New Visitor’s Center and New Technology Help Share the Past at Hovenweep

New Visitor’s Center and New Technology Help Share the Past at Hovenweep National Monument
The ruins of Hovenweep lie along the Colorado-Utah border to the west of the more famous cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde. There’s now a new visitor center that has been built at Hovenweep National Monument in recent years. The center is a great place to check for nature walks and other programs in the park year round.
http://denver.cbslocal.com/2011/02/12/new-technology-helps-research-at-hovenweep/

Texas Historical Commission Excavating the Possible Grave Site of Texas Ranger James Coryell
According to legend, Coryell died protecting settlers in 1837. His final resting place was lost to history; but now archaeologists think they may have found his grave in rural Falls County, about an hour east of the city and county that bears his name. The find is encased in hard clay, and archaeologists are unearthing it. “The skeleton is a book for us. You can read a book. We can read bones,” explains Dr. Doug Owsley, a forensic anthropologist and curator at the Smithsonian Institution, which is assisting the Texas Historical Commission in the dig. http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2011/02/18/historians-may-have-found-remains-of-legendary-texas-ranger/

Arizona Officials Plan Shooting Range Near Walnut Canyon National Monument
Unless Arizona officials change their minds, a visit to Walnut Canyon National Monument soon could be against the backdrop of rapid-fire gunfire courtesy of a shooting range the state intends to build near the monument. “They claim that they’ll be able to muffle some of the sounds, but hundreds of rounds of staccato muffled gunfire in Walnut Canyon probably is not appropriate,” says David Nimkin, who oversees the National Parks Conservation Association’s Southwest regional office. http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2011/02/arizona-officials-planning-shooting-range-near-walnut-canyon-national-monument7632

Preservation Quandary – Should the Road through Nine Mile Canyon be Paved?
Paving the dirt road through Nine Mile Canyon may be the next step in a landmark agreement to drill nearby gas wells while protecting ancient rock art from dust — though it’s one that some of the canyon’s fans fear would change it forever. http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/51263571-76/canyon-road-dust-county.html.csp

Arizona’s Homol’ovi Ruins State Park Re-Opens March 18
With positive financial news hard to come by, the re-opening of Homolovi Ruins State Park in one month is music to the ears of those in an area that depends heavily on tourism. A grand re-opening celebration has been set for Friday, March 18, complete with traditional dancing and singing to mark the occasion. According to a 2009 study, the park, located just outside of Winslow, has a $3.5 million annual impact on Navajo County and creates approximately 44 full-time jobs when in operation. http://www.azjournal.com/2011/02/18/homolovi-re-opening-set-march-18/

Public Meetings on Valles Caldera National Preserve Scheduled for March
The Valles Caldera Trust is working with the Santa Fe National Forest to update you on several planning efforts for the Valles Caldera National Preserve and the surrounding National Forest.
http://www.vallescaldera.gov/newsmedia/news/news_March2011PublicMeeting.pdf

Famed Navajo Potter Kathleen Nez Passes
Nez began working as a potter after coming to Santa Fe more than 30 years ago and earning a bachelor’s degree in fine art at the Institute of American Indian Arts. Simply called “Nez” by most who knew her, she participated in Santa Fe’s annual Indian Market show beginning in 1983 and won numerous awards for her stoneware, according to her family.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/02/12/20110212arizona-potter-Nez-dies-obit-ON.html

Lecture Opportunity (Tubac)
Archaeologist Allen Dart will present “Ancient Native American Pottery of Southern Arizona” to the Santa Cruz Valley Chapter of the Arizona Archaeological Society on March 10, 2011, 7 PM, at the North County Facility at 50 Bridge Road in Tubac.  This program, made possible by the Arizona Humanities Council, marks the March celebration of Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month and is free to the public.

Reminder – Lecture Opportunity (Tucson)
Dr Catherine Cameron, University of Colorado will present “The Bluff Great House and the Chaco Phenomenon” today (Monday Feb 21) at 7:30 pm in the DuVal Auditorium at the University Medical Center, 1501 N Campbell Ave.