Continuing Coverage: Feds Extend Deadline for Greater Chaco Comments to September 25

Dear Friends,

Good news in today’s headline—Interior Secretary Bernhardt did the right thing. The deadline to comment on the revised management plan for Greater Chaco has been extended to September 25. Paul Reed has updated our information on making and submitting those comments. You can review Paul’s guidance here.

Last week I told you that this week would’ve marked the beginning of this year’s Preservation Archaeology Field School. Director Karen Schollmeyer wrote a moving blog post that shares what makes our program special and celebrates all our alumni who have recently graduated. It made me smile. The photos alone bring joy—you’ll see. We’ve also linked to Karen’s tribute below.

Our friends at Torrey House Press have been publishing short essays on the current moment. I shared “Quarantine Ecology” by our friend and Research Associate R. E. Burrillo a few weeks ago. Today I’d like to share the closing line of a new piece by Kayann Short, “In the midst of all this, the birds carry on”:

“We can’t count on much these days, so let’s count on this: the earth turning, the seasons changing, and the birds rioting in song for the persistence of it all.”

All my best for the coming week,

Bill Doelle
President & CEO, Archaeology Southwest 

Continuing Coverage: Feds Extend Deadline for Greater Chaco Comments to September 25
“On behalf of the All Pueblo Council of Governors, we thank the Secretary, the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, and the Department of the Interior for their government-to-government engagement with APCG and Pueblo leadership and their decision to extend the comment period. This extension was necessary to allow for close review by APCG and Pueblos of the draft RMPA and its implications, convening internally, and provision of meaningful comments in the midst of this national emergency. We are also grateful for the leadership of the entirety of the New Mexico Congressional Delegation as partners in this ongoing movement to protect the Greater Chaco Region as a living, sacred landscape for use by future generations to come.” – Chairman J. Michael Chavarria, All Pueblo Council of Governors. https://bit.ly/3d8wZN8 – Statement by the All Pueblo Council of Governors

After urging from New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, leadership of the All Pueblo Council of Governors and Navajo Nation and the entire New Mexico Congressional delegation due to the challenges facing tribal communities from the COVID-19 pandemic, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt announced a 120-day extension of the public comment period for the Bureau of Land Management’s proposed plan to drill near Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Now, the public has more time to weigh in on a proposal that is widely opposed by Pueblo leaders and local communities for its lack of protections for Chaco Canyon and surrounding areas and communities. https://bit.ly/2X5dxeq – Protect Greater Chaco coalition statement via BLMWild

The novel coronavirus raging in the Navajo Nation and New Mexico pueblos in part prompted U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to announce Thursday the extension of the public comment period on a plan that will shape the future of oil and gas drilling near Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Tribal officials have met with or spoken remotely with Bernhardt about a need to extend the comment period as tribal lands endure the worst of the state’s outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. The state’s Democratic congressional delegation, including U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, also had urged Bernhardt to delay a decision on the Farmington Mancos-Gallup Draft Resource Management Plan amendment and environmental impact statement. https://bit.ly/3gqQAdm – Santa Fe New Mexican

Commentary: Former State Director: BLM Is on Wrong Path
The BLM’s mission is not ideological and does not give preference to certain land-users. Its legal mandate calls for managing public lands for a variety of uses, treating energy generation and conservation equally. But now, the agency is losing sight of that mission. I worry that the nation is on a path that will deeply embed private interests into public lands. https://bit.ly/2TGmUiN – Jim Kenna at High Country News

Feds Issue Preliminary Permits for Little Colorado Dam Proposals
Federal officials have issued preliminary permits for two hydro-storage proposals on the Little Colorado River. The projects would include four dams and four reservoirs east of Grand Canyon National Park. … Groups like the Grand Canyon Trust, Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity say it would destroy the Little Colorado’s ecosystem and the habitat of the endangered humpback chub. The U.S. Interior Department has also objected. In addition, the proposal would flood the Hopi Tribe’s place of emergence, which is one of their most sacred sites. https://bit.ly/3d7LuR9 – KNAU (NPR)

Radiocarbon Recalibration
Radiocarbon dating — a key tool used for determining the age of prehistoric samples — is about to get a major update. For the first time in seven years, the technique is due to be recalibrated using a slew of new data from around the world. https://go.nature.com/2Ad0G0B – Nature

Interview with Adobe Expert David Yubeta
David Yubeta is an adobe brick maker and conservator of earthen architecture. He spent 25 years preserving earthen resources in the arid Southwest for the National Park Service. He is the recipient of a 2019 SFA Master-Apprentice Artist Award. In March, just as shelter-in-place went into effect, Valentina Andrew interviewed Yubeta about his practice. https://bit.ly/3ejY2VB – Border Lore

Archaeologists Find Remains of Sixty Mammoths in Mexico
Archaeologists in Mexico have discovered the remains of dozens of mammoths in a finding that could shed further light on the hunting methods of prehistoric communities. The discoveries were made near the construction site of a new civilian airport, General Felipe Ángeles International Airport, north of Mexico City. They give archaeologists “an unprecedented opportunity to delve into more than 30,000 years of history,” Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History said in a statement Thursday. https://nyti.ms/36z9D0I – New York Times

2020 Arizona Governor’s Awards in Historic Preservation
Beginning Monday May 25th, Memorial Day, we the State Historic Preservation Office and Arizona Preservation Foundation will celebrate the winners of the Governor’s Heritage Preservation Honor Awards and the Governor’s Archaeological Advisory Awards in Public Archaeology. One winner will be celebrated each weekday, alternating between the two awards. Starting this Memorial Day, award winners will be featured on brief films on Facebook. Please show your support by tuning in and commenting with all of your thoughts, reactions, and well wishes on our Conference page, which can be accessed here: https://www.facebook.com/AZHistoricPreservationConference/

Profile of the First Object in the Collection of the Indian Arts Research Center
More than 12,000 objects comprise the collection the School for Advanced Research’s Indian Arts Research Center (660 Garcia St., 505-954-7205, sarweb.org/iarc). Most of them are historic examples of regional Native pottery, textiles, painting, jewelry, and basketry. But this renowned collection of Southwestern Native American art, as it exists today, began with a single object, an 18th-century polychrome vessel from Zuni Pueblo. “This k’yabokya de’ele, or ‘water jar,’ represents the first piece that began our collection in 1922,” says IARC director Elysia Poon. https://bit.ly/2X5uMMw – Santa Fe New Mexican

Blog: Congratulations to Graduating Preservation Archaeology Field School Alumni
A lot of our students from the past two field seasons have graduated in the last two weeks, and are missing the gatherings of family and friends we traditionally have to mark important occasions. A few others who were slated to finish this week graduated a semester or two early, ending 2019 with a more traditional graduation and exciting plans for work, and then finding themselves newly employed in an incredibly uncertain time. When I reached out ask what they were doing, though, the replies they sent me were all positive. Confident. Happy, even. https://bit.ly/2X1FUKq – Karen Gust Schollmeyer at the Preservation Archaeology blog

Blog: Making a Metate
Within the first few hours of this project, I gained some very valuable information. The first, and most obvious, observation was that it takes a long time to peck stone away with stone. I had predicted this, and Allen certainly made it clear, but this could not put it into perspective for me. It took pecking for that many hours for it to really sink in. “I have been pecking for two hours, and you’re telling me I only gained one millimeter?” I asked my ruler as I recorded the measurement. https://bit.ly/2X1Ie49 – Keenan Montoya at the Preservation Archaeology blog

Video: How Did People Make and Use Stone Tools? Part II, Tools of the Trade
Ancient Technologies expert Allen Denoyer brings Hands-On Archaeology directly to you. Although our Hands-On Archaeology classes are on hold, you can experience Allen’s knowledge and instruction through video. In this segment, Allen introduces the flintknapper’s toolkit. https://youtu.be/K1_AHCuwRp8 – Archaeology Southwest (opens at YouTube)

Video: Reopening Utah National Parks
On this episode of “Trib Talk,” Tribune public lands and environment reporter Brian Maffly and the National Parks Conservation Association’s Cory MacNulty discussed the status of national parks opening back up, what to expect and what you need to know before visiting. https://bit.ly/2AcAu6i – Salt Lake Tribune

Video: What Is Fremont, Part 1
If you’ve been hiking in Utah’s canyons, deserts, and mountains you’ve likely come across evidence of the prehistoric people who came before us: the Fremont. Who were these people? How do we know about them? What was life like in this same place, cast a thousand years into the past? Elizabeth Hora has spent a little while thinking about these questions and will use archaeological evidence to reconstruct what the past might have been like for the Fremont people. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1113230475726638 – Utah State Historic Preservation Office

Publication Announcement: Color in the Ancestral Pueblo Southwest
Color in the Ancestral Pueblo Southwest, edited by Marit K. Munson and Kelley Hays-Gilpin. University of Utah Press. https://uofupress.lib.utah.edu/color-in-the-ancestral-pueblo-southwest/

Online Resources, Events, and Opportunities to Help
Editors’ note: Please keep sharing these with us, and we will keep helping to get the word out. Our inbox is sat-editor@archaeologysouthwest.org.

From Foodtank: Organizations Providing Emergency Food Relief to Native Communities During COVID-19: https://bit.ly/36wxRZj

Podcast from Cocopah Now: In “Fingerprints from the Past,” Cocopah Cultural Resources Manager Justin Brundin and Museum Curator Ulises Heredia talk about the connection between pottery, culture, and history. https://bit.ly/2AaAtzU (opens at SoundCloud)

From the School for Advanced Research: We are now highlighting the stories of our scholars and artists in a whole new way. SAR Impacts is a new video series that explores the work of one scholar or artist and showcases its impact and relevance to our world today. https://bit.ly/2A7hJkS

From the Society for American Archaeology: The latest issue of The SAA Archaeological Record is now online and freely available! Enjoy the Special Section: Recovering and Preserving Charleston’s Material Heritage through Archaeology, along with other diverse and engaging content. http://onlinedigeditions.com/publication/?i=660136&ver=html5

From the University of Arizona Press: We dove into the world of Zoom and live-streamed events with our authors across the country. We hosted a series of conversations with our authors, where they shared their poetry, scholarship, and insights into how they crafted their work. If you didn’t have a chance to join us for our panels and conversations, here’s a rundown—really a virtual online celebration of what we love most—books and scholars. https://bit.ly/36yBQVg

From National Parks Traveler: With access to the National Park System slowly reopening, [we] will work to keep you updated on where you can go in the park system. To be on the safe side in case we miss an opening or are late with posting it, check your favorite park’s website to see what is open. Many parks are opening in phases, so listings will be updated as information becomes available. https://bit.ly/2XAQRSr

We’re happy to help get the word out. Please submit news, publication announcements, and other resources to this link for consideration: https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/submit-to-sat/

Questions? sat-editor@archaeologysouthwest.org