Southwest Archaeology Today for March 6, 2007

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

– Tech tidal wave heads toward tribe: In one of the most starkly beautiful and sparsely populated deserts in the country, among a Navajo people who live in large numbers without electricity, running water, paved roads or telephone service closer than 10 miles, cutting-edge supercomputer technology is about to hook them up.
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_5326782?source=rss

– Graffiti at special park saddens many: The four-acre Vista Del Rio Cultural Resource Park, 7575 E. Desert Arbors St., isn’t an ordinary community park. In addition to being a restful spot for the residents of the area’s 225 or so homes, it also preserves what is left of a large, prehistoric Hohokam village inhabited between A.D. 950 and 1150.
http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/171650

– City OKs flour mill preservation: The Tempe City Council gave final approval to the first phase of renovation and preservation of the Hayden Flour Mill Thursday night.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/gzrp (azcentral.com)

– Help for ancient remains and landowners passes: A bill to protect ancient human remains found on private land in Utah passed both houses of the Legislature without a dissenting vote.
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,660199940,00.html

– Inside Puebloan past: In Craig Childs’ new book, “House of Rain,” Childs succeeds in translating a good hunk of Southwestern archaeology while providing us with the kind of inductive visceral experience Childs does better than any other naturalist.
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_5335273?source=rss

– Save America’s Treasures federal grants are now available for preservation and/or conservation work on nationally significant intellectual and cultural artifacts and nationally significant historic structures and sites. Eligible applicants include nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c), U.S. organizations, units of state or local government, and federally recognized Indian Tribes. Grants are awarded through a competitive process and require a dollar-for-dollar, non- federal match. The minimum grant request for collections projects is $25,000 federal share; the minimum grant request for historic property projects is $125,000 federal share. The maximum grant request for all projects is $700,000 federal share. The application deadline is 5:00 pm Eastern time, Thursday, April 26, 2007. This is NOT a postmark deadline. For More information visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/treasures/index.htm

– J.H. Simpson: An unhappy visitor to New Mexico: Not everyone who visited New Mexico in the early years of the American Occupation liked the place. Col. Sterling Price, for example, arrived in New Mexico late in 1846 and served as military commander of the Missouri Volunteers.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/iiph (The Observer)

– Nevada gets $3.1 million for historic preservation: The old post office and courthouse building in Las Vegas and the former Fourth Ward School in Virginia City are among beneficiaries of $3.1 million in grants for historic preservation projects awarded by Nevada’s Commission on Cultural Affairs.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/6yxe (Mohave Daily News)

– Drought as the norm? The years leading up to the 1922 Colorado River Compact were exceptionally wet, according to tree-ring analysis that goes back almost 1,000 years.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/gntn (Casper Star Tribune)

– The latest from the Archaeology Channel: Producers of archaeology television shows often struggle to balance the scientific nature of archaeological information with the need to attract a popular audience. Archaeologists sometimes are disappointed with the results, but seldom have the chance to express themselves in a very public way. We have decided to give voice to a couple of irreverent archaeologist TV critics in Radical Archaeology Television Parody, the latest video feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel. This film is a parody of the very popular television series, Digging for the Truth, which is broadcast by the History Channel. The episode parodied is “Mystery of the Anasazi.” In this light-hearted commentary, Bradley Garrett and Adam Fish highlight certain superficial aspects of the television production and question its authenticity and authoritativeness. In the process of poking fun, they allude to issues of concern surrounding the presentation of archaeological knowledge through the style of modern day popular television.
http://www.archaeologychannel.org

– History preserved: If you are looking for a place to explore the Native American culture, Amarillo has just the place.
http://www.kvii.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=28811

– Arizona State Museum ARCHAEOLOGY AWARENESS MONTH LECTURE SERIES! March 6, 8, 19, 20, 22, 27 and 29, 2007, 7-9 p.m. Free and open to the public. Presented in observance of Arizona Archaeology Awareness Month, lectures feature research and collections at Arizona State Museum.
http://www.statemuseum.arizona.edu/arch/archmo/index.shtml

– DAY TRIP: ORGAN PIPE CACTUS NATIONAL MOMUMENT: 17th ANNUAL SEASON OF TRADITION: In celebration of Arizona Archaeology Month, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument will focus on the heritage and traditions of the original inhabitants. Every Saturday and Sunday in March, selected members of the Tohono O’odham Nation and Hia Ced O’odham will demonstrate their crafts and time-honored skills.
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/entertainment/43525.php

– Hohokam celebrated at park, site of dig: You’d expect government agencies, museums, history groups and archaeology companies to sponsor activities for the annual Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month.
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/accent/171758.php

– Canada Alamosa Project focus of lecture: Findings from one of the most exciting and expansive archaeological sites in the Southwest will be the focus of a lecture at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces on March 8. Karl Laumbach, archaeologist and Associate Director for Human Systems Research, will discuss the last nine years of his work on La Canada Alamosa Project. The lecture, “The Archaeology of a Cultural Frontier in West Central New Mexico,” begins at 7 p.m. in the Museum’s theater and admission is free. The event is part of the Museum’s ongoing lecture series. For more information, please call (505) 522-4100.