Southwest Archaeology Today for Nov. 11, 2005

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

– Renovations Underway at Casa Grande National Monument:The Casa Grande Ruins National Monument is about to become fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and at the same time rangers and volunteer workers are giving the picnic area and parking median a facelift in a project due to be finished by spring.
http://tinyurl.com/bzx48 – Zwire.com

– Developer Must Pay for Damage to Mission San Miguel: ounty planning commissioners Thursday ordered developers of a San Miguel housing tract to fund $1.8 million worth of archaeological research and restoration work to offset damage to Mission San Miguel caused by illegal grading.
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/13139985.htm

– Military Base in Utah Hosts Cultural Exchange with Tribal Groups: Unknown to most people, there are 18 American Indian Tribes who once lived on and used the land that is now Air Force property, including the Utah Test and Training Range located in Utah’s western desert. Hill recently hosted a government-to-government consultation meeting with these tribes – considered sovereign nations – to formalize official relations and assess the interest level each tribe has in consulting with Hill officials.
http://www.hilltoptimes.com/story.asp?edition=231&storyid=6468

– Excavation Underway in Downtown Tucson: Digging, dusting and scraping, archaeologists unearth the past. “There’s just layers and layers of history downtown,” Desert Archaeology’s Homer Thiel said. A pile of broken asphalt used to be the art museums parking lot. It’s now the site of a historical dig. “People parked their cars here for 30 years and probably never knew that there was this stuff underground,” Thiel told KOLD News 13.
http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=4103107&nav=14RT

– Arizona State Museum Hosts a “Roadshow”: That dusty old Navajo blanket in the closet might bring a nice price in the marketplace, but even if you don’t plan to sell, some appraisers and curators say it’s best to know the historical value of such antiquities. On Sunday, the Arizona State Museum, at the University of Arizona, will host the ASM Roadshow, an event where local Indian art dealers and traders will provide verbal appraisals of Southwestern Indian art and antiquities. The event, modeled after the PBS television series “Antiques Roadshow,” also will team the traders with Arizona State Museum curators, who will talk about the historical significance of items brought in for the show.
http://www.azstarnet.com/dailystar/allheadlines/101613.php

– “Saturday Night Live, at the Museum of Northern Arizona: Live, from Flagstaff, it’s Saturday Night at MNA! Today is the deadline to buy tickets for an evening filled with laughter at the Museum of Northern Arizona’s third annual fall “friendraiser.” The event on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. will showcase “James & Ernie,” the first stand-up comedy duo from the Navajo Nation who have been featured around the Four Corners region of the Southwest. Hopi comedian “EJ the DJ” from KUYI Hopi Radio is the master of ceremonies. Also planned are an elegant dinner by Thornager’s Catering, and live and silent auctions of unique items and exclusive trips around the Colorado Plateau.
http://www.musnaz.org/membership/2005fallfriendraiser.html

– The Town of Marana Supports National Heritage Area Concept: Marana’s Town Council hopes to preserve some of its past and make it the northern showpiece of the proposed Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area. Jonathan Mabry, of Desert Archaeology Inc., told the council that the National Heritage Area designation could spur tourism, generating jobs and sales tax revenue. He said studies of the 27 other National Heritage Areas in the United States showed that, on average, they doubled tourism within 10 years of receiving the designation. Right now the only National Heritage Area in the desert Southwest is the Yuma Crossing Heritage Area along the Colorado River on the Arizona-California border.
http://www.azstarnet.com/dailystar/allheadlines/101724.php

– Three Dimensional Object and Artifact Scanning & Modeling at ASU:Dan Collins, 51, a pioneer in digital sculpture, bumps art up against science and lands on the cutting edge. As both fine artist and computer crackerjack, Collins co-directs Arizona State University’s PRISM, a state-of-the-art laboratory that gathers 3-D digital data and builds objects with a rapid prototyping machine — a machine that reads digital files and builds objects (real, not virtual), layer by layer, in plastic. PRISM headquarters, at ASU’s Brickyard on Mill Avenue, is currently housing an international exhibition of digital sculptures, including Collins’ work. PRISM is equipped with up-to-the-minute 3-D equipment, and holds an extensive collection of computer-generated sculptures, including a six-foot-tall figurative work and the most realistic renditions of George Washington ever produced.
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/Issues/2005-11-10/culture/studiovisit.html

-Center of Southwest Studies Hosts Three Exhibits in Durango: The museum at the Center of Southwest Studies is hosting three, simultaneous exhibits Nov. 4 through Dec. 15. In addition to the annual juried photography show featuring life in the Southwest, the museum galleries will feature an exhibit of unique Navajo weaving from northeast Arizona, and the work of environmental art photographer Michael Berman.
http://tinyurl.com/d68fv – The Cortez Journal

– Travelogue: Two Guns Arizona: Crumbling ruins, a stone wall with the words “Mountain Lions” written in block letters and a cement bridge beckon tourists to pull off Interstate 40 about 30 miles east of Flagstaff and cross Canyon Diablo to a long-deserted gas station. From 1996 to 2002, barbed wire fences, a “Not Welcome” sign and a surly caretaker prevented visitors from entering the 320-acre site. Today, Two Guns is a ghost town whose ruins are symbols of bygone days. Rickety wood bridges and sliding rocks make it a hazardous place to visit on your own. Real estate agents sometimes arrange special guided tours for groups.
http://www.azdailysun.com/non_sec/nav_includes/story.cfm?storyID=118819

Employment Opportunities:

Project Manager: Cultural Resource Program (Phoenix)
http://www.swanet.org/zarchives/jobs/jobs2005/swca111005.pdf

Biological Anthropologist: Mesa Community College
http://www.swanet.org/zarchives/jobs/jobs2005/swca111005.pdf