Southwest Archaeology Today for Dec. 11 2007

Southwestern Archaeology Making the News – A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

– A Prehistory of Puebloan Beer? Some archaeologists say in the distant past New Mexico was a dry watering hole, a dark place where no beer, no fermentation existed. Glenna Dean, the state archaeologist, isn’t one of them. If New Mexico’s Pueblo Indians didn’t have beer 800 to 1,000 years ago, then people in the area would be missing something common to other American Indians who lived in surrounding areas like Arizona and Mexico, she said. “I was puzzled by this certainty by archaeologists that people from Spain had brought the first fermentation to New Mexico,” Dean said. “Given that just about any liquid that you can think of will ferment by itself if you lay it out for a while – it’s amazing to think this wouldn’t happen here.”
http://www.cdarc.org/page/in2d – Albuquerque Tribune

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071205140118.htm
– A Genetic Perspective on the Peopling of the New World: A single population of prehistoric Siberians crossed the Bering Strait into Alaska and subsequently fanned out to populate North and South America, according to a new genetic analysis of present-day indigenous Americans. The study also hints that early Americans reached Central and South America by migrating down the Pacific coast by land or sea and only later spread into the interior of South America.
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20071201/fob2.asp

– Third Archaeology Expo Planning Meeting for the 2008 Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month: Monday January 7, 2008 at 10:30 a.m. Room 309, North Building Arizona State Museum, U of A, Tucson. Please come and share your ideas as the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) continues planning for the 2008 Arizona Archaeology Expo that will be held on March 1-2, 2008 at the Arizona State Museum, the University of Arizona in Tucson. We will be exchanging ideas with the various partners; discussing programming, publicity, lay out and organization, sponsors, funding, off-site activities, etc. For More Information, Please Contact: Ann Howard, Public Archaeology Programs Manager State Historic Preservation Office 602/542-7138, avh2@azstateparks.gov or Rich Lange, Arizona State Museum 520/621-6275, langer@email.arizona.edu

– The Use of Effluent at Snowbowl Moves Back to Appeals Court: In March this year, a California circuit court blocked the proposed ski area expansion and snowmaking with treated sewage and held the U.S. Forest Service had violated its own laws by not fully studying the impact of human contact with fake snow made from the treated sewage. The ruling also determined that the development on the peak would substantially burden the American Indians’ religious practice, which the indigenous communities described as a victory for religious freedom, environmental justice and cultural survival. Not pleased with that verdict, the U.S. forest officials and developers took their case to the U.S. court of appeals in Pasadena, California, which is due to hear the arguments next week about the decision blocking the ski resort owners from further development on the San Francisco Peaks.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40399

– Submerged Spanish Galleon Near Oregon Coast the Newest Feature on the Archaeology Channel: Early encounters between Europeans and Native Americans on the West Coast of North America certainly occurred prior to the well documented Spanish explorations of the 1770s, but very little concrete evidence thus far has been documented. An exciting new archaeological exploration of an exceptional case of early contact on the Oregon coast is the subject of Anthropology Field Notes 5: The Beeswax Ship of Nehalem, the latest video feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel.
http://www.archaeologychannel.org

– Position Announcement: Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz County, California announces a search for archaeological technology and anthropology instructor (tenure track position). The Archaeology Technology Program and Anthropology Department seek an individual broadly trained in anthropology whose primary teaching
interest is in anthropological and occupational archaeology. The candidate should have expertise in Cultural Resource Management and/or heritage policy and preservation, knowledge of California Archaeology, and experience teaching lower division courses.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/6qu8 – Cabrillo College

– Summer Employment Opportunities with HABS/HAER/HALS: The Heritage Documentation Programs (Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey), a division of the National Park Service, seeks applications from qualified individuals for summer employment documenting historic sites and structures of architectural, landscape and technological significance throughout the country. Duties involve on-site field work and preparation of measured and interpretive drawings and written historical reports for the HABS/HAER/HALS Collection at the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress. Projects last twelve weeks, beginning in May/June. Salaries range from approximately $6,000 to approximately $11,000 for the summer, depending on job responsibility, locality of the project, and level of experience. Applicants must be U.S. Citizens. Applications Due: February 4, 2008 (postmark date). Application forms and detailed information can be found on our web site:
http://www.nps.gov/history/hdp/jobs/summer.htm

– Employment Opportunities with the BLM: The Bureau of Land Management is currently advertising for archaeologist positions in the Phoenix District. Three job openings are advertised onthe USA Jobs website. These positions are open to federal archaeologists and qualified archaeologists who do not currently work for the federal government. We are advertising two permanent positions in the Hassayampa Field Office and one temporary position in the Lower Sonoran Field Office. “Google” the USA Jobs website and click on “search jobs,” then on “agency search.” Scroll down and click on Interior, Department of the, Bureau of Land Management. Then under “location search,” click on AZ-Phoenix, and finally on “search for jobs.” This will take you to the AZ BLM job announcements, all on one page, where you will see several announcements for archaeologists. When you click on an announcement, you will find an overview of duties and instructions on filing an application on-line.

– Historic Preservation Employment Opportunity for Veterans Administration (Job Closes Monday, Dec 17): The position is under the Director, Resource Management Office, Office of Construction and Facilities Management (CFM) under the Office of the Secretary within the Department of Veterans Affairs. The incumbent serves as a Historic Preservation Specialist and provides program support to the National Historic Preservation Officer. Duties include conducting studies and research on VA historic properties holdings and cultural resources; conducting field surveys and evaluating findings; documenting and determining historic value, and writing historic structures reports; prepares nominations for submission to the National Register of Historic Places in all VA properties; develops written Memoranda of Understanding/Agreement and other cooperative agreements with other agencies and represents VA on committee, task forces, with other Federal agencies, state agencies, departments, and professional organizations regarding cultural resources of regional, national, and international significance; develops recommendations to enhance cultural resource management requirements; resolve controversies on property interests to include real property interests through VA Loan Guaranty Program and proposed projects submitted for funding through State Home Grant, State Cemetery Grant and Homeless Grant Programs; reviews and analyzes and interprets proposed legislation and assess the impact to current holdings; prepares briefs and papers for publication of historic history on VA holdings; provides guidance and advice to executives and VA field facilities in preservation and design problems; provides expertise to field engineers on project plans for maintenance and repair, renovations, rehabilitation, leasing to assure compliance; develops ongoing training and conducts training within Central Office and at field facilities; maintains historic resources files including extensive documentation on history of facilities; negotiates on behalf of VA with the Advisory Council on historic Preservations, State Preservation Officers, and other federal and state agencies regarding VA undertakings of a complex and controversial nature; prepares information for testimony for Congressional oversight hearing; establishes and maintains extensive historic files, including facility histories, photographs, slides, and other memorabilia, maintains the files of the Art-in-Architecture program; works as part of Task Force Teams as assigned to provide historic preservation technical direction and review capability.
http://federalgovernmentjobs.us/jobs/Historic-Preservation-Specialist-1074618.html

Thanks to Gerald Kelso for contributions to today’s newsletter.