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.

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Banner image: Paul Vanderveen

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New: Interactive Story Map for an Important Place in the Dinétah

Dear Friends, My last few missives have been downers, focusing as they have on the continuing desecration of the San Pedro Valley by construction of the SunZia powerline. That work proceeds at a rapid pace; last week I counted at least 45 tower pads from the air. During a field trip on Monday of ...

Bears Ears Partnership Debuts Short Documentary

Dear Friends, Paul Reed, Preservation Archaeologist and Director of our New Mexico State Program, recently published a stunning report on the problem of orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells and energy infrastructure surrounding Bears Ears National Monument in Utah and Chaco Canyon National Hi...

ASU Works with Tribal Reps to Fulfill NAGPRA Obligations

Dear Friends, As I mentioned in a previous note, I always take window seats while flying so I can watch the landscape below as we cruise along. On Thursday, March 21, I had a window seat from Tucson to Denver. I almost wish I hadn’t; what I saw made me sick to my stomach. As you can see from...

Recent Investigations at the Castle Rock Community

Dear Friends, The vernal equinox occurred at 8:06 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time) on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. What does that mean for most of us? Sadly, not much. If we were to take time from our busy schedules to have lunch outside, we might notice that the sun will be high at noon, and that the...

Innovative Draft Management Plan for Bears Ears

Dear Friends, By the time this newsletter reaches your inbox, an extraordinary day for Archaeology Southwest will be in full swing. From 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., many of our local staff will be in a visitors’ gallery at the US federal courthouse here in Tucson. We will watch as attorneys argue a cas...

Tribal Leaders: Clean Energy Projects Aren’t Always Clean

Dear Friends, On Monday, March 4, the Washington Post published “‘On stolen land’: Tribes fight clean-energy projects backed by Biden,” an article by climate and environment reporter Maxine Joselow. The first half of the piece focuses on our beloved San Pedro Valley and the effort by s...

Experiencing the Lunar Standstill on Fajada Butte

Dear Friends, Over the past two weeks I have flown from Tucson to Florida, then to Denver, and back to Tucson. With 10 hours total flying time plus many hours sitting in airports, I’ve enjoyed lots of time contemplating the great work Archaeology Southwest does. One thing this organization h...

14th Annual Conservation in the West Poll Finds Continued Concern over Environment, Public Lands

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 B...

Tribal Co-Management: What Works Where and How?

Dear Friends, As usual, Archaeologist Southwest staff are busy working on an astonishing range of preservation, outreach, research, and advocacy projects, many of which are garnering media attention. On January 24, Skylar Begay, our Director of Tribal Collaboration in Outreach and Advocacy, pa...

Continuing Coverage: US Museums Respond to New NAGPRA Regulations

Dear Friends, Museums are back in the news again. This week, the American Museum of Natural History in New York announced the closure of two major exhibitions focused on Native American material culture from the Eastern Woodlands and Great Plains. Earlier this month, Chicago’s Field Museum, ...

Tribes and Conservation Organizations Sue USBLM over SunZia Route

Dear Friends, On Friday, January 19, my fifth day with this wonderful organization, I had the privilege of attending the Four Southern Tribes Cultural Resources Working Group in Ak Chin, Arizona, near Maricopa, southwest of Phoenix. (The Four Southern Tribes include the Ak-Chin Indian Community, ...

A Message from Steve Nash

Dear Friends, The moment is finally here—Monday, January 15, was my first day as President and CEO of Archaeology Southwest! So far, it has been every bit as exciting as I’d hoped. From the exceptionally capable and welcoming ASW staff to the unique office setting provided by the Bates Mansio...

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