Dear Friends,
Usually at this time of year I am scheduling a trip to Cliff, New Mexico, for the closing day of our field school on July 4th. Not this year.
Because I now have grandkids with birthdays on the summer solstice and July 4th, I also have competing priorities at this time of year. And this year the grandkids—and the lure of cooler temperatures in the Poconos of northeastern Pennsylvania—won out.
As a result, Preservation Archaeology Today will be taking next week off. (Kate thought she’d better take the opportunity for some time off herself while I’m away.)
All too often when I head out on a vacation, the first thing that I realize I forgot to pack is my binoculars. Not this time. Both pairs are already in my pack. At Thanksgiving—the last time I was back to visit—I set up a bird feeder so my daughter and grandkids could watch birds from their kitchen table. I have phase 2 of “know your bird neighbors” on my agenda for this holiday, and that involves binoculars.
Speaking of birds. Our latest magazine issue—Revisiting Birds of the Southwest—is out and getting rave(n) reviews. If you are a donor and haven’t received it—it’s on its way. If you aren’t yet, I hope the prospect of holding this magnificent Birds issue in your hands moves you to give so that you can receive it as part of your welcome package.
Enjoy your holiday. We’ll be back in your inbox on July 13.
Best,
President & CEO, Archaeology Southwest
Banner image: Chihuahuan Raven in Arizona. Quinn Dombrowski via Wikimedia Commons
Ninth Circuit Denies Apache Claim to Oak Flat
On Friday, June 24, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that a copper mine in Arizona can proceed with operations while a lawsuit filed by Apache Stronghold is pending. Resolution Copper, a joint venture between Rio Tinto and BHP—both mining companies from Australia—plans to develop one of the largest undeveloped copper deposits in the world near a site that some Apache believe is sacred. … In its lawsuit against the U.S., Apache Stronghold, a nonprofit organization, argued that the 2,422 acres of land the U.S. government exchanged to Resolution Copper includes a ceremonial ground called Chichʼil Bildagoteel, known as “Oak Flat.” The federal court ruled that the land exchange would not violate Tribal members’ religious freedom protections under the U.S. Constitution or the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a 1993 religious liberty law, as Apache Stronghold’s lawsuit contends. Darren Thompson at Native News Online | Read More >>
“As we reach this conclusion, we do not rejoice. Rather, we recognize the deep ties that the Apache have to Oak Flat,” the court said in its 58-page ruling. “This dispute must be resolved as are most others in our pluralistic nation: through the political process.” The dissenting judge said it was “absurd” and “illogical” to think the land swap would not impede Apaches’ religious rights. Ernest Scheyder for Reuters | Read More >>
Continuing Coverage: Bears Ears Commission Re-established
Agencies will meet annually with the commission to develop a work plan for the coming year that will set priorities based on available funding, including research opportunities, establishing a visitor center, interpretive signage and recreation amenities. The inter-tribal coalition members now serve as commissioners. For the past few years, the coalition quietly worked on a proposed management plan that will soon be submitted to the federal agencies, which also initiated a process to produce a management plan to replace the one the Trump administration finalized in 2020 without tribal involvement. Brian Maffly in the Salt Lake Tribune | Read More >>
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Seeks Comments, Hosts Listening Sessions
The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works [OASA(CW)] is engaging with the public on a variety of priority areas to obtain feedback that will inform future potential policy decision-making. The OASA(CW) recently released a Federal Register notice announcing virtual sessions regarding the modernization of the Civil Works program through policy initiatives to better serve the needs of Tribal Nations and disadvantaged communities. These sessions are intended to gather input to inform future decision-making on Tribal consultation policy, Appendix C, and Environmental Justice. Written recommendations must be received on or before August 2, 2022. The Army will hold a virtual overview of the policy initiatives on June 22, 2022. The Army will hold public virtual meetings on the following dates: July 11, 2022, July 14, 2022, July 18, 2022, July 20, 2022, and July 26, 2022. In addition, the Army will hold Tribal virtual meetings on the following dates: July 7, 2022, July 12, 2022, July 19, 2022, July 21, 2022, and July 27, 2022. USACE | Learn More >>
Podcast: Ethics in Museum Collections
With Chris Stantis. Chris is a bioarchaeologist who works with stable isotope studies of human remains to learn about their pasts. Recent research has brought intense ethical considerations to the forefront of her work. Join us as we explore what these questions mean today, and how working through these hard questions we can bring together collaborative community learning spaces of the museum of the future. The Women in Archaeology Podcast | Listen Now >>
Dispatches from the Preservation Archaeology Field School
Jorge Barceló (University of Arizona), Knapping by the River >>
Rena Schrager (Temple University), Finders But Not Always Keepers >>
Publication Announcement: Revisiting Birds in the Southwest
“Revisiting Birds in the Southwest,” Archaeology Southwest Magazine Vol. 35, Nos. 1–2, edited by Katelyn J. Bishop and Christopher W. Schwartz. Learn More >>
Publication Announcement: Vapaki
Vapaki: Ancestral O’Odham Platform Mounds of the Sonoran Desert, edited by Glen E. Rice, Arleyn W. Simon and Chris Loendorf. University of Utah Press 2023. Learn More (opens as a PDF) >>
June 30 Webinar: Holes in Our Moccasins, Holes in Our Stories: Apachean Origins and the Promontory Caves
With John Ives. Dr. Ives’s research has involved new excavations in Promontory Caves 1 and 2 that reinforce Steward’s conclusion that the early Promontory Phase resulted from an intrusive, large game hunting population, particularly of bison, very different from nearby late Fremont communities. While lingering for just one or two human generations, the cave occupants began to accept people as well as material and symbolic culture from surrounding AD 13th-century neighbors. Crow Canyon Archaeological Center | More Information and Zoom Registration >>
July Subscription Lectures (In-Person, Santa Fe)
July 11, Don J. Usner, My Chimayo: Culture, History, and Family; July 18, Emily Lena Jones, Horses and Indigenous People; July 25, Michael S. Vigil, The Underbelly of Mexican Cartels. Southwest Seminars | Learn More >>
July 7 Webinar: Ancestral Pueblo Fishing Strategies
With Jonathan Dombrosky. It is commonly assumed that fishes were unimportant in the diet of past Pueblo people in the U.S. Southwest. Yet, small numbers of fish remains are consistently recovered from Late pre-Hispanic/Early Historic archaeological sites in the Middle Rio Grande of New Mexico. The end of drought conditions may have been one factor that impacted food choice and fishing decisions during this time. Fishing could have been a reliably good source of food for Ancestral Pueblo farmers in small quantities. Crow Canyon Archaeological Center | More Information and Zoom Registration >>
July 7 In-Person Event (Flagstaff AZ): An Evening with R.E. Burrillo
Join the local Flagstaff author at Late for the Train for the formal launch of his two books, Behind the Bears Ears: Exploring the Cultural and Natural Histories of a Sacred Landscape (published October 2020) and The Backwoods of Everywhere: Words from a Wandering Local (to be published July 19, 2022). This event marks the special pre-release of The Backwoods of Everywhere. Get it before it hits the shelves! A reading from both books will be followed by a Q&A and book signing. Bright Side Bookshop and Late for the Train | More Information >>
Position Announcement: Assistant Manager, Permits Office (Tucson AZ)
The incumbent assists in fulfilling ASM’s state-mandated responsibilities. In coordination with the AAA Administrator, the incumbent is primarily responsible for the daily operations of the ASM Permits Office, including handling public inquiries, records management, and processing of AAA Permit applications and materials received pursuant to state law. Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona | Learn More >>
Please send us notice of upcoming webinars and Zoom lectures, tours and workshops, and anything else you’d like to share with the friends.