Dear Friends,
Paul Reed, Preservation Archaeologist and Director of our New Mexico State Program, recently published a stunning report on the problem of orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells and energy infrastructure surrounding Bears Ears National Monument in Utah and Chaco Canyon National Historical Park in New Mexico.
To be blunt, the problem is staggering.
What are abandoned and orphan wells, you ask?
Paul defines abandoned wells as “those with no recent production, injection, or other uses.” Orphan wells, he explains, are a subset of abandoned wells, including those “for which the operator is unknown, unavailable, or insolvent, leaving no responsible party to plug the well and restore the well site other than government agencies and the general public.”
In other words, taxpayers are going to foot the bill for their cleanup and mitigation, if that ever happens.
Nationwide, total numbers are difficult to assess, but a recent Environmental Protection Agency report suggest there may be as many as 3.4 million abandoned wells in the United States. Surprisingly—at least to those of us living in American West where energy infrastructure seems ever present—the orphan well problem is especially intense in Kentucky, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, which each have more than 10,000 orphaned wells.
Abandoned and orphaned wells in the American West constitute a persistent and ongoing threat to environmental and human health as well as the spiritual well-being of hundreds of Tribal Nations across North America. By documenting the scope of the problem, we can better understand what might be done to hold responsible parties accountable for this egregious situation.
Thanks for your consideration and support of this and similar work,
Steve Nash
President & CEO, Archaeology Southwest
Banner image: R.E. Burrillo
P.S. More about Paul: He has worked at Archaeology Southwest for more than two decades and epitomizes the Preservation Archaeology we practice. Among his major contributions are the analysis and publication of collections previously excavated at Salmon Pueblo, an amazing Chacoan outlier site dating to circa 1090 CE and located near Bloomfield, New Mexico. He was instrumental in leading Archaeology Southwest’s efforts, in cooperation with the All Pueblo Council of Governors and other organizations, to get a 10-mile, 20-year, no-drill buffer zone established around Chaco Canyon in 2021.
Bears Ears Partnership Debuts Short Documentary
Bears Ears Partnership premiered the first ever Visit with Respect short documentary film, “Respecting the Past, Preserving the Future,” on March 9 during the 2024 Celebrate Bears Ears, a biannual event highlighting the scientific and cultural importance of the greater Bears Ears region, according to a statement from the partnership. “Respecting the Past, Preserving the Future” aims to help mitigate visitor impacts on the Bears Ears landscape through the lens of our Visit with Respect campaign and traditional Indigenous perspectives. By highlighting the importance of exploring Indigenous connections to the Bears Ears landscape, this film captures the essence of why it’s important to visit ancestral and cultural landscapes with respect, reads the statement. Doug McMurdo for the Moab Times-Independent | Read more »
Ancient Campsite Found at Holloman Air Force Base (NM)
Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, New Mexico, has uncovered a campsite dated to be about 8,200 years old, possibly belonging to the first settlers of New Mexico, according to a news release sent out by the air base. The official name of the site is LA202921, but its known to the archaeology team as Gomolak Overlook. The site was found buried about 6 feet below the surface by scientists and members of the 49th Civil Engineer Squadron environmental flight. Jocelyn Flores for KTSM via Yahoo News | Read more »
A Primer on Silver Creek Archaeology
When people think of ancient ruins in the Southwest, it’s usually such places as Mesa Verde, Canyon de Chelly, Chaco Canyon and Wupatki that probably come to mind. March was Archaeology Month in Arizona, so it’s a good time to also think about the ancient history beneath our feet here in the White Mountains and Silver Creek drainage. This area is in many ways central to Arizona’s ancient history. It has been a crossroads of migration routes for millennia, with developments culminating in large multistory pueblos, mostly at the same locations that have become the modern communities of Show Low, Pinedale, Shumway and Taylor. With some as large as 600 rooms, these 14th century pueblos represent the common heritage of the Hopi and Zuni people of today. Doug Johnson for the White Mountain Independent | Read more »
Honoring Women Researchers in the Smithsonian’s History
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History has always been enriched by remarkable female researchers whose contributions have changed the world of science and added to the world’s largest collections of natural specimens and cultural materials. The crucial legacy of these researchers extends all the way from pioneering curators like marine biologist Marian Pettibone and anthropologist Adrienne Kaeppler to current museum leaders, like chief scientist Rebecca Johnson and the repatriation program manager, Dorothy Lippert. However, not all women in the museum’s past were appropriately recognized for their accomplishments and dedication. Over the decades, much of their work has gone largely unacknowledged. This includes the work of a team of women who helped shape what is now the Smithsonian’s National Anthropological Archives (NAA) and Human Studies and Film Archives into an unparalleled repository documenting the world’s people, languages and cultures. Emily Driehaus for Smithsonian Voices | Read now »
New Video: The Past, Present, and Future of Camp Naco
This year’s Bazy Tankersley Lecture was given by UArizona emeritus professor, Brooks Jeffery and Rebecca Orozco of the Naco Heritage Alliance, focused on efforts to preserve Camp Naco (aka Fort Newell) on the U.S.-México border at Naco, Arizona. Camp Naco was an army outpost and barracks established in 1919 to protect U.S. border communities from military campaigns of the Mexican Revolution. The fort includes several large adobe brick buildings, which the Naco Heritage Alliance and others have been working to stabilize and turn into a cultural heritage site. The presentation was preceded by a video-montage celebration of Dr. J.C. Mutchler, our beloved Southwest Center colleague who died in 2023 of a rare respiratory illness. Southwest Center (University of Arizona) | Watch now »
ICYMI Video: Protect Our Lands
“Protect Our Lands” is a six-minute overview of what’s happening with the SunZia powerline. Produced by San Pedro Valley resident and videographer Dina Kagan, the film advocates for the protection of the intricately coupled social-ecological landscapes that Pattern Energy, SunZia’s owner, is destroying. The video presents the ongoing desecration of the San Pedro Valley, which is a place of religious and cultural significance to Tohono O’odham and San Carlos Apache Indigenous Peoples. Marketed and sold to the American People as a green energy solution, SunZia raises poignant questions about project motivations, routing, and benefits to Arizonans. San Pedro Film | Watch now »
Position Announcement: Director, Conservation Lands and Resources (Tucson AZ)
Pima County is a national leader when it comes to land conservation and the protection of our natural and cultural heritage. Conservation Lands and Resources (CLR) is a new department that consolidates similar conservation functions currently in two departments: the Natural Resources Parks and Recreation Department and the Office of Sustainability and Conservation. CLR is committed to the stewardship and enhancement of our County conservation lands, as well as facilitating development in alignment with the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan (SDCP), Multi-Species Conservation Plan (MSCP), Board policies, and other regulatory frameworks. We employ science-based conservation strategies and foster public engagement through education and recreation while maintaining the ecological and cultural integrity of Indigenous and historic-era sites, mountain parks, trails, ranches, and other County conservation lands. Pima County | Learn more »
Call for Nominations: Tucson-Pima County Historical Commission
The Tucson–Pima County Historical Commission (TPCHC) is empowered to further awareness and preservation of historic sites, structures, districts, and character of the City of Tucson, City of South Tucson, and Pima County. To promote this goal, TPCHC recognizes and honors individuals, businesses, groups, organizations, and entities whose efforts align with TPCHC’s mission. 2024 Award Nominations are accepted from March 15 to April 26, 2024 (5 p.m. MST). Award nominations are only accepted electronically. Tucson-Pima County Historical Commission | Learn more »
Scholarship Opportunity: Henrietta Stockel 2024 Award in Cultural Anthropology
This year the award will be split into two individual awards: a $1,500.00 award for the first place applicant, and $1,000.00 award for the second place applicant. Who can apply: graduate anthropology students specializing in cultural anthropology, ethnohistory, or linguistics; students of all geographic areas of focus and research interest are encouraged to apply; Indigenous students are encouraged to apply. Deadline: April 30, 2024. Jornada Research Institute | Learn more »
Fellowship Opportunity: Postdoctoral Fellow, Museum Studies (Albuquerque NM)
The Museum Studies Program at the University of New Mexico invites applications for a post-doctoral fellow position to begin August 1, 2024. This is a full-time position with specialization in museums, material culture and cultural heritage in the Americas. Applicants must have a PhD in Anthropology, Art History, History, Native American Studies or a related field by date of appointment. For best consideration, all application materials must be received by April 10, 2024. University of New Mexico | Learn more »
April Subscription Lectures (Santa Fe NM)
April 8, Susan Ryan, The Northern Chaco Outliers Project; April 15, J. McKim Malville, The Sun, Moon, and Supernova at Chimney Rock and Beyond; April 22, Gregorio Gonzales, Genízaros Valorosos: Indigenous Political Movement in Native New Mexico Borderlands; April 29, Philip J. Deloria, From the Charging Elk Sketchbook, 1940: A Dialogue on Art and Epistemology? Southwest Seminars | Learn more »
REMINDER: TODAY, April 4 Online Event: Leaving Traces
With Michelle and Derek Turner. Anyone who spends a lot of time on public lands in the U.S. is likely to encounter traces intentionally left by modern visitors, such as rock cairns, painted “kindness stones,” or even fairy houses. For some people, including most park managers, these traces are a violation of the Leave No Trace ethic. But, others find them charming and question what real harm they cause. This talk offers an anthropological analysis of what the practice of leaving traces is all about and why people have such different views, drawing on philosophical understandings of wilderness, cultural heritage studies, and archaeology of the contemporary. The presenters focus in particular on two parks known for their Indigenous stories, Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado and Machimoodus State Park in Connecticut. Crow Canyon Archaeological Center | Learn more and register (free) »
April 6 Online Event: Capturing Water in Chaco Canyon and the Legacy of R. Gwinn Vivian
With Samantha Fladd. Although Chaco Canyon is renowned for massive great houses and concentrations of nonlocal materials, the ability of residents to productively farm the arid landscape has remained contentious within archaeology. These debates have ranged from questions over soil quality to the existence and use of water management features. Throughout his career, Dr. R. Gwinn Vivian worked tirelessly to locate and document evidence of water management, particularly canal systems, from within and around the Canyon. In this Zoom talk, Fladd will provide an overview of this evidence and discuss the importance of Dr. Vivian’s legacy on the field of Southwest archaeology. Amerind Museum | Register now (free) »
April 9 In-Person Event (Phoenix AZ): Southern Phoenix Basin Rock Art
With Chris Loendorf. The Akimel O’Odham have lived along the middle Gila River, in the southern portion of the Phoenix Basin, since Euro-Americans first visited the region in the late 1600s. The Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) was established to encompass their villages by an act of the US Congress in 1859. Because this large portion of the basin was never settled by non-Indigenous populations, its archaeological manifestations, including petroglyphs, are comparatively unknown. Importantly, the Akimel O’Odham still continue to produce rock imagery and to perform traditional religious practices associated with petroglyph sites. Thus, the GRIC has an unbroken record of petroglyphs, pictographs, and geoglyphs that spans at least the last several thousand years. This presentation explores some of the stylistic motifs that typify the region and relates them to their associated culture traditions. 7:00 p.m., S’edav Va’aki Museum, 4619 E. Washington St., 602-495-0901. Arizona Archaeological Society (Phoenix Chapter)
April 10 Online and In-Person Event (Queen Creek AZ): Ancient Water Management in the Arizona Desert
With Gary Huckleberry. Arizona has a long history of people managing water for agriculture and human consumption. Evidence for ancient water management is found across the state and includes canals, reservoirs, and wells. The earliest irrigation canals and reservoirs thus far identified are in the Tucson area and date to around 1500 and 500 BC, respectively. Through time, canal systems expanded in size, culminating in the impressive network of channels built by the Hohokam (AD 450–1450) along the lower Salt and middle Gila rivers. The Hohokam also constructed canals and reservoirs in areas of seasonal surface water, such as in the Queen Creek area. Huckleberry will review the diversity of evidence, focusing on archaeological discoveries made in the Sonoran Desert region of central and southern Arizona, and discuss what lessons we might gain by studying these ancient features with respect to our current water challenges. In person: The San Tan Chapter meetings are held at the San Tan Historical Society Museum at 20425 S Old Ellsworth Rd, 6:30 p.m. Zoom: Link. Arizona Archaeological Society (San Tan Chapter) | Learn more (scroll down to “Speakers”) »
April 15 Online Event: Why Do Arrowheads Point Up? Thunderstorms, Spear Points, and Divine Iconography in Barrier Canyon Rock Art
With James Farmer. The Barrier Canyon Anthropomorphic Style (or BCS) of south-central Utah has long been regarded as one of the premier ancient painted rock art styles in the Americas, if not the world. The most dominant and commonly recognized features of the style are deep red anthropomorphic figures ranging in size from a few inches to over eight feet tall. San Diego Rock Art Association | Learn more and register (free) »
April 15 Online and In-Person Event (Tucson AZ): What’s in a Symbol? A Look at Hohokam Art and Imagery
With Linda Gregonis. The art that Hohokam craftspeople produced embodied the world (seen and unseen) as they understood it. They were influenced by weather, animals they encountered, plants they grew and used, pilgrimages they made, other people they met, and their ancestors. They translated their experiences into art, creating iconic motifs that were shared across a wide region. Using objects, design elements, and motifs that were made and used during the Preclassic period (ca. A.D. 600 to 1150), Linda Gregonis will discuss how the Hohokam may have used symbols on different media including pottery, shell, stone, and rock art to define group identity and express their view of the world. Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society | Learn more »
Remember to send us notice of upcoming webinars and Zoom lectures, tours and workshops, and anything else you’d like to share with the Friends. Thanks!