Utah Archaeological Community Responds to the Firing of State Archaeologists

Utah Archaeological Community Responds to the Termination of Three State Archaeologist Positions
Given the appearance that the firings may have been retribution for carrying out exactly this responsibility, what assurance is there that any future employee of the Antiquities Section will feel free to offer independent, professionally valid advice?  The governor should reaffirm Utah’s commitment to archaeological preservation, and ensure that the Antiquities Section has the staff and the independence to fulfill its legal responsibilities.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/52084227-82/archaeological-state-utah-antiquities.html.csp

Former State Archaeologist in Utah Claims His Firing in 2009 was Part of a Pattern of Political Retribution
Doug Clark, who was laid off in January 2009 as the managing director of business growth for the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED), said he was scolded, pulled off a key project and later let go for refusing to help with efforts to allow development of the site that was favored by former House Speaker Greg Curtis.  His allegations — uncorroborated by any documentation — are denied by Curtis and Jason Perry, who served as head of GOED and, later, as Gov. Gary Herbert’s chief of staff. Perry said Clark’s layoff was strictly a budget matter. http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/52108052-90/clark-curtis-draper-frontrunner.html.csp

Los Angeles Times Editorial Supports Re-Opening the Southwest Museum
The Southwest Museum needs to be reopened, in the building Lummis created for it, and with at least some of the artifacts he assembled for it. And we need to do this, I told Cumming, because the building and the collection are themselves a precious artifact of L.A. history.  http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0701-tobar-20110701,0,2281984.column

The City of Tucson Passes Preservation-Friendly Revisions to Sign Code
Aging historic signs can now be repaired instead of simply removed under new rules passed unanimously by the Tucson City Council on Tuesday. Under the city’s previous sign code, older signs didn’t meet requirements, so if they came down for repairs they could never go back up.  Therefore, business owners were forced to choose between letting their old signs deteriorate or tearing them down. http://azstarnet.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_c628b30b-97be-5848-905c-f09455e73d7b.html

Workshop Planned to Explore the Application of the National Environmental Policy Act on Tribal Lands
The International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management (IIIRM) is offering a workshop on the strategic application of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in Indian Country. The workshop will be held on August 17 and 18, 2011 at the DoubleTree Hotel Denver in Colorado. The workshop is designed for Tribal Council Members, Attorneys, Natural and Cultural Resource Specialists and Environmental Protection Professionals and Federal Agency Personnel and Contractors Working in Indian Country. http://www.scribd.com/doc/58415717/A-Workshop-on-the-Strategic-Application-of-the-National-Environmental-Policy-Act-NEPA-in-Indian-Country

Florence AZ Honored with Historic Preservation Award
Florence was one of the 2011 recipients for the Florence Townsite Historic District Preservation Design Guidelines.  The awards were the highlight of the recent 9th Annual Arizona Historic Preservation Conference held in Tucson on June 22-24, 2011. State Historic Preservation Officer Jim Garrison said, “The awards make the conference more than a venue to learn, debate and network, but also a celebration of outstanding historic preservation efforts and achievements.” http://www.trivalleycentral.com/articles/2011/07/02/florence_reminder_blade_tribune/news/doc4e0ba66e181a1285029028.txt

Smithsonian Postpones Exhibit that Would have Featured Artifacts of Questionable Provenance
“Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds” drew strong criticism from experts in underwater archeology and cultural heritage groups who argued that the excavation of the boat had not meet the field’s standards. They also contended that a show at the Sackler, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution, would seem to give approval to what they considered objectionable methods. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/arts-post/post/sackler-gallery-postpones-controversial-shipwreck-show/2011/06/28/AGbb9fpH_blog.html?wprss=arts-post

Travelogue – Visiting Puye Cliff Dwellings
Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde are well known, highly advertised travel destinations featuring ruins of ancient Puebloan societies. Although the drives from Santa Fe were long, I’ve been to both. Recently, I was surprised to find another such destination less than an hour’s drive from City Different. Sure, I’d passed faded highway billboards en route to the Puye Cliff Dwellings. But I had little to prepare me for this wonderful site, practically in my backyard. http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Journey-to-antiquity

Follow along with the Center’s Preservation Archaeology Field School
The staff and students of the preservation archaeology field school (a joint effort of the Center for Desert Archaeology and the University of Arizona School of Anthropology) are utilizing a blog for reporting on research and significant results in the Mule Creek region. https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/what-we-do/investigations/mule-creek/mule-creek-underground/

Thanks to Gerald Kelso and Brian Kreimendahl for contributions to this week’s issue of Southwest Archaeology Today.