The Antiquities Act Turns 111 – Celebrate by Protecting the Law

The Antiquities Act Turns 111 – Celebrate by Protecting the Law
This Thursday, June 8, is an important day. It marks 111 years since President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act into law. We at Archaeology Southwest cannot overstate this law’s significance. Through this act, America has protected its singular landscapes and people’s stories therein. Increasingly, the Antiquities Act is ensuring that our public lands convey the histories of a greater diversity of peoples, especially indigenous peoples. http://bit.ly/2rGsAvH – Archaeology Southwest

More Data on the Economic Impacts of Western National Monuments
In 2011, 2014, and again in 2017, Headwaters Economics analyzed the economies surrounding the 17 national monuments in the 11 western continental states that are larger than 10,000 acres and were created between 1982 and 2001. This approach avoids smaller monuments with little potential to impact local economies, and allows an analysis of economic indicators before and after designation using reliable measures of performance.  http://bit.ly/2rGlS9i – Headwaters Economics

Bears Ears Critics Rely upon Misleading Accounts of Monument Size
Bears Ears National Monument critics routinely point to the sprawling reach of President Barack Obama’s proclamation, taking in the swath of canyon country from the San Juan River north to Indian Creek, as the monument’s chief defect…. But to drive that point, monument critics have relied on misleading numbers to back their claim that large monuments fall outside the norm of the 1906 statute, which gave presidents broad authority to set aside public land to protect objects of scientific interest. http://bit.ly/2rGo94l – Salt Lake Tribune

National Monument Review “Smacks of Paternalism”
The American West and the Department of the Interior have a complicated history. Like any long relationship, each party has seen the best and worst of each other. During strained moments like today, we are tempted to remember only the hurts. But in mature relationships, partners learn from past moments of strife to build a better future. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke is off to a rough start and ignoring this history at his peril. http://bit.ly/2rGdZ3C – History News Network, George Washington University

Will the Forest Return to Mesa Verde in Our Lifetimes?
From 2000 to 2003, a series of wildfires ripped through Mesa Verde National Park, burning about 24,000-acres – nearly half of the park’s old growth forest. Now, almost two decades later, park managers and biologists are concerned that the piñon-juniper woodland is showing virtually no signs of growing back, posing the tough question: Will Mesa Verde’s iconic forests ever be the same? http://bit.ly/2sEUCFr – Durango Herald

New Site Acquisition by Archaeology Southwest
Thanks to the thanks the Smith Family Trust for Site Protection, we can announce another site protection success! On May 22, 2017, we closed on the Fleming parcel, 120 acres in the lower Gila River valley. We purchased 40 acres, and Gail Fleming, Trustee for the Lawrence J. and Gail Fleming Trust, donated an additional 80 acres. The parcel is a complement to our Quail Point acquisition and our Great Bend work.  http://bit.ly/2rGapXb – Archaeology Southwest

Lecture Opportunity – Winslow (Correction)
The Homolovi Chapter of AAS (Arizona Archaeological Society) is pleased to present Charles Adams, PhD, on Wednesday, 14 June, at 7 p.m. at the Winslow Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center (Historic Lorenzo Hubbell Trading Post), 523 W. Second St, Winslow, AZ, with a presentation entitled “From Rock Art Ranch to Homol’ovi: 13,000 Years of Migration in the Middle Little Colorado River Valley”. You can also join us for dinner at 5 p.m. at the Historic La Posada Turquoise Room (on your own tab).