Southwest Archaeology Today for May 24, 2006

Archaeology making the news – a service of the Center for Desert Archaeology.

– Tempe digging into its past for its future downtown: Work is beginning on a look at Tempe’s past so planners can better prepare for the city’s future.
http://tinyurl.com/zqf6l (Phoenix Business Journal)

– Data manager brings high-tech to historic preservation: When she was a child, Karyn de Dufour imagined herself working on archeological digs. digging up artifacts and sifting through dirt, working to preserve history.
http://tinyurl.com/lxdd7 (Nevada Appeal)

– Center deteriorating at Dinosaur monument: With no money yet to replace it, the National Park Service can only watch as a visitor center that was built over a dinosaur bone quarry slowly splits apart, making do with patchwork repairs as the building slowly crumbles.
http://tinyurl.com/jzwnq (Yahoo News)

– First lady visits Mesa Verde National Park: First lady Laura Bush praised the National Park system as part of America’s cultural heritage during a visit to Mesa Verde National Park on Tuesday.
http://tinyurl.com/kf5jr (Durango Herald)

– Daughter keeps alive the art of natural dyeing: Navajo weaver Isabel Deschinny, seated next to her weaving of a diamond twill double weave, remembers her mother, Mabel Burnside Myers.
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096413039

– Save the Date! The Arizona Bureau of Land Management is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Antiquities Act through a series of projects, exhibits and events. Our signature event will be an Antiquities Centennial Festival held at the Agua Fria National Monument on the Horseshoe Ranch Headquarters and other locations and sites on the Monument. The Festival will be held on Saturday October 21, 2006. Events include exhibits, demonstrations, tours and hikes. Please visit the BLM web site for a Calendar of Events and for postings of updated information on the Festival. Contact Kathy Pedrick at 602-417-9235 for questions or information.
http://www.blm.gov/az/

– NMDOT Cultural Resources has a new website. Please use the links below to reach the Cultural Resources page directly or go through the general NMDOT web page and click on the site index and go to “cultural resources”. The page contains links to the new NMDOT Guidelines, various forms, and Tech Series reports. The revised Guidelines reflect the recent changes in CPRC regulations and should be used for all cultural resource work conducted on NMDOT projects including those funded by the FHWA and/or NMDOT and those projects which require a permit for use of NMDOT right of way. The Tech Series reports can be downloaded and printed for your use. We plan on using the web-based format as our primary method of data recovery report distribution. We have attempted to remove all specific locational information from these publications. There are also links to other agency guidelines which frequently apply to NMDOT projects.
http://nmshtd.state.nm.us/main.asp?secid=14763

– Archaeology Tours. The Lab of Anthropology sponsors a number of great archaeology trips each year. Our next one is to Pueblos Leaf Water, Tsama, and Poshuouinge on June 9. Pueblos Leaf Water, Tsama, and Poshuouinge, with Jim Walker, Vice-President, Southwest Region, The Archaeological Conservancy, and Mike Bremer, Santa Fe National Forest Archaeologist, on June 9, 2006 (Friday). This day tour takes you to three Chama Valley archaeological sites that are not open to the general public. The Archaeological Conservancy owns leaf Water and Tsama; Poshuouinge is on Forest Service Land. Leaf Water is an early example of a cobble-grid garden site with about 100 rooms, which was occupied between AD 1250-1350. By the beginning of the 15th century, many of the small sites in the Chama Valley were abandoned as people consolidated into larger villages like the 1200-room Tewa pueblo of Tsama. The third site you will visit, Poshuouinge, is a 15th century 700-room pueblo that Escalante reported in his journals. Please note, if road conditions to Tsama are unsafe, we will visit Howiri instead. Tour conditions: Strenuous. Leaf Water and Poshuouinge require climbs of 200+ feet and about 1/2 mile hikes over steep paths with uneven, rocky surfaces. The walk to Tsama is over fairly level ground. Total hiking/climbing distance is approximately 3 miles. The price, including lunch, is $55 for Foundation members, $75 for others. For reservations only call Monica Vigil, Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, 505 476-1258. For detailed information about this trip, see the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture webpage.
http://www.indianartsandculture.org/

– 2006 NMAC Grants: The New Mexico Archaeology Council’s Executive Committee is pleased to announce another year of the grant program for out-of-pocket research, preservation, travel, or publication expenses directly related to the mission and purposes of the Council. The NMAC Grant Committee will review all applications received on or before July 1, 2006, and notify winners by July 28, 2006. All NMAC members are eligible to apply for these grants. At least $2000 will be available for distribution this year. Individual grants may be made for all or a portion of the total amount available. Applications will be considered and amounts will be awarded at the sole discretion of the NMAC Grants Committee. Application letters should be on letterhead; student applications should be endorsed by a faculty member. Send requests and supporting documents (brief vita, authorization of landowner/ interested parties, etc.) to the Grants Committee Chair via mail or email. Conditions of the awards include (1) acknowledgment of NMAC in any paper, publication, or presentation resulting from the project for which funds were awarded and (2) preparation of a brief project summary for publication in NewsMAC upon project completion. Conditions for disbursement of the funds will be determined at the time of the award. Contact: Tim Seaman, Grants Committee Chair, PO Box 658, Abiquiu, NM 87510, 505.685.4871, timseaman@direcway.com

JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS

– SWCA, Inc.: Crew Chief/Project Archaeologist (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
http://tinyurl.com/eg75c (SWCA, Inc.)

– The NMDOT is advertising for a cultural resource specialist (classified as Environmental Scientist- Basic). This is an entry level position within the Cultural Resources Unit. The successful candidate will primarily be responsible for review of consultant documents but some field work involving overnight travel will be required. It is possible that this position will include the assignment of Native American consultation coordination.
http://www.state.nm.us/spo/Jobs/JobsPage90.htm