Cultural Heritage: Publicize and Perish?

Cultural Heritage: Publicize and Perish?
In a story that went around the world two weeks ago, thieves with power saws raided a sacred American Indian site and cut out a series of ancient rock carvings. In the face of such a horrific event, the question is this: Should outdoors writers, like me, who know about thousands of secret spots like these, share them so people can enjoy their magic?
http://www.laketahoenews.net/2012/12/publicizing-hidden-treasures-can-be-costly/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=publicizing-hidden-treasures-can-be-costly

Flagstaff Preserves Picture Canyon
The city of Flagstaff’s plans to buy and preserve hundreds of acres at Picture Canyon came to fruition this morning when the State Land Department accepted the city’s $4.8 million bid at auction. City Manager Kevin Burke offered the sole bid for the 480 acres. The state agency deemed the culturally significant riparian habitat suitable for conservation purposes, thus lowering the minimum asking price to $10,000 an acre. http://azdailysun.com/news/local/flagstaff-buys-picture-canyon-for-million/article_8cf6ad0c-22c6-11e2-afbe-001a4bcf887a.html

Author Attempts to Present a More Realistic Portrayal of Geronimo
Who was Geronimo? For white Americans, he was the most feared and hated Indian warrior of his time – the epitome of the merciless savage bent on slaughtering them and their families. Later, as the US came to terms with its harsh treatment of Native Americans, the Apache leader would emerge as a different figure: the noble hero fighting to defend his land, people and way of life. A new book strips away both simple perceptions.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/15/real-geronimo-avoided-war-claims-robert-utley

HUD Publishes Tribal Consulting Directory Tool
HUD recently launched its Tribal Directory Assessment Tool (TDAT), an online database that provides information about which tribes or NHOs are interestedby state and county. The database includes contact information for tribal leaders and THPOs as well. Although it was developed for use by HUD’s grant recipients, it is available to everyone. You can go to http://www.achp.gov/news_tribalconsulttool_20121207.html for more information including the link to TDAT.  This is an extremely important resource for federal agencies. It takes the guesswork out of finding the tribes or NHOs who should be invited to participate in the Section 106 review process. Even for those counties where there is no expressed tribal interest, the list of interested tribes for each state will provide the necessary information.

Mayan Archaeologist’s Roots in the Southwest
One such legendary archaeologist and Mayanist was Sylvanus G. Morley, who also is believed to be an inspiration for Indiana Jones. He got his professional start surveying the pueblo ruins at Cannonball Mesa in McElmo Canyon before going off to excavate Chichen Itza in Yucatan, Mexico, doing much work to bring pre-Columbian Mayan culture to a mainstream audience. http://www.durangoherald.com/article/20121219/NEWS01/121219490/-1/news01&source=RSS 

2013 Arizona Archaeology Expo – March 16, 2013 – Historic Horseshoe Ranch
The 2013 Arizona Archaeology Expo will be held on March 16, 2013 at the historic Horseshoe Ranch on the Agua Fria National Monument. The theme for this year’s expo is “Life on the Edge: Feast or Famine in Arizona’s Past” Our next planning meeting for the Expo is on Wednesday, January 9, 2013 at 10:00 am at Arizona State Parks and we encourage folks to attend. Also, for those who are interested in participating in this year’s Expo, please fill out an Expo Participation Form and return the form to kdobschuetz@azstateparks.gov or by fax 602-542-4180. Expo Participation Forms can be found at http://azstateparks.com/SHPO/index.html. Deadline for the Expo Participation Forms is January 4, 2013.

First Day Hikes at Hueco Tanks
Join us for First Day Hikes at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, January 1, 2013 at Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site, 6900 Hueco Tanks Rd. #1, El Paso, Texas 79938.  The hikes will last at least 2 hours, and will cover roughly 5 miles on ground-level trails and exposed rock surfaces.  Visitors can choose difficulty level.  The guides may take the hikes to Native American pictographs.  Participants should dress warmly, bring water and snacks, and wear sturdy shoes. This is the second year that all 50 (Texas) state park systems will participate in First Day Hikes, a nationwide initiative to help people enjoy the great outdoors, and to increase public awareness of parks. Reservations are required, and will be taken until the hikes are full. Call 915-857-1135 or 915-849-6684 for information and reservations.  $2 ages 5 to 12; $9 ages 13 and up.

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe
As part of the Southwest Seminars winter public lecture series Ancient Sites Ancient Stories, Jakob William Sedig, PhD candidate, University of Colorado and archaeological researcher will give a talk on January 7, 2013 at 6pm at Hotel Santa Fe, a Picuris Pueblo enterprise, entitled New Research at Woodrow Ruin: An Atypical Mimbres Site. Mr. Sedig has conducted research at Chimney Rock, Casas Grandes, Black Mountain and Woodrow Ruin. His dissertation examines environmental and social change using resilience theory. Refreshments are provided and admission is by subscription or $12 at the door. No reservation is necessary.  For information call Connie Eichstaedt, Southwest Seminars, at 505 466-2775 or email southwest seminar@aol.com website: http://southwestseminars.org/SWS/Welcome.html