Chaco Protection Legislation Is Balanced

Commentary: Chaco Protection Legislation Is Balanced
New Mexico’s Sens. Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall are strong supporters of Luján’s act, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a reasonable compromise that offers great protection to the park and its cultural riches without turning the entire northwest corner of New Mexico into a no-drill zone. The bill seems likely to gain bipartisan traction in the Senate – in part because it mirrors the halt on oil and gas leasing within 10 miles of the park that was voluntarily agreed to by Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt earlier this year. http://bit.ly/2O7ulfe – Albuquerque Journal

Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia Announces Recovery of Possible Mammoth-Trap Site
Researchers from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History say they have uncovered what could be the first human-made traps used to capture the Pleistocene animals. The finding represents a significant turning point in researchers’ understanding of the relationship of hunter-gatherer bands with the mammoths, Pedro Francisco Sánchez Nava, the institute’s national coordinator of archaeology, said in a statement on Wednesday. The bones of about 14 mammoths were discovered in two large pits — each about five and a half feet deep and 80 feet long, likely dug about 15,000 years ago — in the town of Tultepec, where a landfill had been planned. https://nyti.ms/2NG3pUS – New York Times

Mining Continues to Desecrate Bison Kill Site in Montana
When a coal company contractor working under federal oversight used a backhoe to dig up one of the largest known Native American bison killing grounds and make way for mining, investigators concluded the damage on the Crow Indian Reservation broke federal law and would cost $10 million to repair, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. Eight years later, Colorado-based Westmoreland Coal has not made the repairs and is still mining in the area, under an agreement with former Crow leaders that some tribal members said has caused more damage to a site considered hallowed ground. http://bit.ly/2NFPqyk – Billings Gazette

Continuing Coverage: Deep Tribal Histories in Path of Highway Realignment
It is awe inspiring, standing inside this space that has held human history for so long. But its existence will be short-lived. This pit house is about to be filled in and covered up by a highway, as are six other important ancient sites on this mesa. https://n.pr/2X72dNp – NPR, All Things Considered

Bad Idea for America’s Best Idea?
A team of Trump administration advisers – consisting mostly of appointees from the private industry – are urging “modernization” of national park campgrounds, with a vision of food trucks, WiFi and even Amazon deliveries. “Our recommendations would allow people to opt for additional costs if they want, for example, Amazon deliveries at a particular campsite,” Derrick Crandall, vice-chairman of the Made in America Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee, told the Los Angeles Times. “We want to let Americans make their own decisions in the marketplace.” The committee published its recommendations in a letter to the Interior Department last month. http://bit.ly/32D3hcN – High Country News and the Guardian

REMINDER: Southwest Symposium Call for Abstracts Still Open
The 2020 Southwest Symposium Organized Session abstracts are now online. We’ve got a great selection of presentations from 81 contributors representing 13 US States, 6 Mexican States, and 7 Tribal Nations. Submit an abstract to the open call before December 1. https://bit.ly/33lhSuQ

Workshop Opportunity, Shell and Stone Jewelry, Tucson AZ
On Saturday, November 16, ancient technologies expert Allen Denoyer will guide Hands-On Archaeology participants in making jewelry using the same kinds of stone tools people used in the past. Participants may choose to work with stone (argillite and steatite) or shell. Students will grind their items on sandstone slabs and drill holes with flaked-stone drills. We will use stone flakes to incise geometric designs, and smooth stones to polish the finished pieces. Class is limited to eight people, and kids age 10 and up are welcome. Class begins at 9:00 a.m., and should end around noon. $35 registration fee. http://bit.ly/32GQFkX – Archaeology Southwest

Workshop Opportunity, Flintknapping, Tucson AZ
On Saturday, December 14, from 9:00 a.m. to noon, Sam Greenleaf will teach an arrowhead-making and flintknapping workshop at Old Pueblo Archaeology Center, 2201 W. 44th Street, Tucson. Participants will learn how to make arrowheads, spear points, and other flaked stone artifacts from obsidian and other stone like ancient peoples did. The class is designed to foster understanding of how prehistoric peoples made essential tools, not to make artwork for sale. Reservations and payment ($35, includes all materials and equipment) required by 5 p.m. Thursday December 12: 520-798-1201 or info@oldpueblo.org. https://www.oldpueblo.org/event/1592/

Lecture Opportunity, Las Cruces NM
On Thursday, November 14, at 7:00 p.m., Karl W. Laumbach (Human Systems Research) will give a presentation on “Early Pueblos in the Canada Alamosa: Mimbres and Socorro.” Social Center Auditorium, University Terrace Good Samaritan Village, 3011 Buena Vida Circle.

Lecture Opportunity, Tucson AZ
On December 19, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m., Dr. Suzanne Eckert presents “Feminist Theory and an Engendered Archaeology: Where We’ve Been and Where We Are Going” for Old Pueblo Archaeology Center’s “Third Thursday Food for Thought” dinner at Picture Rocks Redemptorist Renewal Center, 7101 W. Picture Rocks Rd., Tucson. Feminist and engendered archaeological studies have addressed questions about why women, children, the elderly, and other social groups are nearly invisible in archaeological research. Reservations and $16 dinner fee due by 5 p.m. December 17: 520-798-1201 or info@oldpueblo.org. http://bit.ly/2CF4yWg

REMINDER: Lecture Opportunity TODAY, Flagstaff AZ
On Tuesday, November 13, at 5:30 p.m., Bright Side Bookshop will welcome archaeologist, author, and editor R. E. Burrillo for “The Anthropology of Paleontology: A Quick Look at Native American Depictions of the Fossil Record in the Grand Staircase-Escalante Region and Beyond.” 18 N. San Francisco St. http://bit.ly/2NhYVDw – Bright Side Bookshop (opens at Facebook)

REMINDER: Lecture Opportunity, Tucson AZ
On Saturday, November 16, at 2:00 p.m., the Arizona State Museum will welcome John Fryar and Garry Cantley for “Looting and the Law: Preventing, Detecting, and Investigating Archaeological Resource Crime.” Treasure hunting, tomb raiding, forgeries, and museum heists are the stuff of action movies. In real life, these types of crimes make up the world’s third most lucrative trafficking industry behind drugs and weapons. The U.S. Southwest, with its abundant, well-preserved archaeological sites, is a huge draw for criminals who are either working for themselves or for black-market syndicates. The good news is, there are those who work every day to prevent, detect, and investigate crimes against archaeology. Center for English as a Second Language 103, 1100 E. James E. Rogers Way. http://bit.ly/2Pv1SlD – Arizona State Museum

Thanks to Cherie Freeman for contributions to this week’s edition.

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