Representative Grijalva Sponsors Legislation to Create the Great Bend of the Gila National Monument and the Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area

Representative Grijalva Sponsors Legislation to Create the Great Bend of the Gila National Monument and the Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area
Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva today introduced six bills focused on the management, conservation, and long-term stewardship of federal land in Arizona and throughout the country. The package includes proposals to enhance the already successful Public Land Corps, protect the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River, and enhance and modify protections for certain public lands across Southern Arizona. http://1.usa.gov/13ovg01

Clovis Point Brought to Local Archaeology Road Show in Springerville
This event really was a win-win for professional archaeologists and local community members alike. In many cases, we could tell people a lot more about their objects than they already knew, and we learned where objects had been found, adding to the archaeological knowledge base for the area. Based on people’s reactions and feedback, they loved learning about their collections, and we hope that, as we intended, the event enriched their interest in archaeology. https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/blog/

Students Learn about Excavation at University Indian Ruin
The average person driving through the Indian Ridge Estates neighborhood on the east side of Tucson probably doesn’t give much thought to the people who lived there thousands of years before. But on a plot of land just beyond the roofs of the neighborhood’s modern homes, that’s exactly what’s on the minds of students and researchers from the University of Arizona. Wielding buckets, shovels and brushes, they work meticulously, unearthing ancient architecture, pottery sherds, animal bones, and other artifacts at the University Indian Ruin, a 13-acre Hohokam village site. http://bit.ly/13oAEjW

Tucson Archaeology Café to Feature Evaluation of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan
Linda Mayro (Pima County Cultural Resources Manager) and Julia Fonseca (Pima County Office of Conservation Science and Environmental Policy) share the achievements of Pima County’s Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, a long-term vision for protecting the heritage and natural resources of the West.  We gather after 5:00 p.m., and presentations begin by 6:15 p.m. Outdoor seating is open and unreserved, but limited. Share tables and make new friends! http://bit.ly/ZMOreL

Archaeologists Claim South American Occupations at 22,000 years BP, but Dating Technique Remains Problematic
Stone tools unearthed at a Brazilian rock-shelter may date to as early as 22,000 years ago. Their discovery has rekindled debate about whether ancient people reached the Americas long before the famed Clovis hunters spread through parts of North America around 13,000 years ago. http://bit.ly/13ojqTL – Science News

Archaeology at White Sands
Archaeologists are unearthing the past and clearing the way for military testing and training on White Sand  Missile Range. Near the Yucca Village testing and training facility near Orogrande on WSMR’s eastern border archaeologists are uncovering ancient villages and learning more about the people who once occupied the land that today makes up WSMR and Fort Bliss. http://bit.ly/13onNOx – Fort Bliss Monitor

School Tours Begin at Mesa Grande
On a recent Friday, the first bus loads of students arrived at what to them may have looked like a parcel of undeveloped land in the middle of a sprawling city. There, they were asked to use their imagination to envision a place where centuries ago Native Americans grew crops irrigated by large canals, and the Mesa Grande platform mound stood as a ceremonial center, dominating the landscape. These field trips are all part of the Mesa Grande Cultural Park, 1000 N. Date St., the culmination of an effort spanning two centuries to preserve the platform mound constructed by the Hohokam between 1100 AD and 1400. http://bit.ly/ZlA51z Arizona Newszap

Opportunity to Tour the Eastern Great House at Aztec National Monument
In less than two weeks, touring the Aztec Ruins National Monument will open up a new experience of the ancient pueblo people who once lived in the Four Corners area. Starting in April, the Ruins will offer reservation-only, ranger-guided tours on the first Sunday of each month through October. A lucky few will experience the East Ruin. http://bit.ly/ZMHCtM – Farmington Daily Times

Mexico Demands Sotheby Cancel Auction of 51 Ancient Objects
The Mexican government is demanding that Sotheby’s auction house halt the planned sale of 51 pre-Columbian Mexican artifacts, arguing they are protected national historical pieces. The National Institute of Anthropology and History said Wednesday that Mexico has sent a diplomatic note to the French government seeking assistance in heading off the scheduled auction, in Paris. http://wapo.st/16aUHjt – Washington Post

Lecture Opportunity – Cave Creek, AZ
The Wednesday, April 10, meeting of the Desert Foothills Chapter of the Arizona Archaeological Society will feature Dr. Doss Powell, who will present, “South American Wonders:  The Rise of the Andean Civilization”.  This free lecture will be held from 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM at the Good Shepherd of the Hills Episcopal Church, 6502 E. Cave Creek Road.  Dr. Powell will provide photos and narrative about the Mayan culture and the famous ruin of Macchu Pichu based on his recent visit to the Andes Mountains.  For more information, please see the AAS website at http://www.azarchsoc.org/ or call chapter President Glenda Simmons at 928-584-3251.

Lecture Opportunity – Cortez, CO
The Hisatsinom Chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society is pleased to present Dr. Paul Reed on Tuesday, April 2, at 7:00 pm, at the United Methodist Church of Cortez, 515 Park Street, to discuss The Chuska Valley: Chacoan Colony or Ancient Puebloan Heartland. The Chuska Valley has long been economically linked to Chaco Canyon, but sociopolitical connections between the two areas have been little explored. Dr. Reed will approach this issue drawing on Chuska Valley research over the last 20 years. Paul F. Reed is a Preservation Archaeologist with Archaeology Southwest currently assigned as Chaco Scholar at Salmon Ruins, New Mexico. He has authored and edited several publications on the Middle San Juan Region. Please call Diane McBride for more information, 970-560-1643.

Lecture Opportunity – Tucson
On Thursday April 18, University of Arizona Professor J. Jefferson Reid will present “The Fiftieth Anniversary of Research at Grasshopper Pueblo, 1963-2013” during Old Pueblo Archaeology Center’s 6 to 8:30 p.m. “Third Thursday Food for Thought” dinner program at Dragon’s View Asian Cuisine, 400 N. Bonita Ave., Tucson.  Dr. Reid will highlight some of the most interesting interpretations that Grasshopper researchers have made over the years and will discuss the newest studies. Guests may select and purchase their own dinners from the restaurant’s menu. There is no entry fee but donations will be requested to benefit Old Pueblo’s educational efforts. Seating is limited, please call 520-798-1201 and make a  reservation before 5 p.m. Wednesday April 17.

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe
Southwest Seminars Presents Dr. James Snead, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, California State University – Northridge and Former Fellow American Museum of Natural History and Author, Landscapes of the Pueblo World: Burnt Corn Pueblo: Conflict and Conflagration in the Galisteo Basin, AD 1250-1325, who will give a lecture Relic Hunters: Encounters with Antiquity in 19th Century America on April 1 at 6pm at Hotel Santa Fe as part of the annual Ancient Sites Ancient Stories II Lecture Series held annually to honor and acknowledge the work of The Archaeological Conservancy. Admission is by subscription or $12 at the door. No reservations are necessary and refreshments are served. Contact Connie Eichstaedt tel: 505 466-2775, email: southwest seminar@aol.com or website: http://www.southwest seminars.org

Employment Opportunity
Arizona State Parks is in the process of hiring a Cultural Resources Manager to cover the 30 State Parks in Arizona; this full-time position will also coordinate the Arizona Site Steward Program.  If you are interested in applying, please follow the link below to the job announcement.  (Please note that this position is NOT within the State Historic Preservation Office.) If you have any detailed questions about this position, please contact Nicole Armstrong-Best at narmstrong@azstateparks.gov. http://bit.ly/16RVW8m – Az State Jobs

News from the Archaeology Channel
The latest installment of the Video News from TAC features the following stories: During his stay on the island from 1865 until 1876, the American consul in Cyprus, Luigi Cesnola, became an amateur archaeologist to profit from the trade of antiquities.  He gathered up more than 35,000 objects.  When local authorities prohibited the export of this enormous collection, Cesnola loaded his treasures onto boats and shipped them to New York, and Lisa Westwood launches our preview series for The Archaeology Channel International Film and Video Festival (7-11 May 2013, Eugene, Oregon) with nine short clips. You can see these stories in the March 2013 edition of this monthly half-hour show, available now on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel (http://www.archaeologychannel.org) as well as on cable TV in cities across the US.

Thanks to Brian Kreimendahl for contributing to this weeks newsletter.