2025
29
Sep
Continuing Coverage & Commentary: Imminent Threats to Public Lands, Parks, and History
Dear Friends,
Another week, another road trip or two.
Honestly, I’m still getting used to the post-Labor Day change in cadence here in Tucson. The extreme heat and the lack of students and snow birds in town really do mean that life is slower in summer. This past weekend, in order to make ti...
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2025
29
Sep
Celebrating Tribal Historic Preservation: Our Takeaways from the NATHPO Conference
Skylar Begay (Diné, Mandan and Hidatsa), Director, Tribal Collaboration in Outreach & Advocacy
with
Anastasia Walhovd (Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa), BIA ARPA Assistance Initiative & Save History
Shannon Cowell, Director, BIA ARPA Assistance Initiative & Save History
Amy...
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2025
29
Sep
Advocating for Public Lands in 2025
Skylar Begay (Diné, Mandan and Hidatsa), Director, Tribal Collaboration in Outreach & Advocacy
(September 29, 2025)—There is no mistaking that protections for public lands, and even public lands themselves, are under attack.
You may have seen how the entire country came together to stop t...
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2025
22
Sep
Celebrate Public Lands Day This Weekend
Dear Friends,
This week, I bring greetings from northern New Mexico! Yesterday, I drove my favorite blue highways through southeastern Arizona and west-central New Mexico, to ultimately arrive in Albuquerque and then Santa Fe for a couple days’ work with the Department of Cultural Affairs.
O...
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2025
16
Sep
Tribal Leaders Push for Chaco Protections
Dear Friends,
Some of you long-timers already know this history, so bear with me for the folks who don’t.
This weekly newsletter, Preservation Archaeology Today, has been around in some form or another for more than two decades.
Its earliest iteration was founded by archaeologist Brian W....
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2025
08
Sep
Continuing Coverage: Smithsonian’s Initial Response
Dear Friends,
This past weekend, I drove to Cortez, Colorado, to attend a beautiful celebration of Dr. William (Bill) Lipe’s life. Bill passed away on April 9, 2025, about a month shy of his 90th birthday. He lived a remarkably full life, as a person and an archaeologist.
The event took plac...
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2025
01
Sep
Tucson’s Big Block Party Was a Big Success
Dear Friends,
On Saturday, August 23, thousands of people gathered in downtown Tucson to celebrate Tucson’s 250th anniversary. The air was hot and the mood was festive. Vendors and exhibitors in and around the Presidio San Agustín del Tucsón showcased the myriad cultures, religions, nationali...
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2025
01
Sep
Hands-On Archaeology: How to Use Lac, the Amazing, Mystical Mastic
We hope you enjoy this post from our most prolific blogger, Allen Denoyer. Thanks for all the great posts, Allen!
Allen Denoyer, Ancient Technologies Expert
(August 29, 2025)—Earlier this year, I shared information about how to ethically harvest lac. Prior to that, conservator Marilen Pool wrote...
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2025
18
Aug
Erasing History at US Museums and Parks
Dear Friends,
The assault continues.
On August 12, the White House announced an unprecedented review of exhibitions at the Smithsonian Institution’s 21 museums. Political appointees and administration loyalists—many of whom have little to no museum experience, much less expertise in the sc...
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2025
11
Aug
From the Field School: The Gift of Finding
Sonya Norton, Arizona State University
(July 29, 2025)—Searching for Mimbres rock art at NAN Ranch on a scorching 91-degree day with an extreme UV index of 13 presented a challenging but ultimately rewarding experience. The landscape, a typical Southwestern New Mexico high desert shrubland, featu...
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2025
04
Aug
Pecos Conference Convenes This Week
Dear Friends,
In a few days, hundreds of Southwestern archaeologists, including some from Archaeology Southwest, will gather near Blanding, Utah, for the annual Pecos Conference.
The Pecos Conference—then called the Southwestern Archaeology Conference–was first held in August, 1927, in Pec...
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2025
30
Jul
From the Field School: Goodbyes and New Beginnings
Emily Vandian, Glendale Community College
(July 30, 2025)—Yesterday was our goodbye party, and the last time I will see some of the people here. As I am writing this, lying in my bed with my stuff halfway to being packed, I am so glad I had this opportunity. Just a few minutes ago, we helped load...
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