Preservation Archaeology Today

Preservation Archaeology Today (PAT) is a free, weekly e-mail news digest. In addition to sharing regional archaeology news, events, opportunities, and publications, PAT connects readers with news and commentary on U.S. public lands policy, global heritage protection and preservation, and the peopling of the North and South American continents. Review our submission guidelines here.

If you have news, announcements, or events, let us know.

Banner image: Paul Vanderveen

For the latest news in your inbox, sign up for email updates below.

Feds Release Planning Documents for Bears Ears National Monument

Dear Friends, Yesterday evening, I introduced season 16 of our Archaeology Café program—SIXTEEN! Last year’s wildly successful program on Avian Archaeology shared diverse examples of the relationships between people and birds through time. This year’s theme focuses on human relationships. ...

The Politics of Public Lands

Dear Friends, Recently, I immersed myself in several books about the (rapidly dwindling) water supply of the Colorado River basin. It’s a complex story involving the political process, massive economic investments, and the ease with which boosters and politicians were able to convince decisi...

NAGPRA in the News

Dear Friends, What happened in 2021? Before Monday, that would have been a difficult question for me to answer. It was a long time ago, and time has felt pretty “fuzzy” ever since Covid intruded on our lives. But, on Monday, Archaeology Southwest’s 2021 Annual Report landed on m...

Interior Issues Guidance on Tribal Co-Stewardship

Dear Friends, Today, the Great Bend of the Gila Conservation Area Act (H.R. 8719) receives a hearing before the National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands Subcommittee of the House Committee on Natural Resources. It’s an important step in an ongoing campaign to permanently protect the Great Bend...

Capturing Day-to-Night in Bears Ears

Dear Friends, A week from today, the bill to establish a Great Bend of the Gila National Conservation Area (H.R. 8719) will have a hearing before the House Natural Resources Committee in Washington, DC. It will be heard along with two other bills (H.R. 8108, Advancing Tribal Parity on Public Land...

Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition Releases Land Management Plan

Dear Friends, For the past two weeks and counting, I have productively applied my dated archaeological field skills to my daily life at the office. The Bates Mansion—Archaeology Southwest’s historic home in downtown Tucson—has had plumbing problems. Very serious plumbing problems. Under ...

Participate in the Grand Staircase Planning Process

Dear Friends, The introduction of the Great Bend of the Gila Conservation Act (H.R. 8719) by Congressman Grijalva on August 16 feels super-momentous to the Tribes and the many advocates who have supported protection of this important cultural landscape since 2010. But bill introduction is just...

Rep. Grijalva Introduces Great Bend of the Gila Conservation Act

Dear Friends, Great Bend of the Gila. I have typed those five words thousands of times this past decade-plus. Today, they are also the bedrock of an expression of gratitude: thank you, Representative Grijalva, for introducing the Great Bend of the Gila Conservation Act yesterday (August 16). ...

Unfencing Conservation (and the Future)

Dear Friends, I was up half an hour earlier than usual Monday morning. As a result, I had to strap on my headlamp to safely reach my office in our side yard for my 20 minutes on the elliptical. As I opened the gate, my light illuminated a nascent spider web. The small spider glowed in the light, ...

New Report Highlights Urgent Threats to Cultural Landscapes Surrounding National Parks

Dear Friends, An archaeologist’s tools and skills, even if “rusty,” have a long use life. Over the past three weekends, I used my archaeo-toolkit in the service of what started out as basic yard work. An old citrus tree that had always struggled in our yard needed to be removed, not just...

Archaeology and Migration: Interview with Randall McGuire

Dear Friends, A house—a place to call home—matters. My professional life confirms that. Over my decades as an archaeologist, I have observed excavations of many hundreds of former residences. Some were 3,000 or more years old. My personal life confirms that. Every evening I leave my off...

What “Save” Means for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase

Dear Friends, I've been to London just once in my lifetime, during the summer of 2003. My wife, daughter, and I sweltered in our hotel without air conditioning. It was the historical day that London reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit. This week, it’s much worse. Temperatures in London have excee...

Show More