Southwest Archaeology Today for Dec. 24, 2008

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

– President Bush Pardons Pothunter: A St. George man convicted in 1992 of digging up ancient Indian ruins on public lands in Garfield County has been pardoned by President George W. Bush. David Lane Woolsey is among 19 people being pardoned for various crimes as the president prepares to leave office. Woolsey was convicted of an aiding and abetting violation of the federal Archaeological Resources Protection Act and sentenced to three years probation and 100 hours of community service.
http://deseretnews.com/article/0,5143,705272608,00.html

– Early Pithouse Village Located in Sierra Vista: Archaeologists have unearthed an ancient village in the West End. Based on artifacts found there, the prehistoric pit-house village is believed to have belonged to a desert Mogollon people who lived here early in the first millennium. “It’s amazing,” property owner Karol George said during an interview in May. “You can always find something out there when you’re kicking around, but this site is a very unique site, is what I’m being told.”
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/12/18/news/doc4949ed3b93b5a206231009.txt

– Related Story, Inscribed Stone Artifact Found in Sierra Vista Fascinates Archaeologists: A mysterious “circle stone” is puzzling archaeologists who unearthed it with an ancient village in the West End. “You don’t find little pieces of rock art like that very often,” archaeologist Avi Buckles said Wednesday. Buckles works for WestLand Resources Inc., an Arizona engineering and environmental consultancy that has been studying the site for more than a year. The company has offices in Tucson and Phoenix.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/12/21/news/doc494df1c7d1033032198505.txt

– Volunteers Prove Priceless at Aztec Ruins National Monument: People who are able to volunteer their time at Aztec Ruins National Monument enter a world where they can choose anything they want to do. The only hitch is the lack of salary, but volunteer Judy Hollar said her pay comes in myriad other ways. “What a great opportunity volunteering there can be,” she said. “You get to do what you want to do and you get paid in other ways.”
http://www.daily-times.com/ci_11275634

– Mesa Verde Requests Economic Stimulus: Washington lawmakers are talking about an $850 billion economic stimulus, and Mesa Verde National Park leaders want a share of it. The park has requested stimulus money for three projects – reconstruction of the main park road, work on a new visitor center and weed control.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/hlcw – Durango Herald

– Preserving Ancient Chinese Sites the Newest Release on the Archaeology Channel: Ongoing changes in China are accompanied by significant threats to some of the world’s most remarkable cultural heritage sites. Efforts to address this issue are highlighted by Saving the Last Living Ancient Town in China: Lijiang, Yunnan, China, the latest video feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel.
http://www.archaeologychannel.org