Southwest Archaeology Today for Aug. 9, 2006

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

– Tamarisk Invasion of the Little Colorado Watershed: “The Little Colorado River is at the epicenter of the tamarisk invasion,” said Sharon Masek-Lopez, a biologist who advises the Hopi Tribe on water issues. “With all the tamarisk in there, the river can’t function as it normally would. It needs to spread out and meander, but it can’t.”
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0808rivers-littlecolorado.html

– Kick Off Planning Meeting for the 2007 Arizona Archaeology And Heritage Awareness Month – Thursday, August 24, 2006 at 12:30 p.m. State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) Arizona State Parks. 1300 W. Washington, Phoenix. Basement Board Room Please come and share your ideas as the SHPO initiates planning for the 2007 Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month (AAHAM) celebration. We will be deciding on a theme for the month, identifying our partners, discussing the 2007 Arizona Archaeology Expo (to be held at Yuma Crossing State Historic Park, Yuma, Arizona), and exchanging ideas for the promotion of this important educational program within our state. We value our partnerships with you, and hope to see you at this meeting and at future planning efforts for AAHAM public programming. Thank you! For More Information, Please Contact:
Ann Howard, Public Archaeology Programs Manager, SHPO, 602/542-7138, ahoward@pr.state.az.us

Call for Proposals, Arizona- New Mexico Joint History Convention: April 26 – 29, 2007
Hon-Dah Resort, Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona. The program committee invites proposals for papers on any aspect of Arizona history or New Mexico history for presentation at the Arizona-New Mexico Joint History Convention, which will be held at the Hon-Dah Resort at Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona. We encourage proposals for complete sessions on a related topic as well as individual submissions. Proposals must be submitted by October 1, 2006, to Bruce J. Dinges, c/o Arizona Historical Society, 949 E. Second Street, Tucson, AZ 85719. Only one proposal per author. Include name, address, phone number, and biographical information, along with title of presentation and no more than one-page of description. Following notification of acceptance, presenters wishing to be considered for a prize must submit a completed paper of no more than twelve double-spaced, typed pages (exclusive of notes) to Bruce Dinges by February 1, 2007. Papers not being submitted for a prize must be in hand no later than March 1, 2007. Presentation length will be strictly limited to twenty minutes maximum. Information on meals, tours, and lodging will be mailed in February, 2007. For more information, contact Bruce Dinges, 949 E. Second Street, Tucson, AZ 85719, (520) 628-5774, or visit our web site:
Http://www.arizonahistory.org

– New Video on the Archaeology Channel Explores the Spanish Conquest in Peru through Indigenous Art. Atipanakuy is a Quechua word meaning “confrontation” or “fight.” This imaginative film, much of it in Quechua with English and Spanish subtitles, reflects the Taki Ongoy cultural resistance movement of the 1500s and the rediscovery of Peruvian history through the rebirth of two scissors dancers, who dance through modern Peruvian culture. Juxtapositions of time and space, the past and the present, show the scissors dancer as a unique survivor and bearer of the ancient Andean civilization that is visible today mostly in its ruins.Peru has experience a renewed interest in ancient Andean culture and a questioning of modern Western culture in the light of what was lost as a result of the Spanish Conquest. An artistic expression of this cultural reawakening is displayed in Atipanakuy, the latest video feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel.
http://www.archaeologychannel.org

– Archaeological Theft Reported: For Immediate Release by the Arkansas Archeological Survey: The Arkansas Archeological Survey and Southern Arkansas University reports the theft of 26 prehistoric Caddo Indian pottery vessels from the Arkansas Archeological Survey’s Research Station collections at Southern Arkansas University. The pottery vessels are all from the Cedar Grove site located on the Red River in Lafayette County, Arkansas. The vessels belong to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and are federal property. Photographs and complete documentation of each pottery vessel exist so they will be very difficult to sell on the open market. The vessels are from Indian graves subject to the provisions of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, a federal law. If the vessels were transported across state lines they will be subject to the federal Archeological Resource Protection Act. Hence, the thieves can be prosecuted under two separate federal laws as well as state law. For these reasons, the SAU Police Department is working with the El Dorado office of the FBI in the investigation. For more information call: Dr. Thomas J. Green, Director, Arkansas Archeological Survey. 2475 N. Hatch Ave. Fayetteville, AR 72704. 479-575-3556 or 479-442-0261. For a list and photographs of the stolen pottery vessels see:
http://www.projectpast.org/sau/SAUCedarGroveMissingList_v3.pdf

– Employment Opportunity, Part Time: Part-time or consulting position for an Archaeologist for the City of Peoria Site Steward Program. This individual will Assist the City of Peoria Site Steward Program Coordinator in establishing and implementing the City’s Site Steward Program. Review and provide comment on the Site Steward Handbook, which will serve as the guide book for appointed site stewards. Develop a training program and provide training for steward volunteers. Review proposed sites for monitoring and assist the Program Coordinator in establishing a monitoring protocol for each site. Assist the Program Coordinator in refining this scope of work. Relationship with the City can be as a consultant or part-time employee. Payment for services is negotiable; we would estimate probably less than $10,000 the first year. Contact: Phil Gardner AICP. Senior Planner, City of Peoria. 623.773.7107 or Phil.Gardner@peoriaaz.gov