Chaco Landscape Still at Risk

Commentary: Chaco Landscape at Risk
What’s happening under Bernhardt’s watch in the remote Greater Chaco Area of northwestern New Mexico illustrates in microcosm why he is perhaps the worst possible choice for the job as top steward of our public lands. Chaco Canyon and thousands of Indigenous peoples’ sacred places and archaeological sites in the surrounding Greater Chaco Region are at risk from an unprecedented drive to frack and drill for oil and gas. The recent announcement (and then hurried withdrawal) of oil and gas lease sales within the 10-mile informal buffer zone for Chaco Culture National Historical Park shows Bernhardt’s intent, and that the land nearest to the park is not safe from oil and gas drilling. http://bit.ly/2DZPm6f – Adam Markham via Union of Concerned Scientists

Essay: The Rainbow Bridge Monument Valley Expedition
The duo put their crafty minds together, dreaming up an expedition with an end goal of a new national park. The area in Hall and Wetherill’s discussion was roughly 700 square miles between the Colorado and San Juan rivers on Navajo tribal Land. Their proposed national park is quite literally filled in with red crayon on an original USGS map and encompasses a vast amount of landmark terrain, features and cultural sites. To launch the park proposal, Hall organized the Rainbow Bridge Monument Valley Expedition in 1933. A Depression-era project, on paper the expedition was something that should not be, and yet flourished in spite of the economic draught. http://bit.ly/2DVMpUo – Morgan Sjogren in the Gulch Magazine

U.S. Senate Passes Major Public Lands Bill—Further Commentary
The Senate passed a massive package of public lands bills on Tuesday to expand wilderness, make permanent a fund for preserving new acreage and create two new national monuments. The bill, supported by Sen. Mitt Romney and opposed by Sen. Mike Lee, includes several proposals that would impact Utah, including expanding wilderness in southern Utah, supporting fishing resources and creating the John Wesley Powell National Conservation Area as well as elevating the Golden Spike Historical Site to a historical park. http://bit.ly/2SNwykU – Salt Lake Tribune

The Senate’s 92-to-8 vote last night to advance the biggest public lands bill in a decade, maybe even a generation, amid divided government is a case study for how lawmaking is supposed to work. The result is that 1.3 million acres are poised to be newly designated as wilderness, 370,000 acres just outside two national parks would be saved from mining, 620 miles of river in seven states would be protected from damming and development, and more than 380 species of birds would see their habitats protected through 2022. https://wapo.st/2SMlUuN – James Hohmann in the Washington Post

Update on Utah’s Public Lands Battles
A [state] bill that would require Utah counties to obtain legislative approval before proposing or endorsing a federal land designation narrowly survived a committee vote Tuesday evening. Some members of the House Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee, including Republicans, feared that the measure could actually exacerbate the already fraught debates over wilderness, national monuments and other protective designations that are often seen as a hindrance to proper land management. http://bit.ly/2SJXNNr – Salt Lake Tribune

Commentary: Preservation Archaeology in Ethiopia
There are, of course and always, the twinned uncertainties and promises of alchemy in the convergence of hearts and minds previously separated by geographical, cultural, linguistic, and institutional boundaries. The golden moments that precipitated from our encounters at Jinka U shined through the smog from the region’s charcoal fires and field burning. Enthusiastic participation in the dialogues we initiated seemed in stark contrast to the often hyperspecialized and intellectualized discourse prevalent in North American universities. The warm spirit of adventure, collaboration, and gratitude that pervaded our brief visit left us convinced that we had received at least as much inspiration as we left behind. http://bit.ly/2DTWm4J – Archaeology Southwest

Book Announcement: Late Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherers and Farmers of the Jornada Mogollon
Edited by Thomas R. Rocek and Nancy A. Kenmotsu. University Press of Colorado & Utah State University Press, 2019. http://bit.ly/2DUaefo

Book Announcement: Interaction and Connectivity on the Greater Southwest
Edited by Karen G. Harry and Barbara J. Roth. University Press of Colorado & Utah State University Press, 2019.  http://bit.ly/2E1DFMq

Publication Announcement: Tucson Underground
Archaeology Southwest Magazine Vol. 32, No. 4. Issue Editors: William H. Doelle and J. Homer Thiel. This issue explores communities in the Tucson Basin across some 4,000 years. The region is part of the traditional territory of the O’odham people, who have been here since time immemorial. The Spanish place name Tucson is in fact derived from the O’odham S-cuk Son, “at the base of the black hill,” also known today as Sentinel Peak—Tucson’s birthplace. Ancestors of today’s O’odham people ranged, settled, and farmed this land, from the deep past into the historic era. https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/product/asw32-4/

Archaeology Southwest at the Tucson Festival of Books
Once again, March 2–3, Archaeology Southwest will celebrate the Tucson Festival of Books. Stop by booth 460 and say hello to our team members, be amazed by Allen Denoyer’s flintknapping skills, and acquire a few issues of Archaeology Southwest Magazine you might have missed. http://bit.ly/2E1vSya – Archaeology Southwest

Event Opportunity, Tonto National Monument AZ
Celebrate Heritage Days with Tonto National Monument in recognition of Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month on March 9 and 10 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The weekend’s activities will include ancient technology demonstrations, Apache dancers, kids’ activities, and representatives from Archaeology Southwest, the International Dark-Sky Association, and more! This event is free and open to the public. The Lower Cliff Dwelling will be open for self-guided hikes from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. with rangers available to answer questions. The Upper Cliff Dwelling, which normally requires a reservation, is open for self-guided hikes from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Please plan to bring sturdy shoes, sunscreen, water, and snacks. Parking will be limited, especially for RVs and over-sized vehicles; carpooling is encouraged. http://bit.ly/2DTi9JQ – Tonto National Monument

ARPA Training Opportunity, Albuquerque NM
The Jornada Research Institute is pleased to announce we will be offering our annual two-day course on looting and vandalism and conducting damage assessments of archaeological sites. The course will be held from April 30–May 1 at the Bureau of Reclamation’s Albuquerque Area Office. The course will count for continuing education credits (hour-per-hour) for HPD permit renewals  for those who have not taken the course within the previous three years. The course will combine classroom instruction on the Archaeological Resources Protection Act and other relevant legislation with a filed exercise on recording site damage. The fee to attend the class is 175.00 and must be prepaid. Deadline for registration and payment is April 23. Contact information: jeffreyhanson64@gmail.com, 817-658-5544. http://jornadaresearchinstitute.com/education-and-outreach/training/

Archaeology Café (Phoenix): What’s West of Phoenix?
Join us at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5, as Dr. Aaron Wright explores “What’s West of Phoenix: Patayan Archaeology of the Lower Gila River.” The Patayan tradition in southwestern Arizona is commonly dismissed as a mobile hunting-and-gathering lifestyle with little relevance to the Big Picture of Southwest history. This presentation shares recent archaeological and ethnohistoric research that counters this prevailing narrative, and restores Patayan as one of the four main cultural traditions of the indigenous Southwest. http://bit.ly/2DCDYxj – Archaeology Southwest

Hands-On Archaeology Opportunity, Tucson AZ
Join ancient technologies expert Allen Denoyer for our Hands-On Archaeology program at Mission Garden, Tucson’s birthplace. At this event, Allen will demonstrate flintknapping–the ancient technology for making stone tools. February 23, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. http://bit.ly/2DTHLGt – Archaeology Southwest and Friends of Tucson’s Birthplace

Lecture Opportunity, Santa Fe NM
Southwest Seminars Presents Tom Windes, M.A., Adjunct Research Associate Professor of Archaeology, University of New Mexico, who will give a lecture Archaeology at Sapawe and Tsama in the El Rito & Chama River Valleys: 1960–1970 at 6:00 p.m. on February 25 at Hotel Santa Fe. Tom serves as Archaeologist, Chaco Project 1972–present. He has conducted fieldwork in the Chama River Valley, Chaco Canyon, and Southeastern Utah; His specialties include ceramic analysis, tree-ring & archaeomagnetic dating techniques, Chaco Canyon’s shrine communication system, and historical archaeology of traditional Hispanic communities. Admission is by subscription or $15 at the door. No reservations are necessary. Refreshments are served. Seating is limited. Contact Connie Eichstaedt: tel. 505 466-2775; email: southwestseminar@aol.com; website: southwestseminars.org

Lecture Opportunity, Tucson AZ
Karen Schollmeyer will present “The Importance of Dead Bunnies in Mimbres and Salado Archaeology in Southwest New Mexico” on March 14 at 2:00 p.m. How might farmers maintain local access to wild animals for food and other uses for over a thousand years? How might people from different cultural traditions come together to form lasting multiethnic communities? How can the archaeology of southwestern New Mexico from AD 500 to 1450 help us understand these processes? Karen’s talk will summarize recent research from several collaborative projects: one focused on reviving lost datasets and information from disco-era museum collections, and one on training the next generation of archaeologists through an ongoing field school partnership between Archaeology Southwest and the University of Arizona. On the UA campus; details at the link. http://bit.ly/2DTroK2 – Archaeology Southwest

Please submit news, book announcements, and events at this link for consideration: https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/submit-to-sat/

Questions? sat-editor@archaeologysouthwest.org