2022
30
Nov
Breaking: Biden to Declare Avi Kwa Ame National Monument
Dear Friends,
I’ll get to a story about a gentle Buddhist woman and her “fly pistol” in a bit, but first I need to tell you about intervening in public lands court cases.
Last week, we highlighted that the Tribes of the Bears Ears Coalition filed to intervene in the two lawsuits brought ...
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2022
09
Aug
Unfencing Conservation (and the Future)
Dear Friends,
I was up half an hour earlier than usual Monday morning. As a result, I had to strap on my headlamp to safely reach my office in our side yard for my 20 minutes on the elliptical. As I opened the gate, my light illuminated a nascent spider web. The small spider glowed in the light, ...
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2022
04
May
Chaco and Naco
Dear Friends,
Today let’s start with two short words that rhyme and two consecutive numbers. Chaco and Naco. 10 and 11.
Chaco—actually the Greater Chaco Cultural Landscape—is threatened by oil and gas extraction. I sincerely hope that you will take two actions as soon as possible. First,...
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2022
26
Apr
Tunnel Fire Swept through Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
Dear Friends,
I’m in the field this morning, doing some filming in the few hours before the temperatures in the Great Bend of the Gila reach triple digits, so I have to keep this short.
In this week following Earth Day, when so much of the news is about war and climate change impacts, I am g...
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2022
29
Mar
Chaco Protection Zone Comment Period Extended
Dear Friends,
Last week Archaeology Southwest staff had a glorious 10-hour field trip along the San Pedro River. It was pretty much a perfect day.
Before I head to the Society for American Archaeology’s annual meeting in Chicago this week, I want to share with you another field day from ...
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2022
15
Mar
Respect the Great Bend of the Gila
Dear Friends,
Tucson has a magnificent Festival of Books that returned in-person on the University of Arizona mall last weekend. Archaeology Southwest had a booth, and I spent the afternoon in near-constant conversation with many people who are avidly pursuing knowledge, insight, entertainment,...
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2022
23
Feb
Nevada Rep. Titus Introduces Bill to Establish Avi Kwa Ame National Monument
Dear Friends,
At Archaeology Southwest, the “Great Resignation” is fueling the “Big Hiring.”
Since January 1 of this year, we have added six new hires. Three are replacements, one is a move to a new position, and two are brand-new hires.
As we come out of the seemingly interminable ...
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2022
08
Feb
Comments on Greater Chaco 10-Mile Protection Zone Due by April 6
Dear Friends,
Feedback.
My cat brought the word home to me in a very literal way yesterday morning. Ah, yes. Cats, those sleep-prone animals, tend to have delicate stomachs. You really don’t want their, uhm, feedback.
And a week or so ago, a (former) reader of Preservation Archaeology Tod...
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2022
08
Feb
Time to Step up to Protect Chaco!
Paul F. Reed, Preservation Archaeologist
(February 8, 2022)—In November 2021, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced the withdrawal of 351,000 acres of Federal surface land from oil-gas development in a 10-mile zone around Chaco Culture National Historical Park.
As our supporters know, we ...
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2022
11
Jan
Bureau of Land Management Moves to Protect Chaco, Opens Public Comment Period
Dear Friends,
Last Sunday morning I happened to glance out my kitchen window. On the power pole about 100 yards away was a very large white-breasted bird. It had to be a hawk. But it was really large.
Fearing it would fly away, I moved swiftly to grab my bird guide and binoculars. I got a ...
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2021
30
Nov
Secretary Haaland, Tribal Leaders Celebrate Chaco Protections
Dear Friends,
It was wonderful to spend Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania with my daughter and my grandkids. It’s also good to be back in Tucson.
My travels really brought home that there is a lot of change going on among professionals and colleagues across the nation. New job prospects are pro...
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2021
15
Nov
Chaco Protection Zone Comes Closer to Being a Reality
Taos, N.M. (November 15, 2021)—Earlier today, at the administration’s first White House Tribal Nations Summit, President Biden and Secretary Haaland announced that the Department of the Interior will take action to protect the Greater Chaco Landscape in northwest New Mexico. Secretary Haaland ha...
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