The Department of Interior approved a 20-year mineral withdrawal of federal lands and minerals within a 10-mile protection zone around Chaco Culture National Historical Park, protecting roughly 336,400 acres from oil and gas leasing.

Our recent strategic plan identified an urgent need for this model, which was subsequently (and eloquently) developed by Ashleigh Thompson and Skylar Begay. We’re bringing the precepts of good relationships—including responsibility and reciprocity—to our work and our time together as a staff.

We respect the rights and responsibilities of Indigenous Peoples to manage and steward their lands and legacies. We support preservation efforts led by Tribes, and commit to ever-greater inclusion, consultation, and collaboration with Tribal members, communities, and Nations in the study and conservation of their Ancestors’ legacies.

Guest Author Istara Freedom shares her experience and history in the Preservation Archaeology Blog.

In March, we submitted a formal protest to the Bureau of Land Management. The proposed right-of-way imperils the San Pedro Valley.