaeology Society is offering a free lecture on Preservation Archaeology, on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 7:00 PM at the Glendale Public Library Auditorium, 5959 West Brown (south of Peoria Ave). Membership is not required. Refreshments will be served. For the past 26 years, Holly Young has worked in archeological repositories in Arizona. Currently the Curator of Collections at the Pueblo Grande Museum, she developed that institution’s repository and collections policies and procedures. Her areas of expertise include the curation and management of archeological collections and archives, the preservation of museum collections through preventive conservation, material culture research and interpretation, and the archeology and cultural history of the Southwestern United States.

- Lecture Opportunity (Tubac): Trade Beads in the Southwest is Topic of Santa Cruz Valley AAS Program February 11. Bead historian Steve Ellis will give a presentation to the Santa Cruz Valley Chapter of the Arizona Archaeological Society on February 11, 2010, 7 PM, at the North County Facility at 50 Bridge Road in Tubac. His topic will be “European Glass Trade Beads in the West.” The presentation is free and open to the public.

- University of Arizona School of Archaeology Announces New Masters Program in "Applied Archaeology:" The School of Anthropology at the University of Arizona offers a Master’s Degree with a track in Applied Archaeology. Applied Archaeology is an emerging field of study within Anthropology that creates and uses knowledge in the context of application. These applications include collecting information about archaeological sites for use in cultural resources management, recovering archaeological data from threatened sites to mitigate the adverse effects of land modifying projects, managing historic properties to comply with historic preservation legislation, assisting Indigenous groups with identification of traditional cultural properties and heritage management, and creating a sustainable cultural environment by using the tools of preservation archaeology. All of these applications produce knowledge that is significant in the discipline of Anthropology.
http://anthro.web.arizona.edu/news_events/news_story.php?id=349

- Ancient India Featured at the Archaeology Channel:
Rooted in 5000 years of continuous development, a unique civilization continues to prosper in India. To address a need for wider appreciation of this vast country, with its diverse cultures and deep history, we bring you Timeless India, the latest video feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel.
http://www.archaeologychannel.org

Thanks to Mike Jacobs, Gerald Kelso, and Vincent Murray for contributions to today's newsletter.

Arizona State Park Closures a Direct Threat to State's Cultural Heritage

2010-01-21T12:29:00.000-08:00

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

- Arizona Leads the Nation in the Draconian Cuts to State Parks: An oversight board voted unanimously Friday to close 13 of Arizona's state parks in response to budget cuts, leaving two-thirds of the parks shut in the most aggressive cuts to such facilities in the nation. The Arizona State Parks Board is closing some of the state's iconic Old West landmarks, including the Tombstone Courthouse in one of the West's most storied towns, and the Yuma Territorial Prison, which housed hundreds of Old West outlaws and was portrayed in the film "3:10 to Yuma." The decision also closes parks such as Red Rock State Park near Sedona that draw tens of thousands of tourists a year.
http://tinyurl.com/yhfehnv - San Francisco Gate

- Arizona State Park Closures a Direct Threat to State's Cultural Heritage: Charles Adams, a professor of archaeology at the University of Arizona, warned that closed parks would become magnets for vandals and thieves. Adams expressed particular concern for the Homolovi Ruins, an archaeological treasure that was brought into the parks system in part to protect it from theft. "There is great concern in the archaeological community as some of these close," Adams told the board. "They are extremely vulnerable." As the meeting concluded, members of the parks staff received word that Gov. Jan Brewer's budget proposal released Friday would make further reductions to the parks budget, which could make Arizona the first state in the nation to close its entire parks system.
http://tinyurl.com/ybrjgmm - Arizona Republic

- An Account of the 4 Corners Looting Case and the "Inside Man" from Preservation Magazine: What Milette didn't know was that Thomas Hoyt's real name was Todd Swain. And that he wasn't an artifact collector but a National Park Service special agent who investigates illegal archaeological looting on public lands. Thanks to a tip received at the U.S. attorney's office in Spokane, Swain, in partnership with the FBI, had already begun investigating Milette, recording many hours of conversations. That night, after leaving Milette's house, Swain and an FBI agent met with a federal prosecutor to plot their strategy. Even the slightest misstep, they knew, could bring the case against Milette to an end.
http://tinyurl.com/yardfn5 - Preservation Nation.Org

- Petroglyphs Vandalized Near Yuma: Authorities are offering up to a $1,500 reward for information leading to the identification and prosecution of those responsible for vandalism at the Sears Point archaeological site in Yuma County. Arizona Bureau of Land Management rangers discovered the vandalism late last year at the large rock art site located on BLM-administered lands. They say the damage includes rolled boulders and fractured petroglyphs.
http://www.yumasun.com/news/point-55454-sears-cook.html
http://www.kgun9.com/Global/story.asp?S=11812292

- Desert View Watchtower Undergoing Maintenance and Stabilization: The iconic tower marking the eastern entrance to Grand Canyon National Park is getting serious repairs to a roof and windows that leak, damaging its famous murals. The 70-foot Indian Watchtower at Desert View, now commonly called the Desert View Watchtower, will receive nearly $2.1 million in masonry work and roofing, projected to be done at the end of the year.
http://tinyurl.com/yepp6ov - Arizona Daily Sun

- Registration for American Rock Art Research Assocaition 2010 Meetings Now Open: Del Rio, Texas will be the setting for the 37th annual conference of the American Rock Art Research Association (ARARA), to convene March 26th – 29th, 2010. Del Rio is located on the Texas/Mexico border, and is the portal to the Lower Pecos River style of rock art.
http://www.arara.org/Conference_2010.html

- Registration and Call For Papers Open for 2010 Alliance for Historic Landscape Preservation: The Alliance for Historic Landscape Preservation is excited to hold its 2010 annual meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico. From April 21 through April 24, we will explore regional landscapes and hear from local landscape experts, as well as students and faculty from the University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning. There is a call for Papers, Summaries of Works-in-Progress, and Posters. Student scholarships are available. Please visit the website below for more details.
http://www.ahlp.org/docs/meetings.html

- Crow Canyon Announces Summer Development Program for Educators: Educators who teach kindergarten through 12th grade from throughout the United States will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the field of Southwestern archaeology during two professional development programs conducted in July and August 2010. The programs, hosted by the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center and funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, provide stipends to cover all expenses, including travel and living costs.
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/living/82069147.html

- Deer Valley Rock Art Center Announces the Return of the "Petroglyph Pathfinders" Summer Camp: Do your kids like to explore, dig in the dirt, collect clues and create?The Deer Valley Rock Art Center is pleased to host another season of its popular summer camps, Petroglyph Pathfinders. The center offers one-week action-packed camps for children ages 8 to 11 at a real archaeology site.
http://asunews.asu.edu/20100120_petroglyphcamps

- Cappadocia, Turkey is the Newest Feature on the Archaeology Channel: Cappadocia in Turkey is situated at a crossroads in both space and time. Its very visible and unique archaeological record is highlighted by Cappadocia, the latest video feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel. This documentary highlights Cappadocia, the high plateau region of central Anatolia in Turkey’s heartland. Settled for over 8 millennia, this region features dramatic volcanic landscapes and many caves used in ancient times. The vast array of heritage sites includes Göreme with its rock houses and open air museum, Medieval fortresses, Christian underground cities of the 7th and 8th centuries, and fortified caravansarais along the silk road. Cappadocia illustrates the rich history of early Christians, Sufi mystics, and the Seljuk Turk empire.
http://www.archaeologychannel.org

Thanks to Carrie Gregory and Doug Kupel for contributions to today's newsletter.

Arizona State Parks Board to Recommend Closure of Most of Arizona's State Archaeological and Historical Parks

2010-01-12T14:12:00.000-08:00

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

- Arizona State Parks Board to Recommend Closure of Most of Arizona's State Archaeological and Historical Parks: According to the agenda posted at the link below, it may be too late to prevent the closure of a number of state parks that conserve and protect critically important heritage resources. Nevertheless, it is vitally important to write the Arizona State Parks Board at the link below. Remind the stewards of these heritage resources that even though an archaeological park may be closed, the need to secure and monitor these parks will be even more critical after the gates have been locked.
http://azstateparks.com/find/contact.html - Contact Arizona State Parks
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/11509_az_state_parks_agenda.pdf - List of Park Closures

- Nominations for the Governor's Archaeology Advisory Commission Awards in Public Archaeology Now Being Accepted: The GAAC is sponsoring its 24th annual "Awards in Public Archaeology." The Commission is a statutory board that advises the State Historic Preservation Officer on issues of relevance to Arizona archaeology. The Awards are presented to individuals, organizations, and/or programs that have significantly contributed to the protection and preservation of, and education about, Arizona's non-renewable archaeological resources.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/2010_gaac_award_nom.doc

- Workshop in Archaeoastronomy Scheduled for March 11-12 at Pueblo Grande: The purpose of the CAASW is to advance the study and practice of archaeoastronomy of the American Southwest. The CAASW is committed to recognizing significant contributions to knowledge and the importance of research, professional standards and excellence in the study of archaeoastronomy, effective dissemination and presentation of archaeoastronomical knowledge, and innovation and originality of approach. To continue to build upon the success of the 2009 conference, a two-day technical workshop has been scheduled.
http://www.caasw.org/workshop.html

- Yale Seeks Dismissal of Peruvian Claims to Machu Picchu Artifacts: Yale University says a lawsuit by Peru seeking the return of thousands of Inca artifacts removed from the famed Machu Picchu citadel nearly a century ago should be dismissed because a statue of limitations expired. Peru rejects the argument, saying Yale never owned the artifacts and that its claim is not subject to a statute of limitations under Peruvian law. Peru also says Yale did not assert ownership of the artifacts until late 2008. "The artifacts are of immense cultural and historical importance," Peru's attorneys wrote in recently filed court papers. "Yale's mere retention of the artifacts establishes nothing."
http://tinyurl.com/ycoojpt - Associated Press

- Lecture and Book Signing (Albuquerque): According to archaeologist Stephen H. Lekson, much of what we think we know about the Southwest has been compressed into conventions and classifications and orthodoxies. This book challenges and reconfigures these accepted notions by telling two parallel stories, one about the development, personalities, and institutions of Southwestern archaeology, and the other about interpretations of what actually happened in the ancient past. Location: Bookworks - 4022 Rio Grande Blvd NW Albuquerque, New Mexico 87107-3157
http://www.bkwrks.com/event/lekson

- Lecture Opportunity (Irvine, CA) Pacific Coast Archaeological Society's January 14th meeting will feature Dr. Matthew Des Lauriers speaking on "Rediscovering Huamalgua: The Island of Fogs. Archaeological, Ethnohistoric, and Ethnographic Investigations on Isla Cedros, Baja California, Mexico." Meeting information: Thursday, January 14, 20, 7:30 pm at the Irvine Ranch Water District, 15600 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine, CA. Meeting is free and open to the public.
Http://www.pcas.org

- Lecture Opportunity (Las Vegas): January Meeting: On January 14th Heidi Roberts of HRA, Inc. will be talking about her company’s recent work at Corn Creek Dunes, on the Desert Wildlife Refuge. The lecture will be held at 7 P.M. on the West Charleston Campus of College of Southern Nevada. A field trip out to Corn Creek is planned for Saturday, January 16th, from approximately 8 A.M.-Noon. Sign-ups for the trip will occur after Heidi’s talk, and a meeting location for the trip will be announced as well. Please note: for the spring season there is a new meeting room. All meetings will be held in the ‘I’ Building (The Library Building), Room I-201. This is next to the previous building (the K, or Engelstad Building) from last fall.

- Black Mesa Residents Win Appeal Against Peabody Coal: Peabody Western Coal Company’s Black Mesa Coal Complex has suffered a major setback as an administrative law judge for the U.S. Department of the Interior vacated a permit for the massive coal-mining complex. The judge vacated the permit in response to one of several appeals filed by Navajo and Hopi residents as well as a diverse coalition of tribal and environmental groups. The permit, issued by Interior’s Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement, allowed Peabody to operate and expand the Black Mesa mine and the Kayenta mine under a single permit.
http://tinyurl.com/yeo7hng - Center for Biological Diversity

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

Agreement to Protect Ancient Places in Nine Mile Canyon Signed, but Far from Complete

2010-01-07T09:33:00.000-08:00

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

- Agreement to Protect Ancient Places in Nine Mile Canyon Far from Complete: An agreement aimed at protecting ancient rock art, housing ruins, granaries, graves and artifacts in Nine Mile Canyon is visionary or toothless or everything in between, participants say, and could have happened at least three years ago if the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in Utah hadn't resisted.
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14111555

- Arizona Budget Problems Complicate Opening of Mesa Grande: Workers finished installing a new trial through the Mesa Grande Ruins that will someday become the backbone of the pre-historic site's development as a tourist attraction. But the timing of the next step, the installation of an audio interpretation system and shade structures to protect against erosion, remains in doubt as authorities brace for a legislative dive into monies earmarked for heritage projects.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/01/05/20100105mr-mound0106.html

- Visiting a Place of the Past - Romero Ruin: Part of the landscape at Catalina State Park is in ruins. Not to worry. We're talking about an archaeological site — not environmental damage. The Romero Ruin Interpretive Trail at the park north of Tucson winds past the scant remains of ancient dwellings built by Indians known as the Hohokam . The three-quarter-mile loop route also takes visitors to the crumbling walls of a house built by rancher Francisco Romero in the mid-1800s.
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/accent/323434.php

- Travel Guide to Historic Southern Arizona: If you had visited southern Arizona back in the 1880’s, you wouldn’t have found the place nearly as hospitable as it is today. Restless Apaches, armed incursions from Mexico, the rough landscape and summer temperatures that exceeded 115 degrees made life rough around these parts. Times have changed for the better, and if today you’d like to re-enact a modern day version of Cowboys and Indians, this is the place to do it.
http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20100106/ENTERTAINMENT06/100105013

- Lecture Opportunity (Tubac): Archaeologist Jeremy Moss will give a presentation to the Santa Cruz Valley Chapter of the Arizona Archaeological Society on January 21, 2010, 7 PM, at the North County Facility at 50 Bridge Road in Tubac. His topic will be “Prehistoric Agricultural Adaptation in the American Southwest.” The presentation is free and open to the public. For more information about the Santa Cruz Valley AAS Chapter and its activities, call Alan Sorkowitz at 520-207-7151 or inquire via e-mail at asorko@cox.net.
Http://www.AzArchSoc.org

- Lecture Opportunity (Florence): The Apache Kid was a highly respected First Sergeant of Scouts with the United States Army. Unfortunately, in 1887 he and other scouts were involved in a fracas at the army post at San Carlos. He was arrested, tried in court in Globe, and unjustly found guilty of assault with intent to commit murder. A free program on this piece of Arizona history will be presented at the Pinal County Historical Museum by Doug Hamilton. If you are interested in learning about this area’s history, this is a way to do it. Come and learn the details of this exciting Arizona tale. The free program is at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 11 as part of our continuing Speakers Series. Come early so you have time to explore this unique museum before the program begins. The museum is located at 715 S. Main St. in Florence. For more information please call 520-868-4382.
http://tinyurl.com/y9bq6w5 - Tri Valley Central

Hubble Trading Post Celebrates 125 Years

2009-12-31T08:01:00.000-08:00

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

- Hubble Trading Post Celebrates 125 Years: For more than a century, trading posts were integral parts of Native American life in the Southwest. These posts were stores, owned mostly by Anglos, where Native Americans exchanged woven rugs, jewelry, baskets, wool and nuts for food and other necessities. Trading posts also served as banks and bustling social hubs. Today, most of them have been replaced by grocery stores and big box chains like Walmart, but a handful of establishments still function as traditional trading posts.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121573916&ft=1&f=1006

- Southwest Symposium Begins Jan 8th: For more information about the 11th biennial SOUTHWEST SYMPOSIUM, to be held in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, January 8-9, 2010, visit the conference website.
http://sw-symposium.binghamton.edu/ingles%20pagina/introd.htm
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/sw_symposium_program.doc
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/sw_syposium_paper_abstracts.doc
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/sw_symposium_poster_abstracts.doc

- NPR Examines the Loss of Hopi Language & Culture: For nearly 1,000 years, the Hopi people have lived on the same three mesas, land now considered part of northeastern Arizona. For all that time, they have been speaking the Hopi language, which is slowly dying. There are many hurdles standing in the way of preserving Hopi, including, for Hopi teens, the choice between preserving their culture and adopting a modern lifestyle.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122018480&ft=1&f=1003

- Ruins of Texas Ranch and Mission Remain in Funding Limbo: Ruins that archeologists call one of the last links to the original ranches and cowboys that shaped Texas have been kept behind a gate, literally buried, for more than two decades - awaiting the funding that would allow people to see them. The 18th-century Rancho de las Cabras complex, with its stone building remains, was a birthplace of the large commercial ranching operations that would help define the state. Preservationists have long hoped it could be fully excavated and opened to the public, but so far, the site has been unable to attract the money it would need from Congress or the National Park Service's stretched budget.
http://www.whnt.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-us-mission-ranch,0,7102464.story

- Opportunity for Public Comment on National Park Service Policy on Oil and Gas Regulations Ends January 25th: Aztec Ruin is just one of the National Parks that could be impacted by adverse rulings regarding oil and gas exploration.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/nps_oil_and_gas_comments.doc

- Lecture Opportunity (Phoenix): The Agua Fria Chapter of the Arizona Archaeology Society is offering a free lecture on Archaeoastronomy of the Verde Valley, on Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 7:00 PM at the Glendale Public Library Auditorium, 5959 West Brown (south of Peoria Ave). The speaker will be Ken Zoll, who has done extensive studies in the Verde Valley, including research on the V Bar V Ranch. Archeoastronomy is the study of the uses of astronomy by ancient civilizations
Membership is not required. Refreshments will be served.

- Changing of the Guard at Prescott Historic Preservation Office: From one history buff to another, the details of Prescott's past have been undergoing a major transfer in recent months. Longtime Prescott Historic Preservation Specialist Nancy Burgess will be retiring from her post at the end of December, and for the past six months she has been working closely with her replacement, Cat Moody, to ensure a smooth transition. A major part of that process: The shift of information, much of which Burgess has accumulated through the years as institutional knowledge.
http://www.dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&subsectionID=1&articleID=76056

- Old Pueblo Archaeology Hosts Fundraising Raffle: The next of the ever-popular "Old Pueblo - Young People" fundraising raffles (the eleventh since Old Pueblo Archaeology Center began holding these events in 1998) will be held on March 31, 2010, as a finale for Old Pueblo's celebration of the annual Arizona Archaeology and Heritage
Awareness Month.
http://www.oldpueblo.org/raffle.html

Thanks to Jeffery Boyer and Carrie Gregory for contributions to today's newsletter.

Arizona Republic Advocates Expansion of Casa Grande National Monument

2009-12-24T08:38:00.000-08:00

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

- Arizona Republic Advocates Expansion of Casa Grande National Monument: The National Park Service, which oversees Casa Grande monument, has done extensive studies and public outreach that make a strong case for the proposed expansion. The addition fits the Park Service's dual mission of preservation and interpretation. Enlarging the monument would protect evidence that current and future researchers need to continue answering the many questions about the Hohokam, whose culture faded away after 1450. This is part of our American heritage that must not be lost.
http://tinyurl.com/ya2o4wy - Arizona Republic

- BLM and Utah Stakeholders Reach Compromise on Preservation in Nine Mile Canyon: A wide coalition of interests -- including conservationists, tribal leaders, land regulators and a natural-gas developer -- has reached an agreement that could curtail the fight over damage to rock art in Nine Mile Canyon, state and federal officials announced Tuesday. The document, scheduled for signing Jan. 5, outlines how the U.S. Bureau of Land Management proposes to protect pictographs and petroglyphs created by Puebloan ancestors who lived throughout the Southwest more than 700 years ago.
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14050574

- Pressure Mounts to Reestablish Wilderness Study Areas: The conservation community is counting on Ken Salazar, the native Coloradan heading the Interior Department, to reverse a ruling by his predecessor. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) used to be able to set aside land in Colorado and elsewhere as "Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs)" to be protected from development until Congress could decide whether to permanently designate all or part of it as federal wilderness. That WSA determination process was halted by Bush administration Interior Secretary Gail Norton, but Salazar could reinstate it.
http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/11926-1

- Archaeology Cafe in Tucson to Examine Historical Impact and Future Potential of Tucson's Electric Streetcars: The next meeting of Archaeology Cafe will take place on Tuesday, January 5, 2010, at 6:00 pm. Our guest this month will be transit historian Gene Caywood, who will share the history of Tucson's electric streetcars, as well as information about the City of Tucson's Modern Streetcar Project.
http://www.cdarc.org/2009/12/02/archaeology-cafe-tucsons-transportation-history/

- California to Examine Preservation on Route 66: Of the eight states through which Route 66 passed -- the others are Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona -- California is the only one that has not done a cultural survey of the highway.
http://tinyurl.com/yahpsg9 - Los Angeles Times

- Pueblo Grande Museum Honored with AAM Accreditation: Phoenix’s Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park has, for the second time, earned a rare distinction from the American Association of Museums. The Association recently renewed Pueblo Grande Museum’s Accreditation, an honor earned by less than 5 percent of the 17,500 museums in the United States.
http://phoenix.gov/news/122209pueblo.html

- Efforts to Save Comanche Language Begin at Texas Tech: This fall, a Texas Tech University professor of anthropology will begin the difficult task of collecting the remnants of the near-extinct Comanche language, then creating a way it can be taught in a university setting. Jeff Williams, chairman of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work, will serve as an external evaluator for Numu Tekwapu, a project to document and revitalize the Comanche language. He will work with tribe members and researchers at Comanche Nation College in Lawton, Okla., to record what’s left of the language and create a method for teaching it to students at the college.
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/living/79894182.html

Las Capas Listed in Archaeology Magazine's Top Ten Discoveries for 2009

2009-12-21T09:07:00.000-08:00

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

- Archaeology Magazine Names Excavations at Las Capas to List of Top Ten Discoveries in 2009: For years, archaeologists in the American Southwest have wrestled with a frustrating puzzle: How did ancient farmers grow corn in the cactus-studded Sonoran Desert as early as 2000 B.C.? Some form of irrigation was clearly necessary, but until 2009 no one had ever seen evidence for one of these primeval watering systems. Now at the site of Las Capas outside Tucson, archaeologist James Vint of Desert Archaeology Inc. and his colleagues have excavated an enormous network of canals and fields stretching over as many as 100 acres and dating to 1200 B.C. It is the oldest documented irrigation system in North America.
http://www.archaeology.org/1001/topten/arizona.html

- Arizona State University's First Native American Archaeologist Honored at Commencement Ceremony: In the United States, most of the archaeology is about Native American cultures. Yet nationwide, there are only about 15 Native American doctorate-level archaeologists involved in the interpretation of their archaeological past. Today, William "Rex" Weeks joins their ranks as the first Native American to receive a doctoral degree with a specialization in archaeology from Arizona State University's highly competitive anthropology program. His inspiring success story was shared during the commencement ceremony.
http://asunews.asu.edu/20091217_rexweeks

- Southwest Symposium Seeks Venue for 2012 Conference: Responsibilities include retaining a conference facility and hotel, setting the program theme, identifying major paper and poster sessions and their coordinators, creating a program, and organizing a reception for participants. The conference organizers will also edit the conference proceedings volume. The Southwest Symposium currently has a publication arrangement with the University of Colorado to publish contingent on peer review.
http://www.cdarc.org/sat/sw_sympoisum_call_for_venue.doc

- Coso Petroglyphs are a Little Known Californian Treasure: Everywhere you look, for a mile or so down what is known as Little Petroglyph Canyon, there are images pecked or scratched into the rock faces: stylized human figures in a variety of headgear, stick figures with bows and arrows, dogs or coyotes, bear paws with extra digits, all manner of abstract geometric patterns, zigzags and circles and dots, and hundreds upon hundreds of what looked like bighorn sheep, some small, some larger than life size.
http://tinyurl.com/yces2h8 - New York Times

- Gila Cliff Dwellings Announce Winter and Holiday Hours: The Cliff Dwellings are open year-round. During the winter, visitors may hike to the dwellings between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm, and while the gate to the dwellings closes at 4:00 pm, visitors have another hour in which to complete their hike. A guided tour of the Cliff Dwellings is offered daily at 12:00 p.m. The Monument is open year-round, including Christmas Eve (December 24), Christmas Day (December 25) and New Years Day (January 1). The Gila Visitor Center, however, will be closing at 12:30 p.m. on December 24th, and will be closed all day on December 25th and January 1st.

- Holiday Hours Announced for Anasazi Heritage Center: The Bureau of Land Management’s Anasazi Heritage Center will be closing at noon on Thursday, Dec. 24 and will remain closed on Christmas Day. The Center will reopen on Dec. 26 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Heritage Center will also be closed Jan. 1, 2010, and resume its seven
day a week 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. schedule through February.

- Ancient Ceramic found in Cave in the Manti-LaSal National Forest: A pot discovered under a rock in one of the canyons in the forest in early December may be between 800-1000 years old. "We will be doing a lot of study on this, but it appears to be Anasazi or Fremont in origin," said Charmaine Thompson, the archaeologist for the Manti-La Sal National Forest.
http://www.ecprogress.com/index.php?tier=1&article_id=8561

- UCLA Honored for Research at Historic Cemetery: UCLA's Cotsen Institute of Archaeology and a research associate have won the Governor's Historic Preservation Award for high-tech mapping efforts at the Marquez Family Cemetery in Santa Monica Canyon.
http://tinyurl.com/yfx8s4q - LA Times

- Autry Center Plans to Close Southwest Muesem: Last Saturday, 12/12/2009, the docents had their annual holiday gathering at the museum. John Gray made a surprise appearance, and announced to our group that the Southwest Museum site at Mt. Washington would be closing to the general public. The reason he gave was that they needed space for artifact restoration and conservation. He said that after 12/31/2009, the bookstore area will be closed and used to do work on the bead-work portion of the collection. Any public events now taking place at the museum will cease.
http://tinyurl.com/ycprmwr - Griffithparkwayist@blogspot.

- US Army Continues to Threaten Sacred Native Site: The Comanche Nation and the U.S. Army have been battling over a proposed training/service center for the Fort Sill complex that was to be built on Medicine Bluff, a sacred site of not just the Comanche, but also the Kiowas, the Wichitas and the Apaches. Last year, the Army changed locations after a federal Judge blocked construction and ruled that all four bluffs had to be visible for the spiritual well-being of the Comanche people. The Army can still appeal the ruling, and the Comanche administration believes they will appeal in an attempt to drag out the litigation until the tribe runs out of money.
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/national/79064507.html

- North American Megafauna May Have Survived Longer than Currently Believed: Extinct woolly mammoths and ancient American horses may have been grazing the North American steppe for several thousand years longer than previously thought. After plucking ancient DNA from frozen soil in central Alaska, a team of researchers used cutting-edge techniques to uncover "genetic fossils" of both species locked in permafrost samples dated to between 7,600 and 10,500 calendar years.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091214151946.htm

- Mayans Working to Save Cultural Heritage Featured on the Archaeology Channel: An association of Tz’utujil Maya people from Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala, struggle to establish a cultural center and archaeological site museum at the nearby lakeside site of Chuitinamit, once home to the Pre-Hispanic Maya King Tepepul and now badly looted. Including a tour of the museum, this film documents their accomplishments thus far and current endeavors in the face of artifact looting and natural catastrophe in the form of Hurricane Stan, which struck in 2005.
http://www.archaeologychannel.org/

Thanks to Terry Colvin, Michael Mauer and Adrianne Rankin for contributing to today's newsletter.

New Hypothesis About the Introduction of Maize to the Southwest

2009-12-14T09:44:00.000-08:00

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

- New Hypothesis Suggests Maize Was Passed from Group to Group by Ancient Southwestern Hunter-Gatherer Populations: An international group of anthropologists offers a new theory about the diffusion of maize to the Southwestern United States and the impact it had. Published the week of Dec. 7 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study, co-authored by Gayle Fritz, Ph.D., professor of anthropology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, and colleagues, suggests that maize was passed from group to group of Southwestern hunter-gatherers.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091208162656.htm

- University of Arizona Anthropology Department Reorganizes to Become a School of Anthropology: This fall, the University of Arizona's prestigious anthropology department, already ranked among the top five in the country, became even stronger. Under the UA transformation plan, the department reorganized into a school, adding more depth to its world-renowned archaeology program and increasing ways faculty and students can be engaged in the community.
http://uanews.org/node/29002

- Save America's Treasures Announces 9.5 Million Dollars in Grant Awards, Including Several Southwestern Projects
http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/treasures/

- New Visitation Rules in Place for Moon House: As I hiked down the trail, I was approaching one of the last, best backcountry Anasazi sites in the Southwest, but I was still unprepared for what I found. It's that sense of self-discovery that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in its Monticello, Utah, field office seeks to preserve with new January 2010 rules for visiting Moon House.
http://tinyurl.com/ydalxs9 - Durango Herald

- San Juan Basin Archaeology Society Celebrates 30 Years of Stewardship: After a promise not to be pot hunters, the San Juan Basin Archaeological Society was granted its charter by the Colorado Archaeological Society in 1979. It is now the largest chapter in the state, with more members than Denver and other cities on the Front Range.
http://tinyurl.com/ye237xn - Durango Herald

- A First Hand Account of a Passport in Time Project: For five days last May, I worked as a volunteer archaeologist with the U.S. Forest Service in Southern California's Cleveland National Forest. Through the service's Passport in Time (PIT) program, I located and photographed sites where the native peoples of 12,000 years ago, the Diegueños, carved stone tools and weapons, where 7,500 years ago their descendants ground seeds and nuts on rocks and where more-recent descendants produced pottery.
http://tinyurl.com/ybya6xl - Washington Post

- Tour Opportunity with El Malpais National Conservation Area Just Keeps Improving: "Where else can you find 2 great kivas by a Chacoesque Great House? Where else can you find continuous presence from AD 655 to AD 1158? Where else can you visit what may be a pivotal great house for the region 2 days before winter solstice with only a 5 minute drive from I-40 and a 5 minute walk from pavement? Saturday, December 19th shows as high as 50F and sunny in 1 forecast model. AND we've just got OK to show Steve Lekson's fall lecture at Silver City, NM along with "Chaco" a film with mostly native interviews. Come for the films, come for the discussion over lunch, come for the Casamero walk, or come for all 3. Meet: Northwest New Mexico Visitor Center at exit 85 on I-40 at 10:00 AM. Car-pool: 35 paved miles west on I40. Walk: 1 mile round trip. BLM El Malpais NCA: 505.280.2918

- Imperial Valley Archaeologist Jay Von Werlhof Passes: Von Werlhof is revered locally for his nearly 40 years of contributions to anthropology and archaeology. An Imperial Valley College instructor for 19 years before his retirement in 1992, von Werlhof taught anthropology, Indian studies and archaeology while supervising the museum during its early years.
http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2009/12/12/local_news/news02.txt

- More of the Life and Contributions of Jay Von Werlhof
http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2009/11/13/education/884.txt

- Lecture Opportunity (Tucson): Monday, December 21st Dr. Stephen Nash, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, will present the monthly Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society Lecture. His talk is entitled "Fast Approaching Zero: Tree-Ring Dating at Mesa Verde National Park". Duval Auditorium, 1501 N. Campbell Ave. 7:30 p.m.

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

Randy McGuire Named Distinguished Binghamton Professor

2009-12-06T14:32:00.000-08:00

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

- Randy McGuire Named Distinguished Professor at Binghamton University: McGuire, who earned his PhD from the University of Arizona, has had his work published in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese and Catalan. His nomination notes that he “brings innovative thinking about archaeological theory and a creative integration of new theory into the practice of archaeology, making his research impactful, unique and world-renown.” McGuire’s work on Marxian and Marxist approaches in archaeology, his particular interests in history and power, and his ability to excel in both theory and practice lent a key voice in bringing these concerns back into American archaeology.
http://www2.binghamton.edu/news/inside/news.html?issue=2009dec03&id=2

- Enjoy a Cool Hike and a Learning Experience at a Chacoan Great House Site (Grants):
Winter gives a fine opportunity to experience Casamero, a Chacoan style great house, while feeling the power of nature Chacoans faced without today's conveniences. Which conveniences did they have? How did their conveniences help them build in such a grand style in such a harsh climate? Who located its construction in a fashion that would make a Feng Shui master smile? What pushed its abandonment? Come stroll amid the mysteries of a striking mixed stone construction, search for the great kiva(s), marvel at the enormous owl eyes of the Mesa, & enjoy a discussion over optional lunch in Grants. BLM’s El Malpais National Conservation Area presents the last part of “Walking with the Ancestors” on Saturday, December 19th, 2009. Meet at the Northwest New Mexico Visitor Center at exit 85 on I-40 at 10:00 AM. Drive 35 paved miles. Walk 1 mile round trip. Too much snow? then instead, films and a discussion are planned. 505.280.2918

- Arizona Dept. of Transportation Launches Historic Roads Website: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in cooperation with the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), has started a multi-year project to tell the story of Arizona's past as viewed through the state's historic roads. The state's historic roads include all state routes and US highways in Arizona developed between 1912 and 1955, excluding the Interstates. The project is called, "Exploring Arizona's Historic Roads".
http://www.azdot.gov/azhistoricroads/

- Ancient Mammoths Now on Display near Waco: A site where dozens of prehistoric mammoths died in a landslide and flooding some 68,000 years ago has opened to the public in Waco, Texas. The fossils were discovered in 1978 by two men hunting for snakes. They took one of the bones to a Baylor University museum official who identified it, triggering an archaeological dig.
http://tinyurl.com/ygm3vaf - The Daily Record.Com
http://www.northjersey.com/photos/photodj120509_844.html

- National Park Service Grant to Help Restore Japanese-American Internment Sites: A National Park Service grant program is giving new hope to Coloradans who want to restore the site in southeast Colorado where Japanese-Americans were forcibly detained during World War II.
http://www.9news.com/rss/article.aspx?storyid=127965

- New Exhibit on Navajo Weaving Shares Stories of Life and Myths (Boulder): Dreams, Schemes and Stories, a Navajo textiles exhibit on view at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History through Feb. 4, invites visitors to venture into Navajo life on the resettled reservations of the late 19th century through the weavers’ art. Dreams is the second of three installments in Navajo Weaving: Diamonds, Dreams, Landscapes, the museum’s first major showing of Navajo pieces from the Joe Ben Wheat Southwestern Textile Collection. Weaving Memory: Monotypes, by Melanie Yazzie, associate professor of art and art history at CU, is also on display. That showing concludes on May 30.
http://tinyurl.com/ycghz6s - Boulder Weekly

- Tohono O'odham Now Own Ceramic Technologies Integral in Defense and Aerospace: After Advanced Ceramics Research was acquired in June by defense giant BAE Systems Inc. in a $14.7 million stock deal, Advanced Ceramics Manufacturing was sold to the San Xavier Development Authority, an arm of the Tohono O'odham Nation, and founders Anthony Mulligan and Mark Angier.
http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/320223

Editors Note: Our thoughts, condolences, and sympathy are with the family and students of Binghamton Anthropology Professor Emeritus Richard Antoun.

Ancient Agricultural Impacts and Climatic Change Studied at ASU

2009-11-30T09:50:00.000-08:00

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

- ASU Archaeologist Michael C Barton Presents Research on the Climatic Impacts of Agricultural Practice: Arizona State University archaeologist C. Michael Barton has gained a reputation for learning about human-environment interaction by applying a long-term perspective, as well as the latest technology, to his research. His Mediterranean Landscape Dynamics project is creating multidimensional computer models of landscape change and agricultural land use practices for a 6,000-year period from the beginning of farming to the rise of urban civilization.
http://asunews.asu.edu/20091125_barton

- Northern Arizona and Most of the Southwest in Drought: Rancher Duane Coleman manages a large ranch on land partly owned by the Hopi Tribe southeast of Flagstaff, near Twin Arrows. Of 75 tanks to water cattle on the ranch, all but two are dry, and the ranch received only 2.5 inches of monsoon rain this year, Coleman said. Coleman, vice president of the local Natural Resources Conservation District, is hauling 11,000 gallons of water a day to supply his livestock, he said, and has had to cut the number of cattle on the land by about a third. Normally he only has to haul water in the summer sometimes.
http://azdailysun.com/articles/2009/11/25/news/20091125_front_208099.txt

- Hopi Tribe to Open Hotel and Visitor's Center in Moenkopi: Tourists traveling the vast expanse of tribal lands in northern Arizona soon will have a venue to learn about the culture of one of the oldest indigenous tribes in America. A $13 million hotel and conference center billed as the western gateway to the Hopi reservation is set to open late this year, where entertainment, lectures and demonstrations will provide non-Hopis with an insight into the tribe's culture and traditions.
http://ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=1236397

- Reminder - Archaeology Cafe This Tuesday in Tucson: The next Archaeology Café will convene on Tuesday, December 1, 2009, 6:00 pm, at Casa Vicente, 375 S. Stone Avenue, Tucson, AZ. This month, we will be joined by Don Burgess, former General Manager of KUAT TV. Thirty-one Latin-inscribed lead crosses and a caliche plaque collectively known as the Silverbell Artifacts confounded scholars at the time of their appearance over the years between 1924 and 1930. The items appeared to attest to Roman presence in southern Arizona between A.D. 775 and 940. Don will tell the story behind the story, and dispel the myths surrounding this deliberate hoax. The legacy of this incident continues to this day, as Arizona State Museum and Arizona History Museum curators can attest from the yearly inquiries they receive. The Café Program is Free and open to the community—all are welcome.
http://www.cdarc.org/2009/11/16/archaeology-cafe-romans-in-tucson/

- Debate on North American Megafauna Extinctions Continue, but Timing of Event is Becoming Better Defined: ears of scientific debate over the extinction of ancient species in North America have yielded many theories. However, new findings from J. Tyler Faith, GW Ph.D. candidate in the hominid paleobiology doctoral program, and Todd Surovell, associate professor of anthropology at the University of Wyoming, reveal that a mass extinction occurred in a geological instant.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091127140706.htm

Travelogue - Southwestern Education Vacation: The American Southwest bursts with potential for exploration, and offers opportunities to learn about Native American groups, particularly the Hopi and Anasazi. Discover what it’s like to drive the Trail of the Ancients scenic byway, plan a day trip to New Mexico’s Chaco Culture National Historical Park or create an itinerary for the Four Corners, a hotbed of Native American history and culture.
http://tinyurl.com/y9a6kmo - Finding Dulcina

Archaeology on a Bombing Range

2009-11-24T09:30:00.000-08:00

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

- Archaeology on the Goldwater Bombing Range: There are places here where the desert floor is so speckled with artifacts, it is difficult to find a step that will not fracture history. In a place called Lago Seco, pieces of pottery, many more than 800 years old, glisten in the morning sun. Stone tools and arrowheads are covered with only a thin layer of sand. The quiet envelops visitors with its completeness. Then in the howling silence, a massive cloud of dirt and sand rises from the ground. Moments later, a concussive blast rolls out of Manned Range 4.
http://tinyurl.com/ydsu6yd - Arizona Republic

Lake Mead Petroglyph Mapping: The National Park Service, in conjunction with the Nevada Rock Art Foundation out of Reno, Nev., has undertaken a mapping of the petroglyphs at the mouth of Grapevine Canyon in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area north of Laughlin along Christmas Tree Pass. According to Archeological Technologist Erin Eichenberg, the drawings that cover many rock surfaces in the canyon have never been properly surveyed. Volunteers from the NRAF are sketching, mapping locations of petroglyphs using GPS devices and documenting art work found on around 250 different panels containing drawings. Additionally, the volunteers are assisting park personnel with filling out the paperwork necessary to properly document the site.
http://www.mohavedailynews.com/articles/2009/11/24/news/local/local6.txt

- Lecture Opportunity (Tucson): Southwestern Author Craig Childs to Speak on Water: The behavior of water — in all its flowing, flooding, frozen forms — fascinates author Craig Childs. He has observed the precious, powerful resource in locales from the deserts of Arizona to the highlands of Tibet — and he will discuss some of his fluid findings in a free Dec. 10 lecture at Pima Community College. Childs will deliver the Lawrence Clark Powell Memorial Lecture. It's part of the Southwest Literature Project sponsored by the Pima County Public Library. 7 p.m. Dec. 10 at the Proscenium Theatre on the West Campus of Pima Community College, 2202 W. Anklam Road.
http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/318381

- Exhibit Opening (Tucson): The Arizona State Museum presents opening celebrations for "Mexico, the Revolution and Beyond: the Casasola Archives, 1900-1940" on Thurs, Dec 3, 2009, 6:30-9:00 p.m. Enjoy a panel discussion (at CESL auditorium) followed by an exhibit viewing, a book signing and a reception (at ASM). Enjoy delicious food from El Charro Café and sweet treats from Le Cave's Bakery. Kindly RSVP to Darlene Lizarraga (520) 626-8381 or dfl@email.arizona.edu. This exhibition is organized by the Fototeca Nacional of the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (Mexico) and is presented in collaboration with the Consulate of Mexico in Tucson.
http://www.statemuseum.arizona.edu/public/index.shtml#casasola

- Travelouge - Montezuma's Castle: Our state is blessed with real connections to ancient cultures that offer clues to our past — and a celebration of the enormous accomplishments of these indigenous peoples. An increased understanding of the gifts of these cultures to our contemporary society will result in a greater appreciation for Arizona’s diverse cultural groups, and for the land that served as their homes. Conservation of the fragile environment of our state, along with preservation of its natural beauty, has brought us Montezuma’s Castle.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/147540

Thanks to Brian Kenny for contributing to today's newsletter.