9th Circuit Court Reverses Itself on Native American Religious Freedom, 2008 Pecos Conference

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

- 9th Circuit Court Overturns Ruling Protecting Native American Religious Rights, Effluent Will Be Allowed at Snowbowl: A federal appellate court on Friday sided with a Flagstaff ski resort, ruling that its plan for using reclaimed wastewater to make artificial snow does not violate the religious freedom of Native Americans. The ruling sets up a potential showdown at the U.S. Supreme Court, where Arizona tribal leaders, environmental groups and their attorneys pledge to appeal their case.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/kg16 - Arizona Republic

- 2008 Pecos Conference a Smashing Success: Despite two drenching thunderstorms, over 600 professional and avocational archaeologists gathered in tents near Flagstaff to review field research and special topics in southwestern archaeology. With the gracious assistance of professional videographer Betsy Hamilton of Interpark, Inc., the Center for Desert Archaeology recorded many of the presentations for future online educational purposes. Brian Kenny's digital efforts allowed for remote internet access and online blogging. Brian's "twitter" diary of the conference is available at
http://twitter.com/dogyears

- Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society Awards Recognize Outstanding Contributions to Southwestern Archaeology: Four persons were honored at the 2008 Pecos Conference. Bryant Bannister and David R Wilcox received the Byron S. Cummings Award; Agnese Nelms Haury and Adriel Heisey were presented with the Victor R. Stoner Award for Outstanding Contributions to Public Archaeology or Historic Preservation.

- New Arizona State Museum Exhibit Gallery Construction Slated to Begin in 2009: The University of Arizona intends to start building the combined UA Science Center and Arizona State Museum in the summer of 2009 if the city can secure funding for Rio Nuevo projects. UA is nearing completion of schematic designs that provide the basic layout for two museums sharing a lobby, loading docks, and other facilities, said Robert R. Smith, UA's assistant vice president of design and construction.
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/local/92764.php

- Debunking Grand Canyon Egyptians: Yes, indeed—on April 5, 1909, The Phoenix Gazette, my Arizona journalism alma mater, did run a story over a stacked headline that read EXPLORATIONS IN GRAND CANYON! Mysteries of Immense Rich Cavern being brought to light—Jordan is enthused—Remarkable finds indicate ancient people migrated from Orient. The story below these headlines went on to tell of an exploration sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution involving S.A. Jordan and G.E. Kincaid, an adventurer.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/42wr

- Travelogue, Navajo Nation: This is not America. The Navajo own a slice of Arizona almost as big as Scotland, where history and culture predate Columbus—and John Wayne. They say Americans don't walk. Well, they do in the Navajo Nation—because even if northern Arizona has gigabytes of photogenic vistas, getting out of the car is the only way to get your boots covered in desert dust and soak up the silence.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/lfn - The Guardian

- Comcast Blocks Delivery of Southwestern Archaeology Today for Roughly 400 Subscribers: If you’re a regular reader of the Southwestern Archaeology Today newsletter, and noticed that we have not been in your inbox of late, odds are that Comcast's anti-spam system blocked delivery of your copy of SAT. If you wish to catch up, newsletters are archived at Blogspot and the Center for Desert Archaeology's website.
http://www.cdarc.org/pages/articles.php?req=category&cat_id=28