An Assault upon the Antiquities Act

Archaeology Southwest Stands with the Antiquities Act
Archaeology Southwest denounces today’s executive order by President Trump, which requires the Department of the Interior to review national monument designations since 1996 that are greater than 100,000 acres or determined to be lacking in adequate public consultation. Although the review, if done in good faith, would almost certainly reveal broad support for our national monuments, Trump’s statement claimed abuses that he will correct. Given that context, we view this order as an unconscionable attack on our nation’s public lands and waters. It assails the fundamentally American concept of preserving culturally and naturally rich places for the benefit and enjoyment of all Americans. http://bit.ly/2qn25bJ – William Doelle via Archaeology Southwest

Editorial: A Chilling Contempt for Future Generations
One way the American people get a glimpse into how American presidents see who we are as a nation — and, importantly, who they want us to be — is how they act as stewards of our country’s vast natural resources… But where earlier presidents have shown respect for our past and commitment to our future, President Trump is displaying a stinginess of mind, a hollowness of spirit and a contempt for future generations. http://wapo.st/2viuF4b – John Podesta via the Washington Post

Editorial: Zinke’s Plan Belongs in Recycle Bin
Oooh, the suspense. Thursday was Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s deadline for submitting recommendations to President Trump about what to do with more than two dozen national monuments — encompassing 553 million acres of protected public land and water, much of it environmentally sensitive. Zinke has indeed presented his plan, but neither he nor the White House has bothered to tell the public — you know, the people who own the land — what they have in mind. http://lat.ms/2vigpbN – Los Angeles Times

Tribal Outrage at Zinke’s Monument Review
Leaders of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition expressed outrage over reports that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has recommended to President Trump that he make dramatic reductions to Bears Ears National Monument. “Secretary Zinke’s recommendation is an insult to Tribes. He has shown complete disregard for Sovereign Tribes with ancestral connections to the region, as well as to the hundreds of thousands of people who have expressed support for Bears Ears National Monument,” stated Carleton Bowekaty, Zuni councilman and Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition Co-Chair. http://bit.ly/2viwG0d – Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition

Tribes Ready to Fight to Protect Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments
Utah tribal leaders are steeling themselves for legal battle should President Donald Trump act on a proposal to shrink Bears Ears National Monument, saying such a move would be an insult to the five tribes that sought the designation. While details of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s report on the 27 big monuments Trump instructed him to “review” remain under wraps, he had previously announced Bears Ears should be significantly reduced. http://bit.ly/2vinHfC – Salt Lake Tribune

Almost 90% of Bears Ears Might Be on the Chopping Block
As the Trump administration continues to stoke a debate around commemorating our nation’s history, it’s increasingly clear whose culture they don’t care about. Yesterday, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke reportedly recommended that President Trump eliminate nearly 90 percent of Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, an area sacred to Native American tribes across the Southwest. This unprecedented and illegal action would endanger tens of thousands of archaeological sites over an area the size of Glacier National Park. http://bit.ly/2vitEt2 – Westwise

Representative Grijalva Finds Fossil Fuel Interests Driving Monument Review Process
A report from Ranking Member Grijalva on the Trump administration’s “review” of 27 national monuments with an eye to shrinking them or rescinding their conservation status. The review, which was expected to be completed shortly after this report was made public, has been plagued by a lack of public input, Interior Secretary Zinke’s refusal to meet with pro-monument stakeholders, unclear criteria and little transparency, and heavy industry influence on the administration’s fossil fuel policies. http://bit.ly/2vADS3f – Ranking Member of the House Committee on Natural Resources

Bears Ears: Archaeological Experts Advisory Report
This report shares the outcomes of a two-day gathering of archaeologists who work or have worked within what is now Bears Ears National Monument or in southeastern Utah more generally. Our gathering sought to tap their pool of professional knowledge to help land managers and the general public better understand the scope and meaning of archaeology in Bears Ears National Monument and the surrounding region. We also sought to identify a group of researchers who were interested in engaging with issues related to research on and management of Bears Ears National Monument’s archaeological resources going forward. http://bit.ly/2vAiGdF – report in PDF format from Archaeology Southwest

Video Presentation from Kaibab National Forest
The U.S. Forest Service – Kaibab National Forest has released a video telling the story of a remote canyon north of the Grand Canyon that is home to an incredible array of prehistoric paintings and etchings. “Snake Gulch: A Passage Through Time” captures the beauty and value of that place and its colorful images, which represent thousands of years of human history and leave a visual record of the rich cultures that once occupied the area. It also showcases the dedication of the people who cherish and work to preserve it. See https://go.usa.gov/xRGk9 for the story and
http://bit.ly/SnakeGulch for the full video.

Mesa Verde Artist-in-Residence Will Present a Workshop on the Night Sky and Cultural History
Artist-in-residence Christopher Eaton will conduct a free program and workshop at Mesa Verde National Park on Friday night, Sept. 15, at the Morefield Campground Amphitheater. Eaton, an artist-in-residence at the park on Sept. 4-16, is documenting the night skies in the Four Corners area through still and time-lapse photography.  http://bit.ly/2vimtRq – Cortez Journal

Lecture Opportunity – Tijeras, NM
Paul F. Reed, Preservation Archaeologist, Archaeology Southwest, is September’s Friends of Tijeras Pueblo guest speaker. Paul will present The Complexity and Diversity of Chaco Canyon
on Tuesday, September 12, 2017 at 6:30 pm at the Sandia Ranger Station, Tijeras, NM. A five dollar donation will be requested for those not members of the Friends of Tijeras Pueblo.

Lecture Opportunity – Moab
Why did Chinatowns in Salt Lake City and Ogden eventually fade away? Learn how Chinese immigrants helped develop Utah, and why the majority left Utah by the early 1890s, in a free lecture presentation at 6 :00 pm on Thursday, Aug. 31, at the Moab Information Center (on the corner of Center and Main streets). http://bit.ly/2vAWnnV – Moab Sun News

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe
Southwest Seminars Presents Dr. Marc Thompson, Director, Tijeras Pueblo Museum and Research Associate, Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, University of New Mexico; Former Director of the El Paso Museum. Marc will give a lecture Mimbres Rock Art Sites: Wind in the Willows on September 4 at 6pm at Hotel Santa Fe as part of the Native Cuture Matters Lecture Series. Admission is by subscription or $15 at the door. Refreshments are served. No reservations are necessary. Seating is limited. Contact Connie Eichstaedt at 505 466-2775; email: southwest seminar@aol.com; website: http://southwestseminars.org

Tour Opportunity – Tucson
On Friday September 22 from 8 a.m. to noon archaeologist Allen Dart leads Old Pueblo Archaeology Center’s “Autumn Equinox Tour of Los Morteros and Picture Rocks Petroglyphs Archaeological Sites,” starting in Marana, Arizona, near Silverbell Road and Linda Vista Blvd. An ancient ballcourt, bedrock mortars, other archaeological features, and thousands of artifacts are evident at Los Morteros, site of a ca. AD 800-1300 Hohokam village. The hundreds of Pre-Columbian petroglyphs at Picture Rocks include an equinox and solstice-marking glyph, dancing human-like figures, whimsical animals, and other Hohokam rock symbols. Reservations required by 5 p.m., Wednesday, September 20,: 52\0-798-1201 or info@oldpueblo.org.

Lecture Opportunity – Winslow
The Homolovi Chapter of AAS (Arizona Archaeological Society) is pleased to present Evelyn Fredericks, on Wednesday, 13 September, 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 talk on contemporary Hopi Lifeways, focusing on the arts and their future.  You can also join us for dinner at 5 p.m. at the Historic La Posada Turquoise Room (on your own tab).

Editor’s Note: Congratulations to this year’s AAHS award winners as presented at the recent Pecos Conference. The Alexander J. Lindsay Unsung Hero Awards were presented to Barbara Breternitz and Cherie Freeman; the Byron Cummings Awards to Patricia L. Crown and Marc Simmons; and the Victor R. Stoner Awards to Homer Thiel and David Doyel.

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