Southwest Archaeology Today for May 3, 2006

Archaeology making the news – a service of the Center for Desert Archaeology.

– Utah groups schedule Prehistory Week events: Saturday marks the beginning of Utah Prehistory Week, during which residents can learn about people who lived in the region from recently to thousands of years ago.
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635203828,00.html

– The Chipeta Chapter of the Colorado Archaeology Society will celebrate Colorado Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month with two programs in May. On Saturday, May 13, there will be a special rock art program, centered at the Ute Indian Museum. The program will include a lecture presentation and a tour of the Shavano Petroglyph Site. At 9 a.m., Dr. Alan Watchman and Dr. Carol Patterson will give a 30-minute talk on rock art preservation and conservation in the United States and around the world. Following the talk, Carol will lead a two-hour tour to the Shavano site, returning by noon. Bus transportation and water will be provided. At the site, Carol will explain rock art as interpreted by Ute elders. Panels that depict much older elements, including atlatls and animal tracks, also will be pointed out. For the scientific-minded, a description of superimposition sequences, age estimations and geomorphologic processes on the rock surface will be provided. The morning program will be repeated in the afternoon, beginning at 1 p.m. Admission to the special program will be $2 per person, and each attendee will receive a 16-page color pamphlet with information about the Shavano rock art panels. On Wednesday, May 17, at its regular monthly meeting, the chapter will hear an illustrated presentation by archaeologist Neil Hauser about the nearby Flint Cave, an area where prehistoric Indians mined flint. The free, public meeting begins at 7 p.m. in Baldridge Hall of the Montrose United Methodist Church.

– From Above: Images of a Storied Land: The Photography of Adriel Heisey
Opening soon! Mesa Southwest Museum (Mesa, Arizona), May 13 through October 29, 2006, and Pueblo Grande Museum (Phoenix, Arizona), October 3, 2006 through January 7, 2007. Seen by over 35,000 people during its initial showing at the Albuquerque Museum, “From Above: Images of a Storied Land” now comes to Arizona. The exhibition, created by the Center for Desert Archaeology in collaboration with the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, features a collection of large-format aerial photographs by Adriel Heisey that convey the beauty, mystery, and fragility of past human activity on the Southwestern landscape. The 60 images in the exhibit will be split between the two museums, so make plans to visit both in the coming months.
http://www.cdarc.org/pages/what/exhibits/from_above.php
http://www.cityofmesa.org/swmuseum/heisey.asp

– Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park Features 1930 Historic Aeriel Photographs: Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park is currently featuring the Historic Judd Aerial Survey, which resulted from the 1930 collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., United States Department of War and founding director of Pueblo Grande Museum, Odd Halseth.
http://www.womanmotorist.com/index.php/news/main/4994/event=view

– Archaeologists Debate Whether to Ignore the Pasts of Relics: As scholars grapple with the reality that a growing number of important works lack a clear provenance, ethics policies are the focus of heated debate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/02/arts/02publ.html

– Humans Might Have Wiped Out Wild Horses: Already charged with eradicating mammoths, the first North Americans might also have wiped out wild horses in Alaska, a new study suggests.
http://tinyurl.com/n65og – Yahoo News

– The Center for Desert Archaeology is now accepting applications for the following Graduate Fellowship positions:
Petroglyphs of South Mountain, (Phoenix, Arizona) – May 15, 2006 Deadline http://www.cdarc.org/pages/how/fellows.php
Upper Gila River Valley (Arizona – New Mexico) – October 15, 2006 Deadline http://www.cdarc.org/pages/how/fellow_2006_gila.php

– The Arizona State Office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is seeking a graduate student in archaeology, anthropology or a closely related field to participate in a cultural resources graduate scholarship program for persons of Asian American or Pacific Islander ancestry within the NRCS. The NRCS will award three graduate scholarships each in 2006, 2007 and 2008, to students enrolled in master or Ph.D. and/or a combined graduate degree program. Generally, a maximum of two (2) years of funding will be provided for a master degree and four (4) years of funding will be provided for a Ph.D. degree. Recipients of the scholarships will enter into an agreement with NRCS and receive full- tuition scholarships. Prior to graduation, recipients intern at NRCS for a minimum of 640 hours. The internship will be served at the NRCS Arizona State Office in Phoenix, Arizona. Applications must be received in Phoenix by 31 May 2006. For more information, contact: Sam R. Hankins, Human Resources Manager, Natural Resources Conservation Service, 230 N. First Avenue, Suite 509, Phoenix, Arizona 85003-1733, 602) 280-8801, FAX (602) 280-8805, Sam.hankins@az.usda.gov