Southwest Archaeology Today for Sept 27, 2006

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

– Investigations at Spruce Tree House: Archaeologists are exploring Spruce Tree House, probing rooms, kivas and open areas to document an ancient culture through its architecture. The structure, occupied by Ancestral Puebloans between 1210 and 1280, is the best-preserved and third-largest cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde National Park. The 90-foot-deep dwelling boasts 127 rooms, nine kivas and two towers. It even contains one of three columns in the entire, 600-alcove-site park. Kay Barnett is overseeing about a half-dozen archaeologists as they examine and interpret the stories told in the stone, plaster and mortar at the park.
http://tinyurl.com/zjq5b – The Cortez Journal

– Many Opportunities to Help Archaeological Preservation on Public Lands: Armed with shovels, hammers, hoes and muscle, nearly 90,000 people volunteered a day last year to clean up their public lands around the country. Organizers hope even more volunteers will turn out for the 13th annual National Public Lands Day on Sept. 30. So far, 17 volunteer projects are being planned around New Mexico, from Abiqui Lake in the north to Valley of Fires Recreation Area down south.
http://tinyurl.com/m579c – Red Orbit

– Free Public Lecture on Akimel O’odham Songs and Trails (Mesa): Thursday, September 28, 2006, 7:00 p.m. in the Mesa Southwest Museum theater. By Andrew Darling (Program Coordinator, Cultural Resource Management Program, Gila River Indian Community) and Barnaby Lewis (Cultural Resource Specialist, Gila River Indian Community). Made possible, in part, by a grant from the Arizona Humanities Council.
http://www.cdarc.org/pages/what/exhibits/from_above.php

– Public Hearing on Access Rules For Utah Site Database: A public hearing for a new administrative rule governing a database of state archaeological records is scheduled for 5 p.m. Oct. 5 in the Zephyr conference room at the Rio Grande Depot, 300 S. Rio Grande St., in Salt Lake City. Philip F. Notarianni, director of the Division of State History, said the rule aims to protect sensitive records on archaeological sites from people who want to pilfer those sites for artifacts. Some archaeologists have interpreted the new rule as being too restrictive for gaining access to the records, Notarianni said. The public comment period for the new rule has been extended to Oct. 31. Comments can be sent to Alveia Aldrich, 300 S. Rio Grande St., Salt Lake City, UT 84101 or to aaldrich@utah.gov. – From DeseretNews.com.

– Travelogue – Canyon de Chelly: You can’t drive around on your own in this canyon, or hike where you please. And you should ask permission before taking pictures of the Navajo Indians who live and farm here. But these rules are worth observing in order to spend a few hours in Canyon de Chelly (Chelly is pronounced “shay”) National Monument, which occupies a unique place in the heritage of American Indians.
http://tinyurl.com/zfmow – Reno Gazette Journal

BLM Rock Art Recording Relies upon Volunteers (Utah): At the bottom of the ridge, Inga Nagel stared at centuries-old circles and lines etched into a basalt boulder as she carefully sketched them onto a pad of graph paper. About 40 feet above her, Ken Mears used a laptop computer to operate a laser scanning device to build a three-dimensional image of the rock art site in the Devil’s Kitchen, a few miles west of Fillmore.
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_4392391?source=rss

– History on Mill Ave (Tempe): While some people might assume that Tempe is devoid of a rich culture and history, it turns out that Mill Avenue has been a hot spot of activity for decades – dating back all the way to the late 1870s.
http://www.statepress.com/issues/2006/09/25/arts/697818

– The Texarkana Archaeology Blues: Life as a cultural resource management (CRM) field archaeologist might not be what you expect. In this sequel to our first video spinoff of the Shovel Bum zine, T-Bone tells about a freeway project near Texarkana, Arkansas. Irate landowners, scenic delights, large snakes, night-screaming roommates, and backbiting co-workers all help to portray the “shovel bum lifestyle.” In this episode by the University of New Mexico’s Troy Lovata, T-Bone (using Trent’s real voice) and Betsy finally get fed up with the scene in Arkansas and head west to greener pastures. Featured on the Archaeology Channel.
http://www.archaeologychannel.org/