Federal Government Announces New Review of Fracking near Chaco Canyon

Federal Government Announces New Review of Fracking near Chaco Canyon
The federal government announced Thursday that it will study the potential effects of drilling on public and tribal lands near Chaco Culture National Historical Park in the San Juan Basin, an area that is one of the state’s largest centers for oil and gas production. Environmental groups applauded the decision as a meaningful step forward, one that signals the U.S. Interior Department is making an effort to heed their concerns. But some question its relevance, citing the high level of oil and gas development already underway in the area. http://bit.ly/2dNmPoZ – Santa Fe New Mexican

The State of Utah Sells Part of Bears Ears
The president of a Utah farming corporation outbid Mormon history buffs and conservation groups to snatch up nearly 400 acres of school trust lands in an area that could become enveloped in a Bears Ears national monument should it happen. The Comb Ridge parcel sold for $500,000 — $200,000 above what defeated competitors offered — to Lyman Family Farm’s Joe Hunt, who responded, “What Bears Ears?” when asked. http://bit.ly/2dNls9F – Deseret News

Archaeology Café (Tucson)
On Tuesday, November 1, Dr. Michael Mathiowetz (Riverside City College) joins us for our November Archaeology Café. He will share The Southwest without Paquimé: Situating the Casas Grandes Culture in the U.S. Southwest and Postclassic Mesoamerica. We meet on the patio of Casa Vicente, 375 S. Stone Ave., Tucson. Presentations begin after 6:00 p.m. It is best to arrive before 5:30 p.m., as seating is open and unreserved, but limited. Archaeology Café is free, but guests are encouraged to order their own refreshments from the menu. http://bit.ly/2eIaUpP – Archaeology Southwest

Ancient Horse Bones Found in Oregon Rock Shelter
Some of the earliest known inhabitants of the Pacific Northwest lived alongside a now-extinct species of “stout-legged” horse that wasn’t known to have lived in the region until now, scientists say. The revelation comes from a new study of fossils from the famous Paisley Caves in southern Oregon, where in 2008, researchers reported finding some of the earliest evidence yet of human occupation in North America, including stone tools and human feces dating back 14,300 years. http://bit.ly/2dNqVx1 – Western Digs

Using Archaeology to Restore Hispanic Culture in Waco
Some people are sifting through Waco’s past in hopes of restoring a piece of the city’s Hispanic culture.As a part of Texas Archaeological Awareness Month, the Central Texas Archaeological Society and the Waco Hispanic Museum hosted its second annual La Pila Archaeological Field School at Indian Springs Middle School. http://bit.ly/2dNhoq0 – ABC News 25

Travelogue – Mesa Verde
In the south-west corner of Colorado, nestled high in the red rock canyons of a storybook landscape, lies a mysterious ruin that whispers of ancient civilisations, of silent and forgotten rituals, and of the tenacity and determination of a people whose ways have vanished – though their buildings still stand. It’s a place called Mesa Verde, and it will take your breath away. http://bit.ly/2dNq4fM – The Independent.ie

Emil Haury Lecture Series: Taking Haury’s Monumental Legacy to New Places
At 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 27, at the Arizona State Museum, Benjamin A. Bellorado, Doctoral Candidate School of Anthropology and the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, the University of Arizona, will discuss Taking Haury’s Monumental Legacy to New Places: Tree-Rings, Murals, and Textiles in the Southern Bears Ears, part of the Emil Haury Lecture Series sponsored by Western National Parks Association and Arizona State Museum. http://bit.ly/2eIcJ68 – Arizona State Museum

2017 AZ Archaeology Expo Planning Meeting – Topawa, AZ
The 2017 Archaeology Expo will be held on Saturday, March 4, 2017 at the Himdag Ki Museum in Topawa on the Tohono O’Odham Reservation. Our first planning meeting for this event is scheduled for Thursday, October 27 at 11 am at the Himdag Ki Museum in Topawa. All are invited to attend. If you have any questions about this meeting or event, please contact Kris Dobschuetz @ 602-542-7141 or kd2@azstateparks.gov.

Verde Valley Archaeology Center Lecture Series
The Center will recognize Native American Heritage Month with a series of weekly talks by Native American speakers during November. The first talk will be by our host, the Yavapai-Apache Nation. On November 1, at 6:30 pm, Mr. Vincent Randall, Apache Culture Director, will speak on the “Spirituality of Water.” Also, Ms. Gertrude Smith, Yavapai Culture Director, will talk about “Living Off The Land.” All talks during the month will be at the Cliff Castle Casino Hotel, 555 Middle Verde Road, Camp Verde, and are free. Go to http://bit.ly/2eIdaxB for the full listing of all five talks.

Lecture Opportunity – Tucson
On Friday, October 28, at 7:00 p.m., Matthew Peeples (Arizona State University) will present Networking Your Way to Success in the Ancient Southwest. What happened to the Hohokam? Complex social networks allowed them not only to survive but to thrive in an unpredictable arid environment for roughly one thousand years. Ultimately, the migration of peoples from the north, changes in networks in the wake of this demographic shift, and new environmental challenges culminated in the regional tumult we see in the archaeological record. Reception follows program. Event will be held at the Center for English as a Second Language (CESL), one building east of ASM. This program is a complement to the exhibit, “Pieces of the Puzzle: New Perspectives on the Hohokam.” Reception underwritten in part by Archaeology Southwest in cooperation with Eldon, Jean, and Jaye Smith.

Lecture Opportunity – Cave Creek
Desert Foothills Chapter – AAS presents on November 9 th from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM at no charge, Dr. Todd Bostwick.  Located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea and south of Sicily, the islands of Malta and Gozo contain some of the oldest Megalithic temples and tombs in the world.  As early as 5,000 BC prehistoric people were farming and raising livestock on the islands, and by 3,600 BC they built megalithic temples with astronomical features and carved chambered tombs out of solid bedrock.  The presence of a variety of stone and clay figurines of plump females suggest they practiced an Earth Mother cult.  The origins of these ancient people remain a mystery, as does their disappearance around 2,500 BC.  This talk provides numerous photos of these temples, tombs, and figurines and discusses current ideas about their religion and ritual practices.  The meeting is 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 -AAS Cave Creek

Lecture Opportunity – Cortez
The Hisatsinom Chapter of the Colorado Archaeology Society is pleased to presentGail LaDage on Tuesday, November 1^st at 7:00 PM at the Methodist Church, 515 Park Street, Cortez, CO to discuss “The Pictured Cliffs: A Return to Waterflow.” Gail discusses some of the 4,000 petroglyphs that are part of the Pictured Cliffs site, located near Farmington, N.M. Contact Kari Schleher at 505-269-4475 with questions.

Lecture Opportunity – Safford
BLM presents Don Lancaster with a free “Brown Bag” talk “Prehistoric Bajada Hanging Canals”noon Thursday November 3rd at Safford’s 711 14th Avenue. Bring your own lunch and drink. An afternoon tour of a hanging canal is optionally available. Portions of these local spectacularly engineered 1350 CE world class irrigation structures were literally “hung” on sheer edges of steep sided bajada mesas. Contact don@tinaja.com (928) 428-4073 or http://bit.ly/1RBvINq

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe
Southwest Seminars Presents Dr. Richard I. Ford, who will present Evolution of the New Mexico Diet: Before and After Colonization on October 31 at 6pm at Hotel Santa Fe as part of the Mother Earth Father Sky Lecture Series held to acknowledge The New Mexico Environmental Law Center. Admission is by subscription or $12 at the door.  No reservations are necessary. Refreshments are served. Seating is limited. Contact Connie Eichstaedt: tel. 505 466-2775; email: southwest seminar@aol.com; website: http://bit.ly/YhJddr.

Lecture Opportunity – Tucson
The Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society (AAHS) is pleased to present M. Steven Shackley on Monday, November 21st at 7:30 pm in the University Medical Center’s Duval Auditorium (1501 N Campbell Ave, Tucson 85724), who will discuss, “The Southwest Archaeological Obsidian Project and Pre-Classic Hohokam Social Identity.” Meetings are free and open to the public. For more information please visit the AAHS website: http://www.az-arch-and-hist.org/, or contact John D. Hall at jhall@sricrm.com with questions about this or any other AAHS program.