The Promise of Existing Collections

Bill Lipe: The Promise of Existing Collections
The value (and excitement) of archaeological field work doesn’t end when the pits are backfilled, the artifacts are analyzed, and the reports written. At least that’s true if the collections are safely curated in a well-run museum. Specimens collected long ago can often be revisited with new research methods to reveal new information of scientific and educational value. This is why archaeologists save archaeological collections long after they were initially studied. Here, I give two examples of recent scientific analyses of specimens from one of the first excavations I ever directed. http://bit.ly/2Ki2Lst — The Archaeological Conservancy

Mining Claims Staked on Lands Cut from National Monuments
At least 20 new mining claims totaling about 460 acres have been staked on land President Donald Trump removed from national monument protection late last year. The claims indicate there is interest in extracting minerals from lands that until recently were off limits to such development. http://bit.ly/2KpAVdV — Huffington Post

Oil and Gas Development Looms near Petrified Forest
A new Trump administration plan proposes to auction off 4,200 acres of public land for oil and gas development in northern Arizona. The lands straddle the Little Colorado River, are within three miles of Petrified Forest National Park, and are near habitat for a federally threatened fish called the Little Colorado spinedace. http://bit.ly/2MYCSjd — Center for Biological Diversity

Video: Tour to Mesa Verde’s Long House Is Worthwhile
Long House, on Wetherill Mesa, is the second largest cliff dwelling in the park. Have you ever had the opportunity to venture out to Long House? If not, check out this great video on our website to get a taste of what this 2.5 hour, 2.25 mile ranger-guided hike is like. If you plan to visit Mesa Verde this summer, a tour is a wonderful (and only) way to experience and explore this amazing site. http://go.nps.gov/LHvideo — Mesa Verde National Park

Bears Ears News
Friends of Cedar Mesa, another local stakeholder group, echoed fears that the expedited planning process might mean less public input into the plan. “The Bears Ears monument planning process is an involved and difficult process to move as quickly as the BLM and Forest Service are attempting,” said Amanda Podmore, assistant director of Friends of Cedar Mesa. “Usually, a monument management plan takes five to ten years, not one, but we understand the directives are coming from the higher-ups on this one. The challenge is that the process may not have robust stakeholder input before significant decisions are made, like releasing the draft [Environmental Impact Statement]. We are hopeful that the monument advisory committee can be formed as soon as possible.” http://bit.ly/2tub6mB — Moab Times-Independent

Audio: In March of 2017, shortly after President Obama designated the Bears Ears National Monument, KSJD spoke with two people who lived near the monument’s new boundaries. Slightly over a year later, after drastic cuts to the monument and the beginning of a legal fight over the Antiquities Act, KSJD’s Austin Cope reached back out to the people with whom he had spoken. http://bit.ly/2ttAJUu — KSJD

Audio: Utah’s indigenous grassroots organization will host its fourth annual summer gathering at Bears Ears National Monument at the end of July. Utah Diné Bikéyah [UDB] is involved in ongoing battles to conserve cultural lands. “It’s about all our nations coming together,” said UDB Director of Operations Davina Smith. “Sharing our knowledge, sharing our language, sharing our culture, sharing the food, celebrating.” http://bit.ly/2tvi0Id — Utah Public Radio

Verde Valley Archaeology Center Opens Native American Heritage Pathway
Verde Valley Archaeology Center (VVAC) announces that the new Native American Heritage Pathway is now open to the public. The free, privately owned park will be open daily from dawn to dusk. The property contains a pithouse village dating to about AD 600. VVAC set aside this portion of the property as a Native American Heritage Preserve. With the assistance of a grant from the National Park Service River, Trails and Conservation Program, VVAC developed a nearly half-mile loop trail with several interpretive exhibits, including a Native American traditional-use garden, to inform visitors about the people who lived there 1,400 years ago. The pathway is located on Homestead Parkway which is the first stop light east of Interstate 17 off Highway 260 (Exit 287). The portion of Homestead Parkway that fronts the property and trail is currently a short dirt road but easily passable by cars. For more information, visit https://www.verdevalleyarchaeology.org/park

Hopi Dances at Mesa Verde National Park
The Lomayestewa Family of Shungopovi Village, Second Mesa, Arizona, will perform traditional Hopi dances at the Visitor and Research Center in Mesa Verde National Park on June 30 and July 1. Performances begin at 11 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. All programs are free and open to the public. The Lomayestewa family has performed at Mesa Verde National Park each summer for nearly 30 years and performs a variety of dances. http://bit.ly/2tvP8iX — Cortez Journal

Lecture Opportunity, Santa Fe NM
Southwest Seminars Presents Dr. Alan J. Osborn, Associate Professor, Sociology and Anthropology Department, University of Nebraska, and Curator of Anthropology, University Museum; Author, Eye of the Needle: Cold Stress, Clothing and Sewing Technology During the Younger Dryas Cold Event in North America, who will give a lecture Speaking With Beads: Prehistoric Body Adornment, Communication & Plains Megadroughts on July 2 at 6 p.m. at Hotel Santa Fe. Admission is by subscription or $15 at the door. Contact Connie Eichstaedt at 505 466-2775 email: southwestseminar@aol.com; website: southwestseminars.org

Lecture Opportunity, Cortez CO
As a part of the Four Corners Lecture Series, the Hisatsinom Chapter of the Colorado Archaeology Society is pleased to present Dr. James Potter on Tuesday, July 3, 2018, at 7:00 p.m. at the Methodist Church, 515 Park Street to discuss Photogrammetry and Beyond: Recent Preservation Efforts at the Ute Tribal Park. James discusses the collaborative project of the Ute Mountain Ute THPO and PaleoWest Archaeology to record and conduct condition assessments of a number of large sites in the Ute Mountain Tribal Park using photogrammetry to create detailed maps and 3-D models. For more information, contact Kari at swceramicsgirl@gmail.com

Lecture Opportunity, Tucson AZ
The Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society (AAHS) is pleased to present Karen Schollmeyer on Monday, July 16, at 7:30 p.m. in the University Medical Center’s Duval Auditorium (1501 N Campbell Ave, Tucson 85724), who will discuss Perforated Plates, Fish Bones, and the Archaeology of the Upper Gila River in the 14th Century. Meetings are free and open to the public. For more information, please visit the AAHS website: http://www.az-arch-and-hist.org/, or contact John D. Hall at john.hall@terracon.com with questions about this or any other AAHS program.

Thanks to Lee White for the contribution to this edition.

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