Aztec Ruins National Monument and Chaco Canyon National Historic Park Ban Drones and Scattering of Cremains

Aztec Ruins National Monument and Chaco Canyon National Historic Park Ban Drones and Scattering of Cremains
Piloting drones or depositing cremated human remains are now prohibited at Aztec Ruins National Monument and Chaco Culture National Historical Park. The rule change was published on Friday as part of the park’s Superintendent’s Compendium, which is a formal document that outlines the rules and policies of national parks for visitors. http://bit.ly/1vH8I6j – Farmington Daily Times

Congressional Witch Hunt Focuses on NSF Funding of Anthropological and Archaeological Research in Social Sciences
Four times this past summer, in a spare room on the top floor of the headquarters of the National Science Foundation (NSF) outside of Washington, D.C., two congressional staffers spent hours poring over material relating to 20 research projects that NSF has funded over the past decade. Each folder contained confidential information that included the initial application, reviewer comments on its merit, correspondence between program officers and principal investigators, and any other information that had helped NSF decide to fund the project. http://bit.ly/1oIJcru

Caves in Oregon Yield Earliest Known Human DNA in the Americas
DNA from dried human excrement recovered from Oregon’s Paisley Caves is the oldest found in the New World, dating to 14,300 years ago. University of Oregon archaeologist Dennis Jenkins led excavations that turned up the fossilised human faeces – known as coprolites – that were radiocarbon dated, proving their age. http://bit.ly/1vEGEPd – International Business Times

Verde Valley Archaeology Center Celebrates Donation of Parcel Containing Ancient Pithouses
The Verde Valley Archaeology Center (VVAC) has announced the pending acquisition of over 15 acres of the Simonton Ranch in Camp Verde that contain at least eight undisturbed ancient pithouses estimated to date from about A.D. 650. This property will provide the Center with the opportunity to build a state-of-the-art museum, repository, auditorium and classrooms. This property has ancestral connections claimed by the Hopi Tribe, the Yavapai-Apache Nation, the Prescott Yavapai Tribe and the Havasupai Tribe.  The Archaeology Center will consult with all of these tribes as the property is developed.

Paleolithic Populations in the New World Inhabited Some Difficult Niches
The landscape looks bleak, but Rademaker views it through the eyes of the people who built a fire in the rock shelter, named Cuncaicha, about 12,400 years ago. These hunter-gatherers were some of the earliest known residents of South America and they chose to live at this extreme altitude — higher than any Ice Age encampment found thus far in the New World. http://bit.ly/1n6rRNG

How Hype Distorts History – Billy the Kid, William Koch, and the Historic Artifact Trade
For a good quarter of a century, there’s been a cottage industry in photos purportedly of William H. Bonney, aka the outlaw Billy the Kid. But after William Koch, a billionaire best known for his conservative political activism, paid $2.3 million for the only authenticated portrait of the Kid in 2011 at a Denver auction, the stakes got higher, the market hotter. http://bit.ly/1vEwePq – Santa Fe New Mexican

Support Your Source for Preservation Archaeology News – Support Southwest Archaeology Today
For the past nine years, Archaeology Southwest has had the privilege of sharing our weekly index of news in southwestern archaeology, anthropology, and historic preservation with a dedicated and growing audience. Your gift of any amount will help sustain our efforts to share relevant news with you. For those who can contribute $35.00 or more, we have also included the option to become a member of Archaeology Southwest through your support for Southwest Archaeology Today. Besides receiving several benefits, such as our award-winning Archaeology Southwest Magazine, members of Archaeology Southwest help support our long-term efforts in Preservation Archaeology. http://bit.ly/1t8FNna – Archaeology Southwest

Last Year’s National Park Closures Still Providing Boost to Utah State Parks
Utah’s state parks may still be experiencing a windfall from the closure of the national parks one year ago. When the federal government closed down Oct. 1, 2013, shuttering everything from Zion National Park to passport processing centers, tour bus operators got creative and sent crowds of stranded tourists to places like Kodachrome Basin and Dead Horse Point state parks. http://bit.ly/1BGYl2n

18th Biennial Mogollon Archaeology Conference Kicks off on October 9th
The Conference is to be held at the Corbett Center Auditorium on the NMSU campus, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday. A reception for registration will be held at the NMSU Museum( Kent Hall) from 5-7 pm Thursday Oct. 9, 2014. The sessions include presentations by 40 Southwestern archaeologists on Mogollon Archaeology For more information contact Dr. Lonnie C. Ludeman, Conference Chair by e-mail at lcludeman@zianet.com or see http://bit.ly/1pfDah0

Santa Fe’s La Fonda Changes Hands
La Fonda on the Plaza, Santa Fe’s historic and iconic centerpiece hotel, is being sold. Corporación de La Fonda announced Monday that current chair of the corporation’s board, Jennifer Kimball, and her brother, Philip Wise, are under contract to purchase the 92-year-old hotel from the current owners, the majority of whom are members of the family of Sam Ballen, who owned the hotel for about 40 years before his death in 2007.  http://bit.ly/1upE7tS – Albuquerque Journal

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe
Southwest Seminars Presents Dr. Pekka Hamalainen, Rhodes Professor of American History, Rothermere American Institute, Oxford University and Recipient European Research Council Grant for ‘Nomadic Empires: A World Historical Perspective’ and Author, The Comanche Empire, winner 2009 Bancroft Prize from Yale University, who will give a lecture The Comanche Empire on October 13 at 6pm at Hotel Santa Fe as part of the Mother Earth, Father Sky: Perspectives on Natural Sciences, Cultural Ecology, and the Environment of the American West Lecture Series, held annually to honor The New Mexico Environmental Law Center. No reservations are necessary and admission is by subscription or $12 at the door. Refreshments are served and seating is limited. Contact Connie Eichstaedt at 505 466-2775; email: southwest seminar@aol.com; website: http://bit.ly/YhJddr

Lecture Opportunity – Sedona
Thursday October 23 at 7 p.m. archaeologist Allen Dart presents “Set in Stone but Not in Meaning: Southwestern Indian Rock Art” for the Verde Valley Chapter, Arizona Archaeological Society, at Village of Oak Creek Association Community Center, 690 Bell Rock Blvd., Sedona. In this presentation Allen will illustrate how petroglyph and pictograph styles changed through time and over different regions of the Southwest prehistorically and historically, and will discuss the difficulties of rock art interpretation. Supported by Arizona Humanities. No reservations needed. Scott Newth: 928-274-7773 or rsnewth@msn.com.

Reminder – Archaeology Southwest’s Tucson Archaeology Cafés Begin October 7th!
On October 7, 2014, Dr. Stephen E. Nash (Denver Museum of Nature & Science) will present Many Roads to the Truth: The Paul Sidney Martin Collections. We meet on the patio of Casa Vicente, 375 S. Stone Ave., Tucson. Enter through the restaurant. Presentations begin after 6:00 p.m. It is best to arrive before 5:30 p.m., as seating is open and unreserved, but limited. Share tables and make new friends! http://bit.ly/1s6fb5N – Archaeology Southwest

Position Announcement – University of Arizona
The School of Anthropology (College of Social and Behavioral Sciences) at the University of Arizona seeks an anthropological archaeologist for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position to begin in August 2015. We invite applicants with a geographic specialization in the southwestern United States or adjacent areas in northern Mexico. We seek an individual with a scholarly research record, including successful external funding, and an innovative research program that will engage students in the field and laboratory. Ability to work collaboratively and across disciplines, and to teach undergraduate and graduate courses is also expected. We have a preference for someone who focuses on the archaeology of the prehispanic period or Native American contact period. Ability to teach quantitative methods at the graduate level is preferred but not required. Problem orientation and analytical specialties are open. Ph.D. must be in hand at the time of application.
http://www.uacareertrack.com/applicants/Central?quickFind=213835

Position Announcement – New Mexico State University
The Department of Anthropology, New Mexico State University, seeks candidates for a tenure-track position in North American Archaeology. We invite applicants whose work complements the department’s existing strengths in the archaeology of the American Southwest and Mesoamerica, archaeological method and theory, and analytical specialties. Successful candidates will show evidence of a strong record of scholarship and the development of a problem-oriented research program with potential for securing external funding is highly desirable. Individual hired will be expected to teach courses in Cultural Resource Management. To Apply: Please visit http://jobs.nmsu.edu Posting number: 1400194F

Position Announcement – University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma’s Department of Anthropology plans to hire a permanent, tenure-track archaeologist at the Assistant Professor level, to start August 15, 2015. We seek candidates with a specialization in the post-Paleoindian archaeology of the Southwest or North American Plains, methodological expertise complementary to other faculty, and teaching experience. Applicants must have a PhD by the start date and be committed to a four-field anthropological approach. The standard OU course load is 2/2. OU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. We encourage women, minorities, veterans, and individuals with disabilities to apply. Send a single .pdf file containing a letter detailing research interests and teaching experience, vita, and contact information for three references by e-mail to anthropology@ou.edu, with a “cc” to the search committee chair (bonnie.pitblado@ou.edu). Consideration of applicants begins November 15 and will continue until position is filled.