Help Support the Creation of the Great Bend of Gila National Monument

Help Support the Creation of the Great Bend of Gila National Monument
The Great Bend of the Gila, in southwestern Arizona, is a rich cultural landscape that speaks to a deep history of multiculturalism on this frontier. In addition to numerous Hohokam and Patayan villages, countless ancient trails, and portions of the historic de Anza Trail and Butterfield Overland Stage Line, the Great Bend encompasses upwards of 100,000 petroglyphs and an unknown number of geoglyphs (ground figures and intaglios) etched in the desert’s canvas. Please join us and our partners at the National Trust for Historic Preservation and several traditionally associated tribes, in the campaign to protect this fragile landscape through the establishment of a Great Bend of the Gila National Monument. You can do so by adding your name to this letter (already signed by over 100 archaeologists) urging Congressman Raul Grijalva to support designating the Great Bend of the Gila National Monument. Note: Archaeology Southwest will not share your information with third parties or use this data for unsolicited correspondence. To sign on to the letter visit http://bit.ly/1LLSN0B – Google Forms  For more information, see http://bit.ly/1JEZOy2 – Saving Places.Org and http://bit.ly/1UmpC3k – Archaeology Southwest

Big Archaeology vs. Big Oil – An Update
Earlier this month, at a major archaeology meeting just outside of Mancos, Colorado, Chaco experts presented a plan to slow down the granting of drilling leases in the San Juan Basin. They are urging that a current temporary 16-kilometer buffer around the national park be made permanent and that no new leases be granted in the basin until aerial surveys of the entire Chaco landscape can be completed… Science Magazine has graciously allowed Archaeology Southwest’s Paul Reed to share this article via the Preservation Archaeology blog. Follow the link to read the full text of the article via http://bit.ly/1NOwbd3 – Archaeology Southwest

Rock Art Vandalism: Utah Vandals Use Guns and Spray Paint to Ruin Ancient Glyphs
Shooting cans of paint is never a good idea. But at Utah’s Lake Mountains, target shooters have taken the practice to a new level by placing cans on rocks marked by ancient petroglyphs. Spattered paint and bullet holes are erasing an archaeological record dating back thousands of years on public lands south of this growing enclave of subdivisions in Utah County. http://bit.ly/1Kmp3aC – Salt Lake Tribune

President Obama Restores Traditional Native Name for Mount McKinley
President Obama announced on Sunday that Mount McKinley was being renamed Denali, using his executive power to restore an Alaska Native name with deep cultural significance to the tallest mountain in North America. The move came on the eve of Mr. Obama’s trip to Alaska, where he will spend three days promoting aggressive action to combat climate change, and is part of a series of steps he will make there meant to address the concerns of Alaska Native tribes. http://nyti.ms/1NQZePe – New York Times

Inexpensive Photogrammetric Modeling Becoming Useful in Archaeological Practice
Archaeology students are using 3D technology to make an historic record of a deteriorating pueblo known as Tsöpki, or Antelope House. Northern Arizona University professor Chris Downum says terrestrial photogrammetry is a new trend in archaeology that stitches together hundreds of high-resolution digital images to create a virtual model. http://bit.ly/1X2buk0 – KNAU

New Mexico Celebrates Six New National Register Listings
A 1,200-year-old Native American ceremonial site in northern New Mexico and the post office that served scientists following the Manhattan Project are among the latest locations to make the National Register of Historic Places. Of the more than three dozen sites added to the list in August, six are in New Mexico. http://bit.ly/1Q1wFOr – Washington Times

Artifact Conservation: The Dreaded Glass Bead Disease
Hidden in a vault at Fort Union lies one of the world’s largest Native American bead collections, a resource so special it is attracting national researchers to the fort for a conservation science project that could help save bead collections all over the world. Glass beads are prone to a mysterious disease that slowly but surely eats away at the surface until the precious antiquities have crumbled away into dust. http://bit.ly/1UfrCQm – Williston Herald

Unique Tour Opportunity – Are You Ready for the Ride of the Ancients?
Come and experience the breathtaking beauty of Southwest Colorado in Autumn! Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance (SCCA) and Southwest Memorial Foundation (SWMF) launch the first area century ride (100 miles) to include 2 states, 2 counties, 2 reservations, and 2 national monuments! Individuals and teams of up to 4 riders may enter. Register at http://bit.ly/1LMQtGJ. Proceeds will benefit SCCA’s mission to support Canyons of the Ancients National Monument and the Anasazi Heritage Center as well as the SWMF’s Montelores Cancer Care Fund to provide financial support for those undergoing treatment. Volunteers also needed! Contact Diane McBride at diane.mcbride@swcocanyons.org or 970-560-1643.

Tour Opportunity
Archaeology Southwest is partnering with Southwest Seminars to present Mounds and Migrants: A Clash of Religions in the Late Hohokam World, a special six-day tour from March 19–25, 2016. Join us as we explore key sites that helped shape the Southwest’s past. http://bit.ly/1U1pXdA – Archaeology Southwest

Reminder – Southwest Kiln Conference
The Southwest Kiln Conference will be held October 16–18, 2015, in Safford, Arizona, at Eastern Arizona College Discovery Park Campus. The SWKC is a gathering of archaeologists, potters, and others interested in ancient Southwestern ceramic technology. This event provides opportunities for people with a range of interests and skill levels; a beginners pottery workshop, presentations and lectures, demonstrations of pottery technology, pottery firings, and a field trip to dig clay. For details visit the conference website at http://bit.ly/1uUp8VE

Lecture Opportunity – Albuquerque
As part of La Canoa Series, the National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) will be sponsoring the talk: La Politica: Stories of Politics and Nuevomexicanos in the 19th Century by Phillip Gonzales on Saturday, September 5, at 2:00 p.m. This presentation will be held at the History & Literary Arts Research Library, 701 4th St. SW, Albuquerque, NM (NE side of the Plaza Mayor in the center of the NHCC campus).

Lecture and Seminar Opportunity – Albuquerque
On Thursday, September 24, at 7:30 p.m., Debra L. Martin will present Hard Times in Dry Lands: Apocalypse in the Ancient Southwest or Business as Usual? in UNM Anthropology Lecture Hall (Room 163). On the following Friday, a specialized seminar, Bodies as Battlefields: Culturally-Sanctioned and Gendered Forms of Violence in Ancient America will be held in Anthropology Room 248 at 12:00 p.m.

Lecture Opportunity – Cave Creek
Desert Foothills Chapter of the Arizona Archaeology Society presents Scott Wood, who will discuss Payson’s Goat Camp Ruin on September 9, 7:00–9:00 p.m. The meetings are held in the community building (Maitland Hall) at The Good Shepherd of the Hills Episcopal Church, 6502 East Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek, AZ 85331 (near the Dairy Queen). http://bit.ly/1aYMEY2 – Desert Foothills Chapter of the Arizona Archaeology Society

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe
Southwest Seminars Presents Dr. Bonnie Pitblado, who will present Paleo-Indian Settling of the Rocky Mountains on August 31 at 6:00 p.m. at Hotel Santa Fe, as part of the Native Culture Matters Lecture Series. Admission is by subscription or $12 at the door. Seating is limited and refreshments are served. No reservations necessary. Contact Connie Eichstaedt 505 466-2775 email: southwestseminar@aol.com http://bit.ly/YhJddr – Southwest Seminars

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe
Southwest Seminars Presents Dr. Timothy Pauketat, who will present Climate Change, Corn and Frog Shamans in the Medieval Mississippi Valley on September 7 at 6:00 p.m. at Hotel Santa Fe, as part of the Native Culture Matters Lecture Series. Admission is by subscription or $12 at the door. Seating is limited and refreshments are served. No reservations necessary. Contact Connie Eichstaedt 505 466-2775 email: southwestseminar@aol.com http://bit.ly/YhJddr – Southwest Seminars

Lecture Opportunity – Taos
The Taos Archaeological Society is pleased to present Paul Reed, Preservation Archaeologist with Archaeology Southwest, New Mexico, who will lecture on Preservation of the Chaco Landscape on Tuesday, September 8, 2015, at 7:00 p.m., at the Kit Carson Electric Board Room, 118 Cruz Alta Road, Taos. Contact Chris Riveles @ 575-776-1005 for questions or further information.

Lecture Opportunity – Tucson
On September 17, archaeology technician Thomas P. Robinson will present Solar-Petroglyph Interaction at Casa Malpais for Old Pueblo Archaeology Center’s 6:00–8:30 p.m. “Third Thursday Food for Thought” dinner at Dragon’s View Asian Cuisine, 400 N. Bonita Avenue, Tucson. Mr. Robinson will show and discuss how he discovered a new way of looking at solar-calendric interactions of distinctly characteristic ancient petroglyphs at Casa Malpais, a great kiva and pueblo site in east-central Arizona. This new method offers insights into the belief systems and practices of ancient society groups. Reservations required at 520-798-1201 before 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 16.

Lecture Opportunity – Tucson
The Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society (AAHS) is pleased to present Dr. Michelle Hegmon on Monday, September 21, 7:30 p.m., in the University Medical Center’s DuVal Auditorium (1500 N Campbell Ave, Tucson 85724), who will discuss The Archaeology of the Human Experience. Meetings are free and open to the public. For more information please visit the AAHS website: http://bit.ly/1uhONZh, or contact John D. Hall at jhall@sricrm.com with questions about this or any other AAHS program.

Lecture Opportunity – Winslow
The Homolovi Chapter of AAS (Arizona Archaeological Society) is pleased to present Darlene Brinkerhoff on Wednesday, September 9, with an extensive presentation on years of excavation at Multi Kiva site south of Winslow AZ. The site has been closed to further excavation at this time. The Homolovi Chapter meets the second Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. at the Winslow Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center (Historic Lorenzo Hubbell Trading Post), 523 W. Second St, Winslow, AZ. For question or further information, call Sky Roshay at 928-536-3307.  You can also join us for dinner at 5:00 p.m. at the Historic La Posada Turquoise Room (on your own tab).