Balancing Preservation and Development, Endangered Sites In Arizona

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

- The Economist Points to Land Developers Finding a Successful Balance Between Development and Archaeological Preservation: Under Utah law developers are under no obligation to preserve, or even reveal the existence of, archaeological remains. Work is supposed to stop if human remains are discovered, but only for a few days. Even this modest law may be widely flouted. Kevin Jones, the state archaeologist, says many developers believe the discovery of bones will lead to the state or an Indian tribe seizing private land. Fearing that, some will probably order the bulldozers quietly to bury what they unearth. Yet this is beginning to change. Milo McCowan, who owns the 280-acre plot near Kanab, plans to preserve virtually all the archaeological remains he finds. Houses will skirt the richest sites, where digs will continue for decades. Aside from the inherent interest of the remains, this is a handy way of making the development different from thousands of similar ones in the West. In a fast-growing area where many buyers lack roots, a bit of local history may help sales.
http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11332452

- Arizona Preservation Foundation seeking Arizona's Most Endangered Places: The Arizona Preservation Foundation is accepting nominations for its 2008 list of Arizona's Most Endangered Historic Places. Compiled by preservation professionals and historians, the list identifies critically endangered properties of major historical or archaeological significance to the state. Properties selected for the Most Endangered Historic Places list will receive the Foundations assistance in developing support to remove the threat. The list will be announced at the 6th Annual Arizona Statewide Historic Preservation Conference, June 12-14, 2008 in Rio Rico, AZ.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/59kw - Yahoo News
http://www.azpreservation.org

- Travelogue - Canyon De Chelly: “People visit Canyon de Chelly for the scenery, history and the chance to learn about Navajo culture,” said Rosanda Bahe, motel supervisor for Thunderbird Lodge, the only lodging facility inside Canyon de Chelly National Monument. “The mood here is tranquil, and it doesn’t seem to take our guests long to adapt to the slower pace of the canyon.”
http://travelvideo.tv/news/more.php?id=14435_0_1_0_M

- Employment Opportunity: Southwest Archaeological Consultants is hiring archaeologists for various field projects beginning immediately. Work is in and around Santa Fe and outside Grants, New Mexico. Most projects are excavation, with some survey identified for the rest of the year. For the immediate projects outside Grants, NM, housing is provided in the field as the area is remote; the daily food allowance is$30.00/day. Wages are based on experience, with a sliding scale of $10.50 to 13.00 for archaeologist positions. Please forward a resume, complete with references, to Southwest Archaeological Consultants, P.O. Box 5586, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87502. Your resume and references also can be sent by electronic mail to cscheick@aol.com.

- Employment Opportunity: The Quemado Ranger District of the Gila National Forest is filling a term archaeologist position. The position would last at least 13 months and be located in Quemado, New Mexico. The vacancy announcement is ADS08-R3-GIL-1065D (P-CL) for an Archeologist, GS-0193-11 position. The scheduled open date is 05/14/2008 and the close date is 06/11/2008. Upon the open date the announcement will be accessible at http://www.avuedigitalservices.com/usfs/applicant.html or http://www.avuecentral.com, in addition to http://www.usajobs.com. Applications must be submitted electronically through Avue Digital Services (see link above) by June 11th. You can attach your resume/CV in Avue - please do not email it. If you have any questions about this position please contact Kyra Walton at kiwalton@fs.fed.us or 575-773-4678. Government housing is available- please contact Kyra for further details.