Dear Friends,
On Saturday, February 10, more than 100 friends of Archaeology Southwest gathered to celebrate and honor the long and distinguished career of recently retired founding President and CEO Bill Doelle. It was an incredible event.
Board of Directors chair Dan Kimball, who has known Bill since their childhood together in Michigan, did a great job as emcee. Board member Chip Colwell delivered heartfelt reflections (and a Payday candy bar!) to Bill, noting that their relationship started decades ago when Chip was 18.
Deputy Director Linda Pierce orchestrated the whole event and created a slideshow of historic and current photos that silently but persuasively illustrated Bill’s influence on the development of Southwestern archaeology. Experimental archaeologist and educator Allen Denoyer presented Bill with a beautiful hafted stone knife he made out of chalcedony from the Santa Cruz river channel, catclaw wood for the handle, and other natural materials. New Mexico Program Director and Preservation Archaeologist Paul Reed, representing the entire staff, read statements of appreciation for Bill’s leadership and mentorship spanning generations. Director of the Landscape and Site Preservation Program John Welch brought down the house with the following statement, which I paraphrase: “Archaeology Southwest is what you get when you release archaeologists from the tyranny of the academy!”
It was a truly moving event. Thanks to all the donors, board members, former employees, staff family, and friends who made it a wonderful night. The love for, and dedication to, this remarkable organization was palpable. Onward!
Stephen E. Nash
President & CEO, Archaeology Southwest
P.S. from Kate (Lead, PAT Editorial Team): I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to compile and deliver Preservation Archaeology Today last week. COVID finally came for me, and it has really knocked me flat! I appreciate your patience and understanding.
14th Annual Conservation in the West Poll Finds Continued Concern over Environment, Public Lands
A new poll released today from Colorado College shows that the environment and public lands are top political issues among voters in the West. The 14th annual Conservation in the West Poll found more than 70% of Arizonans were concerned about the future of land, water and wildlife. Majorities of respondents in the state see loss of habitat, declining fish and wildlife populations and inadequate and polluted water as major issues along with microplastics, wildfires, air pollution and several other topics. In addition, 70% of Arizona voters consider the effects of climate change in the state significant. KNUA (NPR) | Read more »
Read the poll results and analysis »
Video: See the Extent of Grading and Construction in AZ’s San Pedro Valley
Pattern Energy started construction on the SunZia Transmission Project in the San Pedro Valley in September 2023. The Tohono O’Odham Nation, San Carlos Apache Tribe, Archaeology Southwest, and the Center for Biological Diversity have filed suit against the Bureau of Land Management for failing to identify Traditional Cultural Places in the San Pedro Valley before approving construction. Archaeology Southwest | Watch now »
Video: Protect the Public Lands of the Great Bend of the Gila
Advocates say the cultural and natural resources in the 370,000 acres of land of the Great Bend of the Gila National Monument Proposal need to be protected. Channel 12 News Phoenix | Watch now »
Read Colleen Sikora’s companion article here »
Podcast: Protecting the Great Bend of the Gila
Join host Chris Clarke as he explores the proposed Great Bend of the Gila National Monument with advocates Skylar Begay and Mike Quigley. They discuss the importance of protecting this pristine Sonoran Desert landscape, rich in cultural and natural history. With the threat of encroaching development and destructive recreation, the establishment of the monument would safeguard significant cultural sites and provide habitat for endangered species like the Sonoran pronghorn. 90 Miles from Needles | Listen now »
Publication Announcement: The Social Construction of Backdirt
Kelsey E. Hanson, Samantha G. Fladd, Sarah E. Oas & Katelyn J. Bishop (2024) The Social Construction of Backdirt in Chaco Archaeology, Journal of Field Archaeology, 49:2, 129–139. Learn more »
Position Announcement: Assistant Professor, Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, Tucson AZ
We are inviting applications for a tenure-track assistant professor position in disciplines related to dendrochronology with an anticipated start date in August 2024. We are seeking candidates who will advance scholarship in dendrochronology and/or any established or emerging related fields (e.g., archaeology, carbon cycling, chemistry, climatology, ecology, ecophysiology, fire ecology, hydrology, quantitative wood anatomy, xylogenesis) or other inter-disciplinary domains connected to tree-ring research (e.g., data assimilation or other data science approaches such as machine learning/artificial intelligence, extreme events and economics, high-resolution paleoclimatology, remote sensing, time-series analyses, vegetation modelling ). We especially invite candidates interested in contributing to an inclusive research and mentoring environment in both collaborative and leadership roles. For full consideration, applications are due on March 15, 2024. Inquiries may be directed to Dr. Soumaya Belmecheri (sbelmecheri@arizona.edu). University of Arizona | Learn more »
Position Announcement: Conservation Advocate (Albuquerque NM)
Environment New Mexico is a citizen-based environmental advocacy organization working to tackle the most profound problem of our time: a way of living that is destroying the natural world. We are seeking a Conservation Advocate to run our campaigns to conserve and protect New Mexico’s special places, defend the wildlife that call our state home, move beyond single use plastics and promote clean energy solutions. Our Conservation Advocate will lead our efforts to protect the places that make New Mexico a special place to live. This position requires exercising discretion and independent judgment in making decisions in matters of significance. Environment New Mexico (Environment America) | Learn more »
Internship Opportunity: Cultural Resources Intern, Pecos National Historical Park (Pecos NM)
This position will provide direct and indirect assistance to park staff for cultural resource duties, and works within the parks Division of Resource Stewardship and Science. Responsibilities will include all types of archaeological data collection and cultural resource management activities including surface survey, excavation/testing, use of metal detectors, historic and prehistoric artifact analysis and research, architectural documentation and use of GPS/GIS. April 15–September 29, 2024. Student Conservation Association and Pecos NHP | Learn more »
February Subscription Lectures (Santa Fe NM)
Feb. 26, Joseph Henry Suina (Pueblo of Cochiti), Water Is Life. Mondays, 6:00 p.m., Hotel Santa Fe. $20 per or $75 for the series. Southwest Seminars | Learn more »
Feb. 29 Online Event: Environmental Justice at the Moral Terrains of Environmental Heritage
With Robert Figueroa. Considering two distinct cases of Indigenous recognition, both involving World Heritage sites and National Parks, and both involving environmental justice in unique contexts of environmental identity and Indigenous struggles, this presentation addresses the entanglement of settler identities of Australia and the United States. To what extent may the environmental heritage of Indigenous peoples be compromised regarding robust participation, political recognition, cultural reconciliation, and genuine (anti-colonial) collaborative research? Considering both cases, this presentation considers the relationships between settler-colonial cultures and Indigenous people as these pertain to environmental heritage: inclusive of respect for cultural identity, dependency upon tourism industry, the politics of the knowledge industry, and the management discrepancies between worldviews. Crow Canyon Archaeological Center | Learn more and register (free) »
March 2 In-Person Tour (Tucson AZ): Vista del Rio Site
With Allen Dart. 9:00–11:00 a.m., Vista del Rio Cultural Resource Park, 7575 E. Desert Arbors St. Vista del Rio is an ancient village of the southern Arizona Hohokam archaeological culture that was inhabited between 1000 and 1150 CE. Archaeological test excavations there revealed evidence of Hohokam houses, outdoor ovens and pits, and possibly an ancient irrigation canal. These features are no longer visible, but in this visit to the park Mr. Dart will show subtle clues to their existence. Reservations (free) required by 5:00 p.m. February 29: info@oldpueblo.org or 520-798-1201. Old Pueblo Archaeology Center | Learn more »
REMINDER: March 5 Online Event: Tres Hornos: Experimental Archaeology of Earthen Ovens
With Jun Sunseri. Everyone’s ancestors cooked with earth in one form or another. As a participant-observer and experimental archaeologist, Jun Sunseri has found that the construction and use of such features are not only important aspects of his research, but also serve as the foci of social experiences that bring people together through labor and food. Archaeology Café (Archaeology Southwest) | Learn more and register (free) »
March 9–10 In-Person Event (Tucson AZ): ASM Library Benefit Book Sale
Shop a huge selection of used anthropology books with an emphasis on the Southwest but with selections from all of the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. A large number of volumes of American and world history, philosophy, biography, economics, etc. Many books are priced at $2 and $4. Arizona State Museum front lawn, 10:00 a.m. Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society | Learn more »
REMINDER: March 14 Tour (Tucson AZ): Tucson’s O’odham and Spanish Food Heritage
Spend the day with ASM scholars Dr. Dale S. Brenneman and Monica Young, MA, exploring our city’s rich Native and Hispanic food heritages. See how culture, religion, and farming intersected and transformed the landscape in multiple ways, shaping southern AZ and the future city of Tucson. Per-person fee for motor coach, meals, etc., applies. Arizona State Museum | Learn more »
Save the Date: May 21–23, Theoretical Archaeology Group Meeting (Santa Fe NM)
We are pleased to announce that the 2024 meeting of the Theoretical Archaeology Group (TAG) North America will convene from May 21-23 in Santa Fe, NM. For the first time, the meeting will be hosted by an Indigenous nation, Picuris Pueblo, at a 100%-tribally-owned venue: Hotel Santa Fe. Taking up a conference theme of “place,” we extend a special invitation to sessions, papers, and workshops that pose new questions about the archaeology of placemaking, native science, ecology, landscape, situated knowledge, multispecies analytics, critical cartographies, and anti-colonial localism. For more information about scheduling and logistics, visit the conference portal. Theoretical Archaeology Group | Learn more »
Video Channel Roundup
Time to get caught up with recent videos and webinars (and there have been a lot—check these links out!) at the YouTube channels of our Partners and Friends. (And please do let us know if your channel isn’t in this list but should be.)
Amerind Foundation
Archaeology Southwest
Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society
Arizona State Museum
Aztlander
Bears Ears Partnership
Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center
Grand Canyon Trust
Grand Staircase Escalante Partners
Mesa Prieta Petroglyphs Project
Mission Garden (Friends of Tucson’s Birthplace)
Museum of Indian Arts and Cultures
Museum of Northern Arizona
Old Pueblo Archaeology Center
San Diego Archaeological Center
School for Advanced Research
Southwest Seminars
The Archaeological Conservancy
Verde Valley Archaeology Center
Remember to send us notice of upcoming webinars and Zoom lectures, tours and workshops, and anything else you’d like to share with the Friends. Thanks!