Southwest Archaeology Today for Oct 1, 2010

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 Museum 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

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
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://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.

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.