Significant Red Mountain Phase Discoveries in Phoenix Highlight Familiar Tensions between Science, Government, and Development

Significant Red Mountain Phase Discoveries in Phoenix Highlight Familiar Tensions between Science, Government, and Development
Archeologists said they’ve found ancient artifacts that could date back to before the Hohokams in dirt removed from the downtown Phoenix construction site of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office’s $93 million headquarters. In May, shovels hit an archeological jackpot at the site at Sixth Avenue and Madison Street when workers unearthed remnants of graves that local preservation experts said traced back to Arizona’s pioneers who died in the mid- to late-1800s. http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2012/06/28/20120628phoenix-ancient-artifacts-found-build-site.html#ixzz1zO7zBwNL

Marcia Donaldson Passes
She was born in San Antonio, Texas, but soon moved with her family to Plattsburgh, N.Y. She graduated from Plattsburgh High School in 1971 and subsequently studied anthropology and archaeology at the University of Rochester, University of Colorado, and Arizona State University in preparation for a career in archaeology and museum curation. She participated in a wide variety of archaeological research projects in Peru, Jordan, New York, Missouri, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. http://pressrepublican.com/obituaries_archive_url/x399014045/Marcia-Donaldson 

The White House and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Developing Plan to Preserve Traditional Cultural Landscapes
An emerging issue for the national historic preservation community has particular relevance to Indian tribes. That issue is: how do we balance the need for alternative energy and other development with the preservation of traditional cultural landscapes and other large-scale historic places? This challenge is not new to preservation but the scale of alternative energy development, and associated transmission corridors, poses new and considerable challenges to the preservation of traditional cultural landscapes of importance to Indian tribes. In order for federal agencies to make informed decisions, it is critical to involve tribes as early as possible in planning and before project sites are selected.  http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/06/28/native-american-traditional-cultural-landscapes-action-plan-better-decisions-histo-0 and http://www.achp.gov/news10102011.html

Quechan Tribe Sues to Halt Construction of Wind Factory on Sacred Land
The Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has the following warning on its web page regarding Southern California’s Coyote Mountains Wilderness Area: “Removal, disturbance or attempting to remove archaeological materials is a felony. Selling, receiving, purchasing, transporting, exchanging or offering to do so is prohibited by law. Even though the Department of the Interior has acknowledged that the Coyote Mountains Wilderness Area as an established archaeological site and the prehistoric and historic presence there of the Quechan Tribe of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation, on May 11 Secretary Ken Salazar signed the record of decision (ROD)—the official approval—for construction of the Ocotillo Wind Energy Facility (OWEF), a massive industrial wind factory of 112 turbines, each standing 450 feet tall, across 10,150 acres of public land that is sacred to the Quechan, Kumeyaay and Cocopah Nations. The land is approximately 90 miles east of San Diego http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/06/23/quechan-tribe-sues-to-halt-construction-of-wind-factory-on-sacred-land-119945

Protesters Say Vallejo Park Construction Desecrated Shellmound and Burial Ground
The Glen Cove Waterfront Park in Vallejo, California is a small 15-acre park on the coast of the Carquinez Strait, a natural tidal channel, but the gulf between the two June 16th gatherings could not have been wider. At the entrance of the park, smoke from smoldering sage rose like a thin mist around nearly 160 Native and non-Native protesters dressed all in black, who beat drums, sang and lined the parking lot holding signs that read “No Celebration for Desecration.” http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/06/25/protesters-say-vallejo-park-construction-desecrated-shellmound-and-burial-ground-119599

College Student Finds Potential Source of Mysterious Carbon-14 “Spike” in AD 774
An ancient text about a “red crucifix” seen in British evening skies more than 1,200 years ago could explain a mysterious radiation spike, U.S. scientists say. The phenomenon in 774 A.D. may have been a previously unrecognized supernova explosion and could explain a mysterious spike in carbon-14 levels in that year’s growth rings in Japanese cedar trees, Nature reported Wednesday.  http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2012/06/28/Ancient-text-may-solve-cosmic-mystery/UPI-84561340916288/

Follow Along with Archaeology Southwest’s Field School Blog – Mule Creek Underground
I had expected that I’d be doing a lot of different things at the Preservation Archaeology field school, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that our assignments included two outreach events. My background experience includes outreach and public education about archaeology, so I was especially excited to have opportunities to share this passion with others. I have always loved talking about the work I do and my experiences in the field. https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/what-we-do/investigations/salado/mule-creek/mule-creek-underground/

Explore Lesser-known Chacoan Outliers with an Excellent New Archaeology Blog
My intent in these articles is to take you places you may be interested in seeing. Most of you will probably never get to these places in person. If you are a professional archaeologist you have probably already been to most of them so it may not be of that much interest to you. But I will highlight some of my favorite archaeological sites that are off the well-beaten, asphalt path or gravel path, okay, barely recognizable marks of tire tracks in the dirt; and in doing so I hope to convey to the interested layman or the involved avocational archaeologist, some of the wonder I feel upon arriving at places of storied history and less storied prehistory for the first time. http://tucsoncitizen.com/armchair-marcaeologist/

Reminder:  The 2012 Pecos Conference Starts August 9th
The Pecos Conference is an annual conference of archaeologists which is held in the southwestern United States or northwestern Mexico. Each August, archaeologists gather under open skies somewhere in the southwestern United States or northwestern Mexico. They set up a large tent for shade, and then spend three or more days together discussing recent research and the problems of the field and challenges of the profession. In recent years, Native Americans, avocational archaeologists, the general public and media organizations have come to speak with the archaeologists. http://www.swanet.org/2012_pecos_conference/index.html

Training Opportunity – Advanced Section 106 Workshop Scheduled for Sept 11 in Flagstaff
The Advanced Section 106 Seminar focuses on the effective management of complex or controversial undertakings that require compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Taught in a smaller, interactive setting, this course encourages group discussion and problem solving. The seminar is designed for experienced Section 106 users who are already familiar with the regulations. The curriculum focuses on the challenges of seeking consensus and resolving adverse effects to historic properties. http://www.achp.gov/106advanced.html

Complex Thinking Behind the Bow and Arrow
University of Tübingen and South African researchers have revealed sophisticated design and technology developed by early humans. The bow and arrow have long been regarded as a possible indicator of culture in prehistoric times. Bows and arrows appear to have been in use for some 64,000 years, given evidence from South Africa. Until recently, their significance in human cognitive ability was unclear. Now two researchers have been able to decode the conceptual foundations of the bow and arrow. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120625064620.htm

The Debate over the Anthropocene – Are Humans “Driving” the Environment?
The term Anthropocene recently entered into the rhetoric of both the scientific community and the popular environmental movement. Scientific proponents argue that global industrialization drives accelerated Earth-system changes unrivaled in Earth’s history. The discussion now filters into geological stratigraphy with proposals to amend formal time stratigraphic nomenclature (Zalasiewicz et al., 2008, 2010). Environmentalists suggest that terms like Anthropocene foster broad social and cultural awareness of human-induced environmental changes. Advocates argue that greater awareness of humanity’s role in environmental change encourages sustainable resource utilization. Formal recognition of a new geologic epoch helps the broader scientific community solidify the idea of humanity as an Earth-system driver. Before the scientific community ventures too far, we wish to offer comment that considers the practicality of the Anthropocene to geological stratigraphy, the science to which it ultimately applies. http://www.geosociety.org/gsatoday/archive/22/7/article/i1052-5173-22-7-60.htm

Ancient Mayans Claim the World Will Not End in 2012
Waiting for the end of the world on Dec. 21? Doomsdayers may be disappointed. A University of Texas art history professor has deciphered a reference in Maya hieroglyphs to the so-called doomsday date of Dec. 21, 2012, and has found that there is no prediction about the end of time. David Stuart unlocked the meaning of hieroglyphs at an archaeological site in Guatemala. He says the hieroglyphs suggest that the 2012 reference was instead a bit of political spin on the part of a Maya ruler hoping to assuage his followers after he was defeated in battle. The ruler said the defeat was just part of a larger cycle of time, one that would end in 2012, after which another cycle would begin. http://azstarnet.com/news/science/maya-calendar-just-end-of-cycle-not-doomsday-date-scholar/article_fdc4b1fc-299a-5553-a2e5-35bfa1301ea9.html

Thanks to Cherie Freeman and Adrienne Rankin for contributions to this weeks newsletter.

Editor’s note: Our email server suffered a small glitch Sunday morning. I apologize if you received an extra copy of last week’s newsletter.