New Mexico’s Supreme Court Reinstates Traditional Cultural Property Designation for Mount Taylor

New Mexico’s Supreme Court Reinstates Traditional Cultural Property Designation for Mount Taylor
The New Mexico Supreme Court handed the pueblos of Acoma and Laguna a victory Thursday, upholding a state panel’s designation of Mount Taylor as a traditional cultural property. The ruling effectively protects the cultural resources on more than 686 square miles of land that includes Mount Taylor and nearby mesas. Though it isn’t clear what the designation means for existing activities, it does limit uranium mining in the area. Companies and permitting agencies will have to consult with tribes and pueblos before any mining is allowed, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. http://bit.ly/1dzBoRX – Santa Fe New Mexican

New Mexico Considers Selling Fort Bayard National Historic Landmark
Western outpost made famous by the Buffalo Soldiers and the U.S. military’s campaign to capture Geronimo is up for sale, one of a number of landmarks nationwide facing the wrecking ball amid tight budgets and a shift in Washington about what history is worth saving. Abandoned now, Fort Bayard has become a drain on New Mexico’s coffers and the state is desperate for ideas as historic preservation has lost funding under the Obama administration. http://bit.ly/1eIRgq7 – Las Cruces Sun News

Paul and Suzanne Fish to Celebrate Retirement at the Arizona State Museum
On Saturday, March 8, 2014, the Arizona State Museum will present Illuminating the Hohokam: A Celebration of the Archaeological Legacies of Dr. Paul R. Fish and Dr. Suzanne K. Fish, from 2:00–5:30 p.m., the event is free and open to all. Scheduled presentations by James Bayman, Jeffery Clark, Douglas Craig, Christian Downum, Karen Harry, Elisa Villalpando, and Henry Wallace. A reception will follow the symposium (at approximately 5:30) and will feature a small exhibit of Hohokam artifacts and items representative of Paul and Suzy’s work. Talks at Chavez 110, reception at ASM.

Agave as Artifact and the Archaeology of Perry Mesa at the next Phoenix Archaeology Café
On Tuesday, February 18, Katherine Spielmann will speak on two fascinating topics: Is Agave an Artifact? and Making Culture on Perry Mesa. The Archaeology Café begins Feburary 18th at 6 p.m. in the Aztec Room of Macayo’s Central, 4001 N. Central Ave. Seating is open and unreserved, but limited. It is best to arrive half an hour before the presentation begins. We encourage guests to share tables and make new friends at this free event.

Federal Agencies Reject Expansion of Walnut Canyon National Monument
The boundaries of Walnut Canyon National Monument are unlikely to expand anytime soon. But residents are still hopeful that Congress will intervene and set aside a large chunk of Flagstaff’s southern back yard for protection from development. The final Walnut Canyon study, more than a decade in the making, was released last week and presented on Monday at a joint meeting of the Coconino County Board of Supervisors and the Flagstaff City Council.  http://bit.ly/Nm51kH – Arizona Daily Sun

Smithsonian Scientists Exploring Origins of Maize Domestication
By simulating the environment when corn was first exploited by people and then domesticated, Smithsonian scientists discovered that corn’s ancestor; a wild grass called teosinte, may have looked more like corn then than it does today. The fact that it looked more like corn under past conditions may help to explain how teosinte came to be selected by early farmers who turned it into one of the most important staple crops in the world. The vegetative and flowering structures of modern teosinte are very different from those of corn. These and other differences led to a century-long dispute as to whether teosinte could really be the ancestor of corn. http://bit.ly/1nkC6rP – Eurekalert.org

Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month Updates
Planning Continues on AAHAM Expo Events
March is Archaeology Month in Arizona, and the Archaeology Expo is our highlighted event. This year the Archaeology Expo will be held on Saturday, March 29, 2014 at Catalina State Park. If you are interested in participating, please fill out the participation form and return that to Kris Dobschuetz at SHPO, via hard copy or email (kd2@azstateparks.gov). The form can be found at http://bit.ly/1aIkxkZ. These forms are due by February 28.  Join us for the next Archaeology Expo Planning meeting on Wednesday, February 12 at 10 am at Arizona State Parks in Phoenix. We will continue to discuss the activities that are planned for this year’s Archaeology Expo.

Listing of AAHAM Events Now Available
Looking for something to do in March? Check out the more than 80 events listed in this year’s Listing of Events Brochure! Activities from all over the state are included in this booklet. The brochures are available at the SHPO’s office (1300 W. Washington Street) in Phoenix. If you are in the area, please come by and pick them up to help us save some postage. The Listing of Events Brochure is also available electronically via our website; http://bit.ly/1aIkxkZ. Any questions, please contact Kris Dobschuetz at kd2@azstateparks.gov or at 602-542-7141.

Seeing Stars through Navajo Eyes
Studying the world – and skies – around us isn’t just the purview of Western science.On Thursday, a traveling planetarium exhibit called “Navajo Eyes” made a stop at Durango Discovery Museum. In it, two Navajo scientists, Nancy Maryboy and David Begay, shared the results of more than 25 years of research into how their ancestors studied and learned from the stars. http://bit.ly/1iBafTZ – Durango Herald

Lecture Opportunity – Cave Creek
On the 21st of February Jane Kolber presents Rock Art Throughout the World. After a long rock art career studying, recording, lecturing, writing, and teaching on the topic; Jane Kolber is sharing these experiences with us during this special engagement. The general public may attend this Arizona Archaeology Society – Desert Foothills Chapter special event at no charge. There are refreshments available at 7:00 PM and the meeting begins at 7:30 PM, The meeting is in the community room (Maitland Hall) at The Good Shepard of the Hills.Episcopal Church, 6502 E. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek, AZ  85331 (near the Dairy Queen). http://bit.ly/1aYMEY2 – Arizona Archaeological Society : Desert Foothills (Cave Creek)

Lecture Opportunity – Cave Creek
During the 10^th and first half of the 11^th Centuries, Champagne Springs Ruins and Mitchell Springs Ruin Group were the largest aggregated villages in the Northern San Juan Region. David Dove is the principal investigator at these two locations. The slide show and lecture presentation highlights the ongoing research at these two prehistoric community centers in southwest Colorado. Reservations are necessary. Please contact the Cave Creek Museum at 480-488-2764 for reservations and information regarding this February 24^th (6:00-8:00PM) activity. The event is at the museum’s location: Cave Creek Museum 6140 Skyline Drive, Cave Creek, AZ 85331, 480-488-2764.  http://bit.ly/1o5y4GZ – Cave Creek Museum

Lecture Opportunity – Coolidge
Mark your calendars and join Casa Grande Ruins National Monument for two exciting upcoming lectures. On Wednesday February 12th, at noon, Dr. Jerry Howard will present Mesa Grande: Arizona’s Newest Cultural Park. Dr. Howard will discuss the prehistoric platform mound found at the site of Mesa Grande. On Wednesday, February 19th, at noon, Al Dart will present, Southwestern Rock Calendars and Ancient Time Pieces. This presentation will look at examples of ancient architecture and rock symbols. The lectures will take place at the Casa Grande Ruins visitor center located at 1100 W. Ruins Drive, Coolidge, AZ. For more information, please visit http://1.usa.gov/1dfEizf or call (520) 723-3172.

Lecture Opportunity – Las Cruces
 Old Timers and Newcomers: Cañada Alamosa’s Past Remembered is a slide lecture that will be presented to the public at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces at 7:00 pm on Thursday, February 13, 2014.  The speaker is Dennis O’Toole, a principal of the Cañada Alamosa Project, about which an exhibition is currently on display in the museum’s galleries.

Lecture Opportunity – Montrose, CO
“Picture a manmade water channel 10 miles long, able to carry up to 80 million gallons of water a day. Then consider what it would take to affix the lion’s share of that wood and iron structure to the side of serpentine, vertical canyon walls, 100 feet off the ground, weaving through the desert in a remote part of southwestern Colorado — a landscape as rugged as it is beautiful. Finally, imagine constructing that flume without motorized vehicles, power tools or modern climbing gear.” The Chipeta Chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society will present Plume Fever – the Hanging Flume a free lecture by Jerald Reid. The lecture will be presented on Wednesday, February 19, from 7pm – 8pm , at South First. and Park Avenue, at the Montrose United Methodist Church in Montrose, CO. For additional information contact : chipetaarchaeology@gmail.com

Lecture Opportunity – Tucson
The Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society is pleased to present Barbara Roth on Monday, February 17 at 7:30 PM at DuVal Auditorium (1501 N. Campbell Ave., inside University Medical Center) to discuss Households, Community, and Social Power at the Harris Site, Mimbres Valley, New Mexico. Roth with discuss results of research that documents clusters of related households that appear to be extended families. Some of these households had significant amounts of social power that made them central to community development. Contact Jon Boyd @ 520 444-6385with questions about this, or any other AAHS program.

Lecture Opportunity – Tucson
At 6 p.m. Thursday February 20 Professor Greg Hodgins presents “Carbon 14 Dating, from the Earliest Dog to the World’s Most Mysterious Manuscript” at Old Pueblo Archaeology Center’s “Third Thursday Food for Thought” dinner at Amber Restaurant, 7000 E. Tanque Verde Road, Tucson. Carbon dating is a fundamental tool for interpreting human history. This talk describes how carbon dating works and provides examples of how it contributes to our understanding of past human existence. Seating is limited to comply with the Fire Code so to attend you must call 520-798-1201 and have your reservation confirmed before 5 p.m. Wednesday January 15.

Lecture Opportunity – Verde Valley
The Verde Valley Archaeology Center is honored to host Dr. Dr. Laurie Webster on Sunday, February 16, for her talk entitled “Ancient Textiles, Baskets, Hides and Wood from Southeastern Utah.”  This presentation will be held at the Oak Creek Country Club Community Room, 690 Bell Rock Blvd, Sedona (Village of Oak Creek) at 2:00 pm. This event is part of the archaeology presentation series presented by the Verde Valley Archaeology Center and is free and open to all. Additional information is available at http://bit.ly/13QptML, or by calling the Center at 928-567-0066.