Southwest Archaeology Today for Nov 21, 2005

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

– “Lost Canyon” Freemont Sites in Southern Utah may be Endangered: The remote Utah canyon that long concealed a string of ancient Indian settlements holds another surprise: The rancher who sold the land kept the mineral rights and says he may use them. Waldo Wilcox, who for nearly 50 years kept the ancient Fremont Indian sites remarkably well preserved, tells a KUED documentary he kept the mineral rights because Utah wouldn’t pay what he thought his 4,200-acre ranch was worth. A documentary “Secrets of the Lost Canyon will air tonight (Nov 21), at 8:00 PM on KUED.
http://kutv.com/topstories/local_story_324142552.html

– Conservation Easment used to Protect Ancient Sites (Colorado): Looking out across the sagebrush and rimrock of a small canyon south of Silt, it’s easy to think back to a time when Native Americans probably did the same, spying for prey. It’s no great leap of faith, considering the deer and elk that forage in the canyon to this day. But far greater evidence is written on the rocks in the canyon. There, petroglyphs, including ones depicting game animals, tell of an earlier time when others visited the area. Now, the unmarred view of this 200-foot-deep canyon that humans and wildlife have enjoyed for centuries will be preserved for posterity’s sake. Oni Butterfly, the canyon’s owner, has placed it into a conservation easement with the Aspen Valley Land Trust.
http://tinyurl.com/978a3 – The Glenwood Independent

– Historian Removed from New Mexico Cultural Panel: An Embudo historian says Gov. Bill Richardson removed him from the state Cultural Properties Review Committee this week because he supported Tesuque Pueblo’s efforts to stop excavation of human remains in downtown Santa Fe. Juan Estevan Arellano said a letter he received Thursday from Richardson does not explain why the governor removed Arellano before his appointed term was scheduled to end next April. But Arellano said Richardson has let it be known that he wants the committee to approve archaeology permits to smooth the way for a new civic center in Santa Fe and for extension of Paseo del Norte into the petroglyph lands on Albuquerque’s west side.
http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/35269.html

– Hualapai Building Novel way to View the Grand Canyon:You get chills just thinking about it. Here at the West Rim of the Grand Canyon, the Hualapai Indians are building a glass walkway that will extend out over the canyon floor 4,000 feet below.
Think about it. Nothing but a piece of glass between you and the Colorado River almost a mile below. Called the Skyway, the glass structure will cantilever out in a semicircle 70 feet from the cliff wall. It could be ready by January.
http://tinyurl.com/98956 – Miami Herald

– Dr. Hunter Clarifies NPS Park Superintendent Listing: There are two announcements for the Park Superintendent position at Casa Grande because that’s the way the government does it. One is for the general public and there are rules that govern hiring from the public. The other is for Merit Promotion which is government only and different hiring rules apply. The public can only respond to the first one. Government employees can respond to both. – Charlotte

– 10 Great Native American Museums: No better time than Thanksgiving season to experience the country’s myriad Native American museums, says W. Richard West Jr., Southern Cheyenne and founding director of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. “These museums are very much about a time continuum that combines past, present and future while celebrating our nation’s heritage,” he says. “And really, that’s what Thanksgiving is all about.” West shares with USA TODAY’s Shawn Sell some noteworthy collections that showcase Native American culture and history.
http://tinyurl.com/b56c3 – USA Today