Mixed Ruling Has Implications for Protecting Greater Chaco

Mixed Ruling Has Implications for Protecting Greater Chaco
A federal appeals court has ruled that U.S. land managers should have done more to consider the effects on water resources before approving a handful of oil and gas drilling permits in northwestern New Mexico. The court, in a decision released Tuesday, said the federal agency could have foreseen the collective impact of thousands of wells in the region and now must do a sufficient environmental analysis on several wells. Environmental groups called the decision vindicating, saying they have long known that federal officials with the Bureau of Land Management were skirting legal obligations for environmental analyses. The Bureau of Land Management “has been approving drilling and fracking permits for years without ever having considered the cumulative impacts to people and the environment,” Kyle Tisdel, energy program director and attorney with the Western Environmental Law Center, said in a news release on the decision. “This is a huge win for Chaco.” http://bit.ly/2Vbzgx8 – Santa Fe New Mexican

A mixed ruling with good news for protecting the Greater Chaco Landscape came out of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver yesterday. The court was ruling on an appeal from district court on a lawsuit filed by environmentalists in New Mexico. The ruling from the 10th Circuit Court suspending permits to drill and further develop oil-gas resources in several areas across Greater Chaco is very good news and may allow us the time to get additional protections in place. http://bit.ly/3075w8k – Paul F. Reed at the Preservation Archaeology blog

Fremont Farmers
Water can be a finicky thing in the West. In a good year, winter snowpack and spring rains refresh the landscape. In a dry one, everything seems to wither to a crisp and the threat of wildfires grows. Now consider how all this affects growing crops, not just in our present time but for the people who called Utah home for thousands of years. Irrigation has long been the solution to keeping crops watered in the critical seasons, and an experiment conducted by Natural History Museum of Utah archaeologists provides a detailed look at how Fremont farmers may have decided to cultivate their crops. http://bit.ly/2YaWNQB – Natural History Museum of Utah, University of Utah

Federal Registry Notice: Public Meeting for the Bears Ears National Monument Advisory Committee, Utah
In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Bears Ears National Monument Advisory Committee (BENM-MAC) will meet as indicated below. The BENM-MAC will hold a public meeting on June 5-6, 2019. The meeting will be held on June 5, 2019 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and continue on June 6, 2019 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Hideout Community Center, 648 South Hideout Way, Monticello, Utah 84535. http://bit.ly/2Y6ZBOO – Federal Register

U.S. Government Report on Tribal Consultation
On April 19, 2019, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report titled “Tribal Consultation: Additional Federal Actions Needed for Infrastructure Projects (GAO-19-22).” The report examines key factors Indian tribes and select federal agencies identified that hinder effective consultation on impacts to natural and cultural resources on infrastructure projects and makes recommendations for improvements. In its role overseeing the Section 106 review process of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) is sharing this report and recommendations with stakeholders that have an interest in tribal consultation and the Section 106 review process. The report can be found at https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-19-22.

Commentary: Give Indigenous People Their Rightful Seat at the Table
If you don’t, or won’t, see people, how can you acknowledge them? And if you don’t acknowledge them, you can certainly pretend their heritage is not worthy of protection and preservation… This would never happen if Native Americans were given a seat at the negotiating table for these decisions that so deeply affect their land and communities. http://bit.ly/2YcXCIM – Bill Richardson in the Salt Lake Tribune

Rock Art Vandalism on the Gila National Forest
Officials with the Gila National Forest are investigating vandalism at prehistoric rock art sites within the boundaries of the southern New Mexico forest. They pointed Wednesday to damage done at Chloride Creek on the Black Range Ranger District. The damage includes names that have been scrawled onto rocks that are laden with prehistoric petroglyphs and pictographs. Officials say the forest is home to more than 200 recorded rock art sites and once damaged, such sites can never be repaired to their original condition. http://bit.ly/2YbheNl – KRWG (NPR)

Essay: John Wetherill
A storm blew my Jeep north to canyon country over a month ago, when I began following a muddy road retracing the footsteps and stories of one of the Southwest’s most notable, misunderstood and elusive explorers – John Wetherill. John’s work spanned ranching in Mancos, owning a trading post in Kayenta and guiding the rich and famous in the desert. However, he is best known for his major contributions to U.S. archaeology, along with his brothers in the Wetherill clan… http://bit.ly/2YfuznI – Morgan Sjogren in the Gulch Magazine

Publication Announcement: Reframing the Northern Rio Grande Pueblo Economy
Reframing the Northern Rio Grande Pueblo Economy, edited by Scott G. Ortman. Anthropological Papers of the University of Arizona No. 80. University of Arizona Press. http://bit.ly/3082ukm

Class Opportunity, Durango CO
Assistant state archaeologist Becca Simon will teach a class called “Geophysics and Remote Sensing” from May 31 to June 3 at the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College. This 20-hour course is part of the Program for Avocational Archaeological Certification and is open to the public. No prior classes are required. Topics will include a brief history of geophysics and remote sensing as they are used in archaeology, scientific principles and examples of archaeological projects using geophysics and remote sensing. One half day will be spent in the field for hands-on learning. The cost is $20. To register by May 20, contact Tish Varney at 259-4099 or tishvarney@att.net. For more information, visit www.historycolorado.org/paac.

Job Opportunity, Phoenix AZ
SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) has an exciting opportunity for a Cultural Resources Team Lead and Senior Project Manager for our Phoenix office. The Cultural Resources Team will be a core member of SWCA’s Southwest Region’s Cultural Resources Program, and will be responsible for managing projects, recruiting, mentoring and managing staff, growing the program in central Arizona, and upholding our company’s standards of excellence. The selected candidate will report to the Phoenix Office Director. This is a regular, full-time, salaried position. Salary will be based on individual qualifications and experience. https://careers-swca.icims.com/jobs/10592/cultural-resource-team-lead/job

Lecture Opportunity, Santa Fe NM
Southwest Seminars presents Dr. Scott Ortman and Dr. Joseph Traugott, who will give an illustrated lecture on their recent book, Painted Reflections: Isomeric design in Ancestral Pueblo Pottery, on May 13 at 6:00 p.m. at Santa Fe Women’s Club, 1616 Old Pecos Trail, as part of the Ancient Sites Ancient Stories II Lecture Series held to honor and acknowledge The Archaeological Conservancy. Scott is Historical Anthropologist and Assistant Professor, University of Colorado and Author, Wind from the North, as well as former Omidyar Postdoctoral Fellow, Santa Fe Institute. Joe is Former Curator, 20th Century Art, New Mexico Museum of Art and Author, New Mexico Art Through Time: Prehistory to the Present, as well as The Art of New Mexico. No reservations are necessary. Refreshments are served. Seating is limited. Contact Connie Eichstaedt at tel: 505 366-2775; email: southwestseminar@aol.com; web: southwestseminars.org

Lecture Opportunity, Phoenix AZ
The Phoenix Chapter of the AAS invites you to join us in the Pueblo Grande Museum Community Room on Tuesday, May 14, to hear Erik Steinbach, Sr. Assoc. Archaeologist, Logan Simpson, talk about “How a River, a Terrace, and a Butte Influenced the Spatial Development of a Hohokam Village.” Erik will review data from over 36 CRM projects conducted over the last 40 years to trace the development of La Plaza through time and tie its layout to the benefits/restraints of the Salt River, the Mesa Terrace, and Tempe Butte. Join us at 7:00 p.m. for snacks & refreshments; talk will begin about 7:30 p.m. Pueblo Grande Museum, 619 E. Washington Street. https://azarchsoc.wildapricot.org/Phoenix

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