NPS Chaco Research Online & Arizona Archaeology Expo Planning

Southwestern Archaeology Making the News - A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

- Summary of the Chaco Intentional Site Reburial Program Available On-Line: Through the Vanishing Treasures Initiative of the NPS, sixteen major excavated structures in the park have been partially reburied over the past 12 years. Some 6,000 sq m of masonry has been reburied, representing about one-eighth of all exposed masonry. The replacement of eroded mortar and stone is now more manageable and the required treatments less invasive. The intentional site reburial plan proposes in the next 5 years to partially rebury an additional 8 to10 excavated structures resulting in about one quarter of the total exposed fabric in the Park being reburied.
http://www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/npSites/chacoReburial.htm

- Summary of the Chaco Digital Initiative Project Also Available On-Line: The Chaco Digital Initiative (CDI) is a collaborative effort between the NPS, the University of Virginia, and a number of museums, universities, archives, and laboratories to integrate much of the widely dispersed archeological data collected from Chaco Canyon in the late 1890s and the first half of the 20th century. Its goal is to ensure that these early archeological research records are preserved and accessible to future generations. Currently, these materials are housed at numerous repositories around the country, making it difficult to answer even fundamental research questions. The Chaco Digital Initiative is making the research and human history of this national treasure more easily available through a comprehensive digital research archive, parts of which can be accessed through a public website.
http://www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/npSites/chaco.htm

- Lecture at Eastern Arizona College will Discuss the Term "Anasazi:" Eastern Arizona College’s Discover Anthropology lecture series will open this spring semester on Jan. 5, 6:30 p.m., with a slide lecture entitled “Who Were the Anasazi?” The free lecture, given by Dr. Harry Swanson, will take place in the Jupiter Room of the Gov Aker Observatory located on the College’s Discovery Park Campus. In this program Swanson will explain who the Anasazi were by discussing the origin of the name, its meaning and why modern Pueblo peoples generally prefer the term “Ancestral Pueblo Peoples.”
http://www.cdarc.org/page/h27e - Eastern Arizona Courier

- Californian Costal Archaeology is the Topic of the Next Meeting of the Pacific Coast Archaeology Society: The Society's January 10th meeting will feature Jamie Cleland and Andrew York speaking on “Settlement and Ceremony at Landing Hill: A Place Remembered.” Meeting information: Thursday, September 13, 2007, 7:30 pm at the Irvine Ranch Water District, 15600 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine, CA. Meeting is free and open to the public. For information:
http://www.pcas.org

- Planning for Arizona Archaeology Expo: Third Archaeology Expo Planning Meeting, 2008 Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month, Monday January 7, 2008 at 10:30 a.m.
Room 309, North Building Arizona State Museum, U of A, Tucson. Please come and share your ideas as the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) continues planning for the 2008 Arizona Archaeology Expo that will be held on March 1-2, 2008 at the Arizona State Museum, the University of Arizona in Tucson. We will be exchanging ideas with the various partners; discussing programming, publicity, lay out and organization, sponsors, funding, off-site activities, etc. The SHPO values our partnerships with you – we hope to see you at this meeting, and at future planning efforts, for the 2008 AAHAM public programming. For More Information, Please Contact: Ann Howard, Public Archaeology Programs Manager State Historic Preservation Office
602/542-7138, avh2@azstateparks.gov or Rich Lange, Arizona State Museum
520/621-6275, langer@email.arizona.edu

- Arizona Archaeology Expo Posters Now Available: The posters for the 2008 celebration of Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month (AAHAM) are here! Please feel free to stop by and pick some up (at the Arizona SHPO/State Parks office); we appreciate your efforts in helping to get them posted for the public to see. If you are unable to pick your posters up and you are not on our mailing list, please let me know and we will send you some. Thanks again for your support for Arizona's heritage education endeavors! Sincerely, Ann Howard. Public Archaeology Programs Manager and Archaeological Compliance Specialist, State Historic Preservation Office avh2@azstateparks.gov

- Hotel Rooms for Expo Avialable at Discounted Rate: If you are going to be participating in this year's Arizona Archaeology Expo at the Arizona State Museum, U or A, Tucson, on March 1-2, 2008, you can stay in a block of rooms that the InnSuites (475 N. Granada) has reserved for us. They are giving all Expo participants the state government rate of $119.00 (plus 12.1% tax and $1.00 sur charge) per night. They are holding a block of 20 rooms for Friday night, February 29th and 30 rooms for Saturday night, March 1st – they will only hold this block of rooms until January 29th, so I recommend that you make your reservations soon. This is also the peak tourist season in Tucson. Contact Info: Call Reservations, at 800-842-4242 and ask for a room in the “Arizona Archaeology Expo” block. They are holding these rooms for the nights of 2/29 and 3/1 only, so if you would like to come on an earlier date or stay for an extra day, you will need to make that clear when you make the reservations. We have been told that they will honor the state government rate for those extra days, too, subject to room availability! (Since this will be their peak tourist season, please note that they are requiring 48 hours [not 24 hours] for cancellations of reservations prior to arrival date without penalty; if you cancel in less than 48 hours of your reserved arrival date, you will be charged for one night.) ease let me know if you have any questions – 602-542-7138 or e-mail (avh2@azstateparks.gov). Thanks, and looking forward to seeing you at the Expo!