Southwest Archaeology Today for Oct 28, 2005

Archaeology Making the News – A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

Rewrite of National Park Service Regulations Still Contains a Number of Damaging Proposals: As reported on the New York Times editorial page, the Department of Interior has rewritten the policies that govern protection of America’s national parks, diminishing park protection and boosting commercialism as priorities for the National Park Service. Contrary to statements by the Department of Interior last week, the proposed policies redefine the overarching duty of the Park Service, weakening references to longstanding, legal mandates that clearly emphasize preserving the country’s heritage. Additional changes steer the national parks toward greater commercialization and exploitation. The proposed policies ease the way for increased air and noise pollution and increased high-impact uses previously barred from most national parks, such as Jet Skiing, snowmobiling, and livestock grazing. Additionally, the draft policies dismantle protections for existing and potential wilderness.
http://www.wilderness.org/NewsRoom/Release/20051027.cfm

Activist Group Finds Western BLM Lands to be Suffering: “The National Landscape Conservation System was created to safeguard landscapes that are as spectacular in their own way as our National Parks,” said former Secretary of the Interior, Bruce Babbitt. “There is clear evidence, however, that we are at risk of moving backwards and failing to adequately protect these special American lands. The Department of the Interior and our leaders in Congress should take the recommendations of this report to heart and support the conservation mission of the NLCS before it is too late.” “Many of these National Monuments and Conservation areas already struggle with vandalism of archaeological sites, illegal off-road vehicle use, grazing damage, and the pressure of growing visitor use, as the lands around these protected areas become more developed,” said VanAsselt. “Unfortunately, almost every NLCS unit lacks adequate law enforcement staff, archaeological expertise, and scientists. The BLM also lacks the resources for comprehensive visitor management planning.”
http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/1025-18.htm

– Employment Opportunities:

Entry to Mid Level Archaeologists (Phoenix):
http://www.swanet.org/zarchives/jobs/jobs2005/urs102705.pdf

Archaeological Compliance Manager for Utah State Historic Preservation Office
http://www.swanet.org/zarchives/jobs/jobs2005/dsh102705.pdf

Book Review, “The Sorrow of Archaeology” (Fiction): The Sorrow of Archaeology offers a simple read about a woman’s life with a nice tie to a mystery and an ancient culture. The novel is manageable over a few sittings, helping to keep it from being a book that gets started and winds up half-finished at the bottom of a “to read” pile. If you want a book about archaeology that doesn’t feature Nazis, whips and crazy plane chases, this book should hold your interest. Even if archaeology isn’t your thing, the well-developed and interesting characters should be enough to grab your attention.
http://tinyurl.com/e3hno – The Daily Lobo