Vandalism in National Parks and the Social Media Effect

Vandalism in National Parks and the Social Media Effect
The cause of this recent spike in graffiti on public lands is unclear, but some park personnel say there is reason to believe that it coincides with the rise of social media. “In the old days,” said Lorna Lange, the spokeswoman for Joshua Tree, “people would paint something on a rock — it wouldn’t be till someone else came along that someone would report it and anybody would know about it.”  http://nyti.ms/11pBvcP – New York Times

Archaeologists Document Archaeological Remains Possibly Linked to the Owens Lake Massacre
Oral histories of Native Americans and U.S. Cavalry records offer insights into a horrific massacre here in 1863: Thirty-five Paiute Indians were chased into Owens Lake by settlers and soldiers to drown or be gunned down. But the records are silent on one important point. Exactly where did the massacre occur on the moonlit night of March 19, 1863? http://lat.ms/13rcroo – Los Angeles Times

Raise the Roof! Protect Arizona’s Historic Camp Naco
Archaeology Southwest and the Friends of Camp Naco seek financial help for buying urgently needed roofing material to protect Camp Naco, an adobe military installation built in the early twentieth century. Today, the Camp’s twenty-one buildings remain among the best-preserved examples of architecture from the Mexican Border Defense Construction Project in the United States, and those same buildings are now listed as a District on the National Register of Historic Places. All told, Camp Naco’s near-century of institutional and community history along the International Border make it a very special place, indeed.
https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/2013/06/06/raise-the-roof-preservation-archaeology-style/

Documenting and Preserving the Old Spanish Trail
hen the Old Spanish Trail Association met in Cortez last week for its annual conference, several speakers said that the remnants of the Old Spanish Trail from Santa Fe to Los Angeles may well be lost. One part of the trail goes from Abiquiu, N.M., through Ignacio and Durango and on past Green River, Utah. To help define and preserve the trail, the OSTA wants to form a Four Corners chapter, said Mark Franklin, the group’s treasurer. Incoming OSTA President Ashley J. Hall said it is the group’s mission that is most important. http://bit.ly/19eu9BP – Durango Herald

The Smithsonian Journey Stories Exhibition at Winslow’s Old Trails Museum Hosts Tours of Homol’ovi II
Homol’ovi State Park has partnered with the Old Trails Museum to host special tours of Homolovi II, the largest of the ancient Hopi villages located at Homolovi State Park northeast of Winslow on State Route 87, on Saturdays from June 22 to July 27. Attendees should meet at 1 p.m. at the Homol’ovi Visitor Center, then travel by vehicle to the Homol’ovi II site for a tour start time of 1:15 p.m. The tour will last about one hour. The $7 park entrance fee will apply. This tour is ADA accessible. Guests who need a sign language interpreter should contact the park in advance by calling (928) 289-4106 to make a reservation. http://bit.ly/11tmbNl – AzJournal

Travelogue – Visiting the San Pedro’s Mammoth Kill Sites
So the morning after we arrived at the B&B, Pat and I visited the Lehner and Murray Springs mammoth-kill sites, both designated National Historic Landmarks and operated by the Bureau of Land Management “for the benefit and education of the public.” The Lehner site was excavated in 1955 and again in 1974-75. The site is fenced with barbed wire behind an identifying plaque. We decided not to climb the fence, simply observing from afar the arroyo containing the kill site. http://bit.ly/161wOeh – Azstarnet

Archaeological Film Festival This Summer in Sedona 
The Verde Valley Archaeology Center will hold a free Summer Archaeology Film Fest every other Friday this summer starting on June 14 at 7pm in the Sedona Public Library.  The Fest will feature one-hour archaeology documentaries from around the world, including France, Canada, Greece, Italy and the USA.  Full film descriptions are available at http://bit.ly/13QptML – Verde Valley Archaeology Center

Arizona Preservation Conference Starts Wednesday
The Arizona State Historic Preservation Office, the Arizona Preservation Foundation, and the City of Mesa invite you to join them at the 11th Annual Arizona Historic Preservation Conference. This year’s conference, “Making Preservation Relevant: The Past in Future Tense” is being held in Mesa, June 12th – June 14th, 2013. The goal of the Conference is to bring together preservationists from around the state to exchange ideas and success stories, to share perspectives and solutions to preservation issues, and to foster cooperation between the diverse Arizona preservation communities. http://bit.ly/11pHTk8

Registration Open for 2013 Pecos Conference
Registration is $40 per person until July 1, 2013; $45 after July 1 and at the conference; $32 for students (all dates). Presentation & Poster Abstracts must be received by July 28, 2013. http://bit.ly/13rh4yP

Lecture Opportunity – Albuquerque
Dave Snow will discuss potters and ceramic pukis on Tuesday, June 18, at 7:30 p.m. at the Albuquerque Museum, 2000 Mountain Road NW, Albuquerque, NM (Albuquerque Archaeological Society June meeting).

Lecture Opportunity – Tucson
The Arizona Archaeological And Historical Society is please to present Homer Thiel on Monday, June 17 at 7:30 PM at the DuVal Auditorium (1501 N. Campbell Ave. inside University Medical Center) to discuss Recent Discoveries at the Hardy Site and Fort Lowell. Thiel will discuss findings from excavation of a City of Tucson-acquired property near Craycroft Road and Fort Lowell Road.  These findings provide new insights into the prehistoric Hardy Site and will guide the planned construction and interpretation of the Fort Lowell Cultural Park. Contact Jon Boyd @ 520 444-6385 with questions about this, or any other AAHS program.

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe
Southwest Seminars Presents Drs. Paul and Suzanne K. Fish, Professors of Anthropology and Emeriti Curators of Archaeology, Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, who will give a lecture on Monumental Shell Mounds in Coastal Brazil on June 24 at Hotel Santa Fe as part of the annual Voices From the Past Lecture Series which is given annually to honor and acknowledge the New Mexico History Museum. Admission is by subscription or $12 at the door. No reservations are necessary and refreshments are served. Contact Connie Eichstaedt, tel: 505 466-2775, email:southwestseminar@aol.com website:http://bit.ly/YhJddr – Southwest Seminars

Thanks to Cherie Freeman and Brian Kreimendahl for contributing to this week’s issue of Southwest Archaeology Today.