Arizona Republic Declares Sonoran Desert Heritage Proposal Worth Supporting

Arizona Republic Declares Sonoran Desert Heritage Proposal Worth Supporting
Mix together the military, wildlife, petroglyphs, tourism, the desert and economic development . . . and you have one amazing idea. It’s called the Sonoran Desert Heritage Proposal, and if approved by Congress, it would protect about 750,000 acres of public land in western Maricopa County. The area, which forms a crescent west of the White Tank Mountains and curving south of Interstate 10, is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. None of it is private. What it needs is an extra layer of protection and oversight, especially as urban development continues to expand in that  direction. http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/2011/08/21/20110821heritage-proposal-support.html#ixzz1W684WTqm

Randall McGuire Kicks Off the Fourth Season of the Center For Desert Archaeology’s Archaeology Cafe
The Center for Desert Archaeology and Casa Vicente invite all to the fourth season of Archaeology Café, a casual, happy hour-style discussion forum dedicated to promoting community engagement with cultural and scientific research.  On Tuesday, September 6, 2011, Dr. Randall McGuire will present “Feathered Serpents and Pole-Climbing Clowns,” which should generate an inspired conversation about ties between Mesoamerica and the ancient southwest. Come settle in with a drink and a plate of delicious tapas at downtown Tucson’s own Casa Vicente. We meet the first Tuesday of each month from September through May at 6:00 p.m.; presentations begin at 6:15 p.m. Seating is open on a first-come, first-served basis—be ready to make new acquaintances! https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/2011/08/09/feathered-serpents-and-pole-climbing-clowns/

The Center For Desert Archaeology Headed “Back to the Future” of the Post-Chacoan World
Have you ever wanted to travel back in time without the trouble of building a time machine? You may have a chance in the winter of 2013 when Chaco’s Legacy, an interactive digital virtual tour and exhibition, opens at Aztec Ruins National Monument and Salmon Ruins Museum. “We’re going into the future to visit the past,” said Paul Reed, an archaeologist at the Center for Desert Archaeology. http://www.daily-times.com/farmington-news/ci_18753743?source=rss

Kellogg Sues the Maya Archaeology Initiative
The Maya Archaeology Initiative is fighting claims by Kellogg North America that a bird depicted in MAI’s logo is too similar to “Toucan Sam,” the fictional spokesbird for Froot Loops cereal. MAI, a non-profit that supports education for Guatemalan children (as well as archaeology), got a cease-and-desist letter from Kellogg’s lawyers in July saying that Kellogg was concerned about an application to use the logo in connection with clothing, given that Sam also appears on clothing. http://blogs.forbes.com/kevinunderhill/?p=4559

California Solar Energy Project May Threaten Blythe Intaglios
The Solar Millennium facility has riled some Natives concerned that it will harm the Blythe Intaglios, massive geoglyphs. In February, an Associated Press report drew attention to Alfredo Figueroa, whose group La Cuna de Aztlan Sacred Sites Protection Circle has been filing lawsuits to stop construction of fast-tracked green energy projects on or near sacred sites. The company says it’s actively and adequately consulting with tribes in the area, and that it has moved the footprint of its planned structure to several times over tribal concerns. There is also some dispute over the nature of the sites. http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/08/solar-project-near-blythe-alters-plan/

Repatriation Battle Pits Kumeyaay Tribe Against University of California Scientists
Ever since the remains of three ancient humans were unearthed in 1976 on property owned by the University of California at San Diego (UCSD), the Kumeyaay people have been engaged in a complex battle to have the remains repatriated to them. This would be against the wishes of many University of California (UC) scientists, who want to keep them for further study, a stance that is now opposed by UCSD administrators. But after decades of wrangling, recent actions by UCSD and the scientists who oppose repatriation have brought the remains once again into the spotlight. http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/08/burial-site-battle-pits-kumeyaay-against-scientists/

Spring Field School Opportunity (University of Arizona)
The UA School of Anthropology offers a spring semester (January 11-May 4, 2012) archaeological field school in problem-oriented research for all skill levels. Participants will learn excavation, mapping with advance spatial and geophysical techniques, care and analysis of artifacts, and interpretation of the archaeological record. Field trips, lectures, discussion, and report-writing augment field and laboratory experience. https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/sat/UofA_fieldschool_2012.pdf

Paintball Petroglyph Painter Punished
A man who barraged a culturally sensitive area of Lake Mead National Recreation Area with a spattering of red and green paint was sentenced to prison today, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. David R. Smith pleaded guilty last May to defacing petroglyphs with oil-based pellets shot from a fully automatic paintball gun in March 2010, resulting in a 15-month sentence and an order to pay nearly $10,000 in restitution. http://www.kcet.org/updaily/the_back_forty/archaeology/man-sent-to-prison-for-shooting-paintballs-at-petroglyphs.html

Lecture Opportunity (Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community)
A talk on “O’odham Song Culture and the Archaeology of Trails” will be presented by Barnaby Lewis and Andrew Darling at the Salt River Community Center on Tuesday August 30^th at 6:00.  A light dinner will be served before the program.  Everybody is welcome! (The Community Center is on the west side of Longmore Road just north of McDowell Road.  If you pass the BIA water tower, you’ve gone too far!) https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/sat/src_archaeology.png

Thanks to Adrianne Rankin for contributions to this week’s issue of Southwestern Archaeology Today.