Chaco Fracking Injunction Moves to Higher Court

Chaco Fracking Injunction Moves to Higher Court
Environmental groups have once again asked a judge to order the US Bureau of Land Management to stop issuing permits for hydraulic fracturing near Chaco Canyon. The Western Environmental Law Center made oral arguments in the case to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver on Tuesday. In August, an Albuquerque district court judge ruled that while the plaintiffs, which include Diné Citizens Against Ruining the Environment, San Juan Citizens Alliance, WildEarth Guardians and the Natural Resources Defense Council, “put forth enough evidence to cast some doubt on the thoroughness of the BLM’s decision-making,” they had not successfully demonstrated that the BLM “failed to take a hard look at the environmental impacts of its actions.” http://bit.ly/1YPdD21 – Santa Fe Reporter

Traces of Ancient Corn Beer Detected at Paquime
The last meals of men and women buried centuries ago in the ancient city of Casas Grandes were dominated by corn, new research has found — from ground maize, to corn smut, to what archaeologists say is the first conclusive evidence of corn beer in the Greater Southwest. And these clues were found in a long-overlooked source: the fossilized plaque on the teeth of the dead. http://bit.ly/21qi43f – Western Digs

Forest Service Rejects “Luxury Village” Development near the Grand Canyon
“I’m incredibly happy right now,” says Kevin Dahl, senior Arizona program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, which — like most conservation groups — opposes the development. “But there’s a part of me that worries that about the next big campaign. We thought we stopped it once, by a vote of the people, and it came back. I have to admit that it might come back again.” http://bit.ly/1QWYfeV – High Country News

Verde Valley Archaeology Center Launches Technological Approach to Cultural Resource Protection
Since opening more than five years ago, the Verde Valley Archaeology Center has been the area’s leader in preserving history – and pre-history. Later this month, the Camp Verde center will take a step into the future. Beginning March 19, VVAC will borrow patent-pending anti-poaching technology for wildlife that will be adapted to the specifics of protecting archaeological, architectural and historic sites. http://bit.ly/1YOGB27 – Camp Verde Bugle

New Mexico’s #1 in U.S. World Heritage Sites
The World Heritage designation is not easy to come by. It took San Antonio nine years to win the honor, and dignitaries from around the world attended the induction ceremonies. The program is intended to bring special attention to and encourage preservation efforts for the best of both human-built and natural places around the globe. You might call it Earth’s Greatest Hits…There are many reasons New Mexico is the Land of Enchantment. Its abundance of UNESCO World Heritage sites is one of them. It is one very prestigious list on which our state’s No. 1 ranking is a good thing. http://bit.ly/1nHw63a – Albuquerque Journal

Reminder: Archaeology Café (Phoenix): The Relationships among Social Interaction, Economics, and Culture
On March 15, 2016, Matthew Peeples (Arizona State University) will explore the initial results of a large and collaborative project involving Archaeology Southwest, the University of Arizona, and Arizona State University. The project uses concepts from contemporary social network analysis to study ancient Chacoan communities in the Southwest. We meet in the Aztec Room of Macayo’s Central, 4001 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, near the Indian School light rail stop. Presentations begin after 6:00 p.m. It is best to arrive at about 5:30 p.m. in order to get settled, as seating is open and unreserved, but limited. http://bit.ly/1Yjq8Tr – Archaeology Southwest

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe
Southwest Seminars Presents Dr. Stephen H. Lekson, who will give the lecture The Fall of Paquime: Last Great Southwestern City on March 21 at 6:00 p.m. at Hotel Santa Fe as part of the annual Ancient Sites Ancient Stories II Lecture Series held to honor and acknowledge The Archaeology Conservancy; Admission is by subscription or $12 at the door; No reservations necessary. Refreshments are served. Seating is limited. Contact Connie Eichstaedt at tel: 505 466-2775; email: southwestseminar@aol.com.

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe
As part of our program in 2016, The Santa Fe Archaeological Society, Archaeological Society of America, is pleased to present Dr. Steve Lekson, Curator of Archaeology at the University of Colorado, Natural History Museum, on Tuesday, April 12, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. at the Pecos Trail Cafe, 22339 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87505.  Dr. Lekson will discuss Chaco Canyon: A New History of an 11th Century Pueblo Capital.  Dr. Lekson will explore new data from the World Heritage Site of Chaco Canyon and its extensive hinterland which suggests an exciting new history of this famous and mysterious site.

Lecture Opportunity – Verde Valley
At 6:30 p.m. March 15 at the Cliff Castle Casino Hotel’s conference center, archaeologist William D. Lipe will discuss the connection between turkeys and the people of Mesa Verde. Lipe, with an expertise in the North American Southwest, archaeological method and theory, and cultural resource management, earned his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1966. http://bit.ly/1phQCbC – Camp Verde Bugle

Thanks to Brian Kriemendahl for contributing to this week’s newsletter.