Lawlessness in San Juan County Threatens Archaeological Record

Lawlessness in San Juan County Threatens Archaeological Record
Fed up with federal control over lands their families have used for generations, Blanding residents, along with out-of-town supporters, on Saturday drove all-terrain vehicles into Recapture Canyon, an area rich in prehistoric sites the Bureau of Land Management closed to motorized use seven years ago. San Juan County Commissioner Phil Lyman, acting, he said, as a private citizen, organized the ride. http://bit.ly/1l00zm4 – Salt Lake Tribune

Vandals on ATVs Threaten Protected Sites and Force Relocation of Veteran’s Retreat
Protesters who say the Bureau of Land Management has no right to criminalize use of ATVs in Utah’s Recapture Canyon plan to demonstrate today by illegally riding their vehicles through the protected land – a move that has drawn the ire of Native Americans and displaced a veterans retreat. “It is sad that irreplaceable treasures of importance to all Americans would be sacrificed on the altar of anti-government fervor,” Jerry Spangler, executive director of the Colorado Plateau Archaeological Alliance said in a statement. “It is worse that protesters would be so blinded to their own insensitivity as to what others consider to be sacred treasures of their past.” http://bit.ly/QxnpYA – UPI

San Juan County Commissioner Confuses Vandalism with Civil Disobedience
Lyman, for one, is not concerned about violating the agency’s rules. “It’s the point of the protest,” he said. “It is civil disobedience.”  San Juan County claims jurisdiction over the roads and trails within its borders, he said, adding that supporters of the planned ride believe the BLM has been heavy-handed in its dealings with Blanding-area residents. “They don’t talk to the people here. They just come in with their SWAT teams, like they did back in 2009,” he said, referring to a sting operation in which the BLM charged numerous area residents with violations of two federal archaeological laws.
http://bit.ly/1mf3eer – Moab Times Independant

Hopi Stonemasons Preserving Hovenweep
Utilizing an acrylic polymer mortar and tuck pointers, three Hopi stonemasons are stabilizing ancient ruins at Hovenweep National Monument.  “The work is important so future generations can enjoy these sites,” said Herschel Talashoma, foreman of the three-man stonemason crew. A direct descendant of the original inhabitants at Hovenweep, Talashoma said his grandfather introduced him to traditional stonework. Since 2009, he and fellow tribesmen Eloy Wytewa and Norman Albert, have worked on all the outlying sites at Hovenweep. http://bit.ly/1nCVYc2 – Cortez Journal

An Interview with Arizona State Museum Archaeologist E. Charles Adams
Some archaeologists with the Arizona State Museum and the University of Arizona divide their time between the deserts of Tucson and those near the northern Arizona city of Winslow. The purpose is to study ancient dwellings, and the people who lived in them. Although it takes time, patience and a willingness to get dirty, the dwellings can tell archaeologists many stories about some of the earliest residents of the Southwest, ancestors to the modern Hopi and Zuni tribes, and possibly other communities. http://bit.ly/1l0aiZq – Arizona Public Media

The Human History of Valles Caldera
The vast grassland now filling the Valles Caldera is both awe-inspiring and disorienting. Standing at a turnout along N.M. 4 on the edge of the 89,000-acre Valles Caldera National Preserve, it is difficult to imagine a volcano this massive. The rim of the crater stretches for miles in a panoramic view, yet the far northern border is hidden by Cerro del Medio and Redondo Peak, two volcanic domes that formed within the immense bowl after the main crater collapsed. Visitors stand on the rim wondering whether that dot in the distance is a coyote or a bull elk, or how long it would take to walk across. http://bit.ly/QxttAj –  Santa Fe New Mexican

Efforts to Preserve Camp Naco Recognized by Governor’s Award in Heritage Preservation
The years of ongoing work by the Naco Heritage Alliance to restore and revitalize Camp Naco gained state-wide recognition this week when it was named one of the recipients of the Governor’s Heritage Preservation Honor Award. “I’ve been working on this project for about 15 years. It’s been slow and difficult, and there’s been some real discouraging times. About once a year I’m ready to give up and then something nice happens like this to keep us growing,” said Becky Orozco of the Naco Heritage Alliance. http://bit.ly/Qxp1S0 – Sierra Vista Herald

Thanks to Cherie Freeman and Brian Kreimendahl for contributions to this week’s SAT newsletter.