BLM Staffers Disallowed from Attending SAAs in DC

BLM Staffers Disallowed from Attending SAAs in DC
The Bureau of Land Management blocked at least 14 of its staff archaeologists and other specialists from attending a major scientific conference this year, at a time when archaeological sites have become a flashpoint in the debate over public lands protection. The archaeologists and other BLM employees, many working and living in Western states, were originally scheduled to attend the annual meeting in Washington of the Society for American Archaeology, the largest organization of professional archaeologists in the Western Hemisphere. https://wapo.st/2ru4DpP – Washington Post

In-Depth Reporting on Tribes’ Bears Ears Lawsuit
The tribes’ suit reads differently. It is, of course, full of legalese. But it also notes that the Zuni consider water to be “similar to the blood of their mother” and states that “Hopi ancestors buried in the area continue to inhabit the land.” “If you read a thousand other complaints in federal court,” says Landreth, “you will not see one that looks like that.” http://bit.ly/2HZD7M1 – Outside

Study Suggests Native American Founding Population of 250 People
Despite numerous genetic studies that have helped contribute to knowledge about how ancient groups populated the Americas, scientists have not reached a consensus about how many Native Americans made up the original population. This analysis of DNA sequences suggests the Native American founding population that migrated from Siberia consisted of approximately 250 people. The study “How strong was the bottleneck associated to the peopling of the Americas? New insights from multilocus sequence data,” published in the journal Genetics and Molecular Biology, includes Michael Crawford, KU professor of anthropology, and the researchers’ results corroborate findings of previous studies that were based on smaller datasets. http://bit.ly/2I2k6IU – Archaeology News Network

Utah’s San Juan County Enters Legal Fray over Bears Ears
San Juan County is seeking to intervene in a lawsuit over the dismantling of the Bears Ears National Monument, arguing that the county should be a party to the case because overturning President Donald Trump’s order to split the monument would hurt the region’s economy by tamping down mining, logging and grazing. http://bit.ly/2rvwxBI – Salt Lake Tribune

Call to Applicants: Cordell–Powers Prize Competition 2018
The Cordell and Powers Prizes will be awarded for the two best extemporaneous talks presented at the 2018 Pecos Conference by archaeologists 35 years of age or younger. In 2018, there will be a few small changes to the competition. The Cordell Prize and the Powers Prize will be awarded to the two best presentations. Only single-authored papers will be considered for the competition. Presentations are limited to 10 minutes. Potential contestants should send a title, 100-word abstract, and proof of age to 2018 Pecos Conference organizer Kim Spurr (kspurr@musnaz.org) and CP Prize Committee Chair-elect Joan Mathien (mathiefj@unm.edu) between July 1 – July 25, 2018. Please note that the paper acceptance procedure has changed this year – to discourage procrastinators and to make the conference organizers’ lives easier, we plan to accept the FIRST TEN applications we receive. http://www.pecosconference.org/cordell-powers-prize.html

Call to Applicants: Artist-in-Residence at BLM/Canyons of the Ancients National Monument
2018 Canyons of the Ancients National Monument Artist-in-Residence program application period is open! Applications due May 18. The program offers residencies for artists of any medium, founded on the belief that artists challenge ideas, experiment & create new ways of “seeing” public lands. Each residency is 8 days between 7/1 and 9/30, 2018 & includes a $700 stipend. Housing, food & transportation must be arranged & provided by the selected artist. Guidelines: https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/colorado/canyons-of-the-ancients. David Kill, dkill@blm.gov, 970-882-5621. https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/colorado/canyons-of-the-ancients

Lecture Opportunity — Grand Junction CO
On Monday, May 14, the Colorado Archaeological Society will welcome Brian Yaquinto for Rediscovering the Fremont of Northwest Colorado. The presentation will highlight fieldwork carried out by the BLM White River Field Office in 2012, 2015, and 2016, including an archaeological field school through Colorado State University in 2016. These efforts contributed greatly to understanding Fremont culture in NW Colorado, including producing some unexpected results. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. at Redlands United Methodist Church 527 Village Way. The meeting is free and open to the public. A small donation is requested to cover cost of the meeting room and speaker-related expenses. https://www.meetup.com/CAS-GJ/events/245124663/

Lecture Opportunity — Santa Fe NM
Southwest Seminars Presents Dr. Dennis H. O’Rourke, Foundation Distinguished Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Kansas and Co-Editor, Human Biology: An Evolutionary and Biocultural Perspective who will give a lecture Upward Sun River Infants and Early American Dispersal: Genomes, Controversy and Concordance at 6:00 p.m. on May 14 at Hotel Santa Fe. Admission is by subscription or $15 at the door. No reservations are necessary. Seating is limited. Refreshments are served. Contact Connie Eichstaedt, 505 466-2775, southwestseminar@aol.com. http://www.southwestseminars.org

Lecture Opportunity — Albuquerque NM
On Tuesday, May 15, at 7:30 p.m., at the Albuquerque Museum, 2000 Mountain Rd NW, the Albuquerque Archaeological Society will welcome Chris Merriman for Paleoclimate, Playas, and the Paleoindian Occupation of the Northern Jornada del Muerto. The Pleistocene-Holocene transition (~15,000-8000 BP) was a period of significant climate fluctuation, mass extinction, and human expansion into the New World. Recently, much attention has been given to the effects climate change may, or may not, have had on Paleoindian hunter-gatherers—in particular the abrupt onset of near full glacial conditions during the Younger Dryas (12,900-11,700 BP). This presentation will discuss these climate fluctuations in reference to the Paleoindian occupation of the Northern Jornada del Muerto in eastern Socorro County, New Mexico.

Lecture Opportunity — Santa Fe NM
On Tuesday, May 15, at 7:30 p.m., at Pecos Trail Café (backroom), 2239 Old Pecos Trail, the Santa Fe Archaeological Society will welcome Michael Bletzer (Pueblo of Isleta, Department of Cultural and Historic Preservation) for Recuerdos de Mediodía: Archaeological and Historical Snippets of the Rio Grande Piro Province, c. 1500–1700. At the time of Spanish colonization, the provincia or province of the A’tzi-em or Rio Grande Piros was one of the major subdivisions of the Pueblo world. A dozen or more pueblos lined the Rio Grande valley from Black Mesa (south of Socorro) in the south to Sevilleta in the north. By the mid-1670s Spanish records mention only four pueblos in Los Piros as occupied, and these last pueblos were abandoned during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. Only two Rio Grande Piro pueblos, Teypana (Plaza Montoya, LA31744) and Tzelaqui/Sevilleta (LA774) have been subject to long-term archaeological and historical research. Work at the two sites and at the site of Pilabó Pueblo (LA791) in Socorro offers unique insights into how Spanish activities affected the Piro pueblos in the years after 1600.

Lecture Opportunity — El Paso TX
On Saturday, May 19, at 2:00 p.m., at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, 4301 Transmountain Road, David Greenwald will present The Rio Tularosa Project: Current Research and Latest Discoveries. The talk is sponsored by El Paso Archaeological Society. Ongoing investigations at Creekside Village by David Greenwald and the Jornada Research Institute team and volunteers continue to inform on the complexity of this ancient settlement near Tularosa, New Mexico. Irrigation systems, terraced fields, and distribution of houses and residential areas are all being explored in greater detail over time. Studies of the ditches that supplied water to the agricultural terraces some 1,400 years ago provide increasing support for the presence of an as-yet-unconfirmed reservoir. For more information contact Fernando Arias at 915-449-9075 or nando79935@yahoo.com.