Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Preservation Archaeology News, September 2007

Update: Progress on Preservation Efforts at Camp Naco

Center President Bill Doelle shares up-to-the-minute information about efforts to save the endangered adobe military complex.

Many of our readers are aware of the rich history and grim state of Camp Naco (sometimes called Camp Newell) as reported in the fall 2006 issue of Archaeology Southwest. Built between 1919 and 1923, the installation first housed military personnel during the Mexican Border Defense campaign and later served as a base camp for the Civilian Conservation Corps. Troops encamped at the facility included units of the renowned Buffalo Soldiers. The only Western camp made of adobe—and, ironically, the only one that remains fairly intact—Camp Naco has suffered tragic vandalism, severe erosion, and disastrous arson.

The Camp Naco Arizona Preservation Committee (CNAPC) and the Town of Huachuca City now lead the charge to rehabilitate and preserve Camp Naco. On May 19th, volunteers from the Fort Huachuca Basic Officer Leadership Course helped remove extensive brush and trash in and around the structures. Soon afterwards, Huachuca City secured an award from the Arizona Heritage Fund, and we helped the CNAPC obtain an additional $17,500 in funding from the Southwestern Foundation for Education and Historical Preservation. As a result of the CNAPC’s efforts and those of a host of concerned partners, on August 30th Camp Naco was declared one of Arizona’s Most Endangered Historic Places. This designation by the Arizona Preservation Foundation raises awareness of the Camp’s historic significance and critical state. Moreover, the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office has determined that the site is eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places as a military district, and the CNAPC plans to submit a full National Register nomination form in early 2008. And I’m pleased to report that I learned on September 17th that the Town of Huachuca City will contract with asbestos abatement specialists and a fencing company in the very near future. These are two essential steps in protecting Camp Naco and preparing it for access by a team of University of Arizona students led by Brooks Jeffery who will conduct a thorough condition assessment of the remaining structures. Everyone involved should be truly proud of their work on behalf of this historic resource.

Camp Naco still desperately needs your help. To find out more, contact Debby Swartzwelder, Secretary of the Camp Naco Arizona Preservation Committee, at debby_j@cox.net.

To read about other endangered places in Arizona, check out http://www.azpreservation.org/c_endangered.php.

To order the issue of Archaeology Southwest that features Camp Naco and archaeology of the borderlands, click here: http://www.cdarc.org/store/.


Speak Out: Lower San Pedro Valley Threatened

A proposed interstate bypass could impact a region rich with 12,000 years of human heritage. Find out what’s going on and what you can do about it.

As our regular readers and visitors to the Center may know, the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has been conducting preliminary assessment of the necessity and feasibility of a transportation corridor (or “bypass”) from the Buckeye area to eastern Arizona. One of the proposed routes would result in an interstate highway running directly through the Lower San Pedro River Valley. Center staff and associates are monitoring the situation closely and advocating against this route and several alternatives because of the serious threat posed to irreplaceable cultural resources. As of early September, ADOT officials have indicated that the San Pedro route remains under consideration. ADOT will present its findings to the Arizona Board of Transportation in October and the public in November. Time is of the essence—you must act now!

To read more about the plan and organized, community-based opposition to it, visit the extensive and informative website of the Cascabel Working Group, residents and land owners of the Middle San Pedro Valley (roughly from the Tres Alamos Wash Bridge to the San Manuel city limits) who have voluntarily joined together in protest: http://i10bypassinfo.us.

For more information about the ADOT assessment, and to provide your comments to ADOT via an electronic form, go to http://tpd.azdot.gov/planning/i10bypass.php.

The Cascabel Working Group website offers additional options for voicing your concerns to ADOT.

Thank you for acting to preserve our shared heritage in the San Pedro!


Become Acquainted: Deborah Huntley and Kate Sarther

In early September two new staff members joined the Center family. We hope you’ll join us in extending a warm welcome to Preservation Archaeologist Deborah Huntley and Membership Coordinator Kate Sarther.

Deborah Huntley
Although Deb’s expertise is in Southwestern prehistory, particularly ceramic studies, she has worked on archaeological projects in Arizona, New Mexico, southern California, and even Germany.

Deb completed her undergraduate studies in Anthropology at the University of Colorado, graduating in 1991. She received her Master’s degree in 1995 (in Anthropology and Museum Studies) and her Doctoral degree in Anthropology in 2004, both from Arizona State University. Deb worked for several years in Cultural Resource Management in San Diego, California, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. She also has taught Anthropology courses at several Arizona and New Mexico community colleges.

Kate Sarther
Kate’s archaeological career began at the University of Chicago, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and assisted the Collections staff at the Oriental Institute Museum for many years. Her professional training in archaeological preservation and collections management landed her in Syria, Turkey, Egypt, Crete, and ultimately Tucson, where she received a Master’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Arizona in 1997.

During her tenure as assistant curator in the Archaeological Repository at the Arizona State Museum, Kate focused on the curation challenges embodied by older collections as well as the storage crisis incurred by exponential growth in new collections throughout the American Southwest.

Read more about Deb and Kate here:
http://www.cdarc.org/pages/about/kate.php
http://www.cdarc.org/pages/about/d_huntley.php


Participate: Events and Resources You Should Know About

Monthly
One Friday each month, the Center opens its doors—and sometimes a few closets—for a Behind the Scenes tour and overview of current projects. Please contact Linda or Kate if you’d like to join us, (520) 882-6946, kate@cdarc.org, or lpierce@cdarc.org.

Saturday, October 13, 2007
Open House and Publication Clearance Sale! 40-60% off
From 9:00 a.m. to noon, meet Center staff, learn about ongoing projects, and tour our facility. Browse titles in the Center’s shady courtyard or go online that day to take advantage of these deep discounts on almost all of our publications.
The Center is located in the historic YWCA building at 300 E. University Boulevard, just west of the intersection of 4th Avenue and University Blvd. Street parking is available in the surrounding area, and check www.cdarc.org for updated parking information prior to the event. To check out our online store, go to www.cdarc.org/store/.

Wednesday, October 17, 31 & November 14, 2007
Prehistorical Oracle: Ballcourts, Ruins, Rock Art
Join archaeologist and former Center staff member Sarah Luchetta to learn why Oracle was an important region within the prehistoric Southwest. In this series of lectures and field trips, you’ll visit Hohokam sites in the Black Mountains west of Oracle, the Romero Ruins at Catalina State Park, and the Baby Jesus Rock Art Site at the base of the Catalinas.
Offered through Central Arizona College, the class will be held at Oracle State Park from 6:00–7:30 p.m. To register, call Priscilla at Central Arizona College, (520) 357-2817. The series is $75 for three Wednesday evening lectures and three Saturday field trips (Oct. 20, Nov. 3 & 17, from 9:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.).

Thursday, November 1, 2007
Center President Bill Doelle will address a private gathering of the Bisbee Corral of the Westerners on Prehistoric Population Collapse in the Southern Southwest: A Perspective from the San Pedro Valley. To have Bill speak to your organization, contact Kate at (520) 882-6946 or kate@cdarc.org.

Monday, December 17, 2007
The Center’s own Doug Gann will share his perspective on Preservation Archaeology at Casa Malpais as part of the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society’s (AAHS) Lecture Series. Meetings are held at the University Medical Center’s Duval Auditorium from 7:30–9:00 p.m., and are open to the public.

Everyday
Temperatures drop, shadows grow long—time to get out there! Did you know that the Center’s website features visitors’ guides to most of the major publicly accessible archaeological sites in the Southwest? Experience the resources you’re helping to preserve. Check out Visiting Places of the Past at http://www.cdarc.org/pages/library/online_exhibit_visit.php.


This just in!

Delayed, but coming soon—a special 20-page issue of Archaeology Southwest on “The Hohokam Archaeology of the Tucson Basin.”

The summer issue of ESRI’s e-zine, ArcUser, features an article by J. Brett Hill (Center for Desert Archaeology), Mathew Devitt (University of New Mexico, former CDA), and Marina Sergeyeva (University of Illinois) entitled “Understanding Past and Future Land Use: Modeling Archaeological Sensitivity.” To read about how the team employed GIS data to create an archaeological sensitivity map of Santa Cruz County, which in turn aids development planning in the proposed Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area, go to
http://www.esri.com/news/arcuser/0507/pastlanduse.html.


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The Center for Desert Archaeology is a private nonprofit organization that promotes the stewardship of archaeological and historical resources in the American Southwest and Mexican Northwest through active research, preservation efforts, and public education.

You can help us pursue this mission by becoming a member or making a donation
on-line at http://www.cdarc.org/pages/getinvolved/. Thank you!

Board of Directors
William H. Doelle, President
Al Arpad, Vice President
Bernard Siquieros, Secretary
Peter Boyle, Treasurer
Diana Hadley, member-at-large

Advisory Board
Hester A. Davis, Arkansas Archaeological Survey (retired)
Don D. Fowler, University of Nevada, Reno
William D. Lipe, Washington State University
Margaret Nelson, Arizona State University
William J. Robinson, University of Arizona Tree Ring Lab (retired)
James Snead, George Mason University
Elisa Villalpando, Centro INAH Sonora

Contact us at:
http://www.cdarc.org

Center for Desert Archaeology
300 E. University Blvd., Ste. 230
Tucson, AZ 85705 USA
phone: 520-882-6946
fax: 520-882-6948

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