Feds Seek Dismissal of Blanding Looter’s Lawsuit

Feds Seek Dismissal of Blanding Looter’s Lawsuit
Federal agents drove a Utah doctor to suicide after interrogating him and searching his house for an ancient artifact they never found, his family’s lawyers argued Thursday in a wrongful-death case against the government. The U.S. Justice Department asked U.S. District Judge Ted Stewart to throw out the lawsuit, saying federal agencies were protected by immunity in the most sweeping investigation into the trafficking of American Indian artifacts allegedly taken from federal and tribal lands. In 2009, federal agents swept up 26 defendants in Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=20843595&title=feds-trying-to-dismiss-lawsuit-on-artifacts-raid&s_cid=featured-1

Amendment to Farm Bill would “Gut the Antiquities Act”
HR 4089 is being considered as an amendment to the Farm Bill on the U.S. Senate floor and should be opposed by anyone who cares about the special places that are part of the National Park System, according to a warning from the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees (CNPSR). The House bill language now before the Senate would gut the Antiquities Act, the very Act that is responsible for initially setting aside some of our nation’s most iconic parks, including Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Olympic, Carlsbad Caverns and Acadia national parks.  http://news.yahoo.com/nps-retirees-senate-dont-farm-bill-assault-national-152809766.html;_ylc=X3oDMTEwM2k1NHE0BF9TAzIwMjM4Mjc1MjQEZW1haWxJZAMxMzM5Njk4OTM5

PBS Program Features Crow Canyon
The words “quick” and “archaeology,” a field where professionals have been known to work with toothpicks and tweezers, rarely occur in the same sentence. Unless, that is, when “Time Team America,” the popular PBS series, is arriving to explore a local historical mystery with the clock running at 72 hours. “It’s certainly been different with a television crew,” said Kristin Kuckelman, senior research archaeologist at Crow Canyon Archaeological Center west of Cortez, which hosted the film crew last week. http://www.durangoherald.com/article/20120611/NEWS01/706119930/-1/news01&source=RSS

Clovis Comet Theory Rebounds
Scientists have found compelling evidence that a meteorite storm hit the earth more than 12,000 years ago, and is likely to have been responsible for the extinction of a prehistoric people and giant animals including mammoths. Evidence of the meteorite’s intense heat was found on two continents. The researchers believe the huge cosmic impact triggered a vicious cold snap, which caused widespread destruction. The international team found a substance known as melt glass, which forms at temperatures of 1,7000 to 2,200 degrees Celcius and can result from a ‘cosmic body’ hitting the earth.  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2158054/Scientists-discover-evidence-meteorite-storm-hit-Earth-13-000-years-ago-killed-prehistoric-civilisation.html#ixzz1y6stqXMK

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument Reopens
Superintendent Steve Riley announced today that both Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument and the Gila Visitor Center will reopen on Thursday, June 14, 2012 once furloughed staff is able to return. Normal summer hours of 8 am to 4:30 pm MDT for the visitor center and 9 am to 4 pm (last visitors in by 4, everyone out by 5) for the Cliff Dwellings will be in place beginning Thursday. A guided tour of the Cliff Dwellings will be offered at 1 pm each day as long as staffing permits. The tour starts at the Cliff Dwellings and is available for all visitors who wish to join it. There is a $3 per adult entrance fee to visit the Dwellings.

Lecture Opportunity – Tucson
Melissa Kruse-Peeples will present “Ancient and Traditional Water Harvesting in the Southwest” on June 18, 2012 (today!) from 5:30-7:30 PM. Join us for another thought-provoking Salon as we welcome Melissa Kruse-Peeples, Collections Manager at Native Seeds/SEARCH and PhD candidate in Anthropology, for an exploration of the water harvesting practices of ancient farmers in the Southwest. Native Americans have successfully farmed the arid lands of this region for centuries and continue to produce abundant crops. Melissa will walk us through 6,000 years of agricultural history in the region, focusing on the water harvesting and retentions strategies employed and how to integrate them into your own garden or farm. Native Seeds/SEARCH Salons happen every third Monday of the month at our Retail Store at 3061 N. Campbell Road, and have a little something for anyone who has ever wielded a fork or pitchfork. Bring your juiciest ideas and appetite for mind-watering conversations. http://nativeseeds.org/index.php/events/native-seedssearch-salons/111-june-nss-salon