NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, April 16, 2025, 6:00 PM at 2045 Memory Lane in Silver City, New Mexico. The GCAS's next monthly IN-PERSON ONLY meeting features speaker geoarchaeologist Dave Rachal PhD of Tierra Vieja Consulting in Las Cruces NM. Doors open at 6:00 PM with light refreshments on offer. Socializing and a brief-to-nonexistent business meeting will immediately precede Dave's presentation of: How Did The Seeds Get There? Ruppia cirrhosa Ecology, Depositional Context and Accurate Radiocarbon Dating at White Sands: "The stratigraphic and geomorphic contexts, and ultimately the chronometric determinations, at White Sands Locality-2 (WHSA-2) are topics of controversy that stem from conflicting interpretations of the processes that deposited the Ruppia cirrhosa (Ruppia) seeds within the paleo-Lake Otero footprint site....[O]ur interpretation depicts the shoreline as an unstable, dynamic lake margin to which Ruppia seeds...were transported from deep-water, offshore growth beds during storm events and deposited on the lake shore in seed balls. These unusual aggregates, known to mix seeds of wide-ranging ages, were gradually broken apart by several cycles of wave action and erosion and redeposited in layers....[W]e will delve into both the ecology and the depositional context of Ruppia and discuss why the Ruppia seeds at paleo-Lake Otero are problematic materials for radiocarbon dating." Check out Dave's and Tierra Vieja Consulting's YouTube videos (links are on our Events page) and bring your questions for him!

NEXT FIELD TRIP: TBA - watch this space and your newsletters for details as they develop.

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March 2021

February 2021

MAREC Progress Report - Phase II

A few spots of bad weather have periodically slowed down work in the two rooms the GCAS is rehabbing in the historic Wood House, but during the past several weeks one GCAS volunteer, working solo, has completed the floor repairs. Floor-leveling and plywood sheathing are done and the floor in both rooms awaits finishing with engineered hardwood flooring. The below-ground-level work is back-breaking.

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Our MAREC Donors Are Sharing the Love

Feel the LoveThe GCAS members and friends listed below are our very special Valentines. As of this writing, they have contributed a combined total of $5452.12 toward our goal of $10,000 to rehabilitate and upgrade the historic Wood House at the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site. Thanks to them and a few anonymous donors our GCAS volunteers are hard at work making structural repairs in two ground-floor rooms that will become the Mimbres Archaeological Research and Education Center. We are excited about what more we can accomplish in the coming months, so please join these generous folks in helping the GCAS move ahead:

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Online Via Zoom: Our February 17, 2021, Featured Speaker: Lawrence (Larry) Loendorf

Larry-loendorf Larry Loendorf excavating in front of Main rock art panel  Valley of the Shields  MontanaJoin us Wednesday, February 17, 2021, at 7:00 PM on Zoom to hear our Featured Speaker, Lawrence (Larry) Loendorf of Sacred Sites Research, Inc. explain the relationships he and other anthropologists, archaeologists, and ethnobotanists have studied between "Medicinal Plants and Rock Art Sites in Southern New Mexico."

Larry was born and raised in Montana. His BA and MA degrees are in anthropology and archaeology from the University of Montana and his PhD is from the University of Missouri-Columbia. After receiving his PhD, he taught at the University of North Dakota for 22 years and then moved to undertake research and teaching at the University of Arizona and New Mexico State University. He currently manages Sacred Sites Research, Inc., a non-profit company that is dedicated to protecting ancient pictograph and petroglyph sites.

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MAREC Fundraising Update

5352As of this writing our GCAS members and friends have contributed a total of $5352.12 toward our MAREC project. The repairs to the rotted flooring and floor joists in 2 rooms are almost complete, and wiring upgrades are also underway. Up next: installing ceiling lights and encapsulating the unusable fireplace in the future library room. Follow along as we post progress photos here and on our GCAS Facebook page - and please help if you can by donating here or by emailing us to volunteer some of your time - there's a job suitable for every skill set.

Thank you, everyone!

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To Repeat: Everything Helps the GCAS MAREC Project

MAREC-Menu-2-imageThe GCAS never wants anyone to have hardship or feel bad that they can't give a substantial donation to the GCAS. But, many people don’t realize that even the smallest gift goes a long way toward our goal. Click on this image over there on the right, for another list of examples of the exact numbers that it takes to keep us moving forward with our MAREC project, and how we will spend the money you contribute. Don't forget we are also grateful if you can volunteer some of your time in future months when the interior rehab begins in earnest. Thank you for your generosity, whatever form it takes!

Donate here, either online or by standard mail.

Contact us by email or telephone Marianne Smith at 772-529-2627 if questions or for arranging to volunteer your time in the future.

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