Breaking News: Interior Commits to One-Year Moratorium on Chaco-Area Leasing

Breaking News: Interior Commits to One-Year Moratorium on Chaco-Area Leasing
Last night, Senator Martin Heinrich and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt announced a commitment from the Department of the Interior to place a one-year moratorium on oil and gas leasing within a 10-mile buffer zone around Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Plans for expanded fracking in the Greater Chaco region have faced enormous public backlash from local communities, as well as from the New Mexico Congressional delegation. The Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act, introduced in both the House and Senate last month, would permanently protect this area from any future leasing. http://bit.ly/30U12SU – Sierra Club

Interior Secretary David Bernhardt expressed amazement as he walked through the rooms at Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Culture National Historical Park on May 28 accompanied by U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-NM. “I’m blown away out here,” Bernhardt said as he walked along the walls of Pueblo Bonito. Heinrich invited Bernhardt to visit the national historical park during Bernhardt’s confirmation hearing in March. “I think it’s always helpful to see things in person,” Heinrich said. “It’s hard to describe this location to folks sitting in an oak-paneled room in Washington D.C.” http://bit.ly/30RPLlT – Farmington Daily Times

U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt has met with tribal leaders who are supporting legislation to prevent drilling on land they consider sacred around Chaco Culture National Historical Park. The meeting Tuesday at the centuries-old site in northwest New Mexico came at the urging of Democratic U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich amid a yearslong dispute over oil and gas development surrounding the park. https://wapo.st/30U3ys7 – Washington Post

New Mexico State Land Office Drafts Policy Requiring Archaeological Survey
The State Land Office does not know where cultural resources are located on the millions of acres it manages. It is drafting a new policy that could require companies to do archaeological surveys before developing a lease. “In very general terms, basically we don’t know what’s out there because very little of state trust land has ever been surveyed in any systematic way,” State Land Office Archaeologist David Eck told the Chaco Canyon Land Office Working Group during its monthly meeting on May 19 at San Juan College. “So it’s essentially a blank slate.” Eck said the State Land Office needs to know what cultural resources, such as archaeological sites, are on state land in order to appropriately manage the land. http://bit.ly/30U1VLl – Farmington Daily Times

Commentary: The Roadless Area Conservation Act and Utah
Legislation was recently introduced in Congress by two Democrats, Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington and Representative Ruben Gallego of Arizona, to put the force of law behind the Forest Service rule to protect the nation’s 58 million acres of wild, roadless federal forest land. Congress should approve the measure, known as the Roadless Area Conservation Act. The Forest Service adopted the roadless rule nearly 20 years ago to protect water quality, wildlife habitat, ecological and cultural values and recreation opportunities. Those values are more important than ever. https://nyti.ms/3126GCC – Mike Dombeck, former chief of the United States Forest Service, in the New York Times

Report on Local Economies and Public Lands Tourism Highlights Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 62,995 visitors to Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in 2018 spent $3,720,000 in communities near the park. That spending supported 54 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $5,533,000. “Casa Grande Ruins National Monument welcomes visitors from across the country and around the world,” said Acting Superintendent Ray O’Neil. “We are delighted to share the story of this place and the experiences it provides. We also feature the park as a way to introduce our visitors to this part of the country and all that it offers. National park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy, returning $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service, and it’s a big factor in our local economy as well. We appreciate the partnership and support of our neighbors and are glad to be able to give back by helping to sustain local communities.” The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas and Egan Cornachione of the U.S. Geological Survey and Lynne Koontz of the National Park Service. Report authors also produce an interactive tool that enables users to explore visitor spending, jobs, labor income, value added, and output effects by sector for national, state, and local economies. Users can also view year-by-year trend data. The interactive tool and report are available at the NPS Social Science Program webpage: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/vse.htm. – Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (press release)

Commentary: Importance of NSF’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program
We are big fans of the NSF REU program, which is focused on supporting undergraduate students’ participation in scientific research projects. This is accomplished in part through NSF stipends to students that help support their attendance. This allows twelve undergraduates every summer to spend six weeks working in the field with us, removing some of the substantial financial barriers associated with taking much of the summer off of work, buying a plane ticket and a tent, and paying for extra summer credit hours. We’re honored to have received funding from this program for the third time, allowing us to continue to attract a diverse group of excellent students each year. http://bit.ly/2VZu7IP – Karen Schollmeyer at Preservation Archaeology blog

Audio: What Is the Preservation Archaeology Field School?
Archaeology Southwest President & CEO William Doelle spoke about the Preservation Archaeology Field School with Bill Buckmaster on the Buckmaster Show KVOI AM 1030. Their discussion begins after the 30:00 mark. http://www.buckmastershow.com/?powerpress_pinw=3033-podcast

Call for Papers: Collaborative Archaeology, Indigenous Archaeology, and Tribal Historic Preservation in the Southwestern United States
The New Mexico Archeological Council is seeking papers for its 2019 Fall Conference on the theme Collaborative Archaeology, Indigenous Archaeology, and Tribal Historic Preservation in the Southwestern United States. The conference will consist of presented papers and a moderated panel discussion. The conference will be held on November 9, 2019, at the Hibben Center on the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. Please contact the conference organizer Michael Spears directly with your interest to present at mspears6@gmail.com.

Event Opportunity, Huhugam Ki Museum
On, Saturday, June 1, the public is invited to a mesquite pancake breakfast at the Huhugam Ki Museum of the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community, 10005 E Osborn Rd, Scottsdale. The breakfast begins at 8:00 a.m. and continues until 11:00 a.m. or until supplies last. The museum will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. From 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., D. Graves will give a sewing demonstration. Call (480)-362-6320 for more information.

Video: The Greater Gila River: Public Lands, Tribal Lands, and Our Connections to These Places
In this Archaeology Café from May 7, 2019, Dr. Bill Doelle (Archaeology Southwest) discusses sites and landscapes in the Gila Watershed. https://youtu.be/B7kmi5oCkLg

Lecture Opportunity, Santa Fe NM
Southwest Seminars Presents Dr. Enrique LaMadrid, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Spanish, Department of Classical Languages, University of New Mexico and 2019 Recipient, Enrique Anderson Imbert Award, National American Academy of the Spanish Language; Author, Hermanitos Comanchitos: Indo-Hispano Rituals of Captivity and Redemption; Nuevo Mexico Profundo: Rituals of an Indo-Hispano Homeland (photographs by Miguel Gandert); Editor, Querencias, who will give a public lecture on June 3 at Hotel Santa Fe as part of the Voices From the Past Lecture Series held annually. Admission is by subscription or $15 at the door. No reservations are necessary. Refreshments are served. Seating is limited. Contact Connie Eichstaedt at tel: 505 366-2775; email: southwestseminar@aol.com; web: southwestseminars.org

Lecture Opportunity, Cortez CO
As a part of the Four Corners Lecture Series, the Hisatsinom Chapter of the Colorado Archaeology Society is pleased to present Dr. Sean Dolan on Tuesday, June 4, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. at the Methodist Church, 515 Park Street, Cortez CO, to discuss “The Life of a Mimbres Turkey: What We Know from Iconography, Genetics, and Diet.” In this talk, you will learn what it was like to be a turkey in the Mimbres Valley of southwestern New Mexico from A.D. 1000–1130. Contact Kari Schleher at 505-269-4475 with questions.

Lecture Opportunity, Tucson AZ
The Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society (AAHS) is pleased to present Matt Peeples on Monday, June 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the Banner-University Medical Center’s Duval Auditorium (1501 N. Campbell Ave, Tucson 85724), who will discuss, “Archaeological Fakes and Frauds in Arizona and Beyond.” 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 john.hall@terracon.com or 520-205-2553 with questions about this or any other AAHS program.

Lecture Opportunity, Springerville AZ
The Little Colorado Chapter of the Arizona Archaeological Society will welcome John R. Welch (Archaeology Southwest, Simon Fraser University) at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, June 17, at the Springerville Heritage Center, 418 E Main St., Udall Room for “Ancient Tactical Sites of Central Arizona.” Welch will discuss sites in the rugged uplands of the Salt and Gila River watersheds and their potential roles in sociopolitical dynamics.

We’re happy to help get the word out, but we’re not mind readers! Please submit news, book announcements, and events at this link for consideration: https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/submit-to-sat/

Questions? sat-editor@archaeologysouthwest.org