NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, December 20, 2023, at 6:00PM: it's the GCAS annual holiday get-together at 2045 Memory Lane in Silver City! Our holiday custom is to have a potluck with a virtually nonexistent business meeting and no official program, followed by a white-elephant gift exchange and general holiday good times. Dress festively and bring your best holiday dish to share! (In order to offer our members a safe and comfortable experience the GCAS follows CDC and New Mexico Department of Health guidelines for indoor gatherings including masking, distancing, and vaccinations. We recommend all attendees follow the same.

NEXT FIELD TRIP: Sunday, December 3, 2023: our next field trip - GCAS members only - investigates the C-Bar Ranch area off of Highway 90. Meet at the car park just off of Hwy 90 in Tyrone in front of the US Post Office BEFORE 10:00 AM (this jumping-off spot is about 15-20 minutes’ drive from downtown Silver City but be mindful of possible delays due to Hwy 90 construction in downtown Silver City). The group will LEAVE FROM the Tyrone parking area at 10:00 AM sharp. Destinations: a shelter cave and beyond to a pictograph location. Leader Kyle Meredith explains that: “most vehicles should be able to drive to the site, although C-Bar Road is rough in spots. We encourage carpooling from the parking area in Tyrone to the site! From where our group will park on C-Bar Road it is a short walk to the shelter cave where we will see bedrock mortars and smoky ceilings. The hike to the pictographs is about one mile over some rough terrain and some easy trails. To see the pictographs it is necessary to do a little scrambling over rocks and boulders. Perhaps it’s not the season for rattlesnakes, but be aware that I have seen one on two different occasions.”

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August 2023

In Memoriam: John Fitch

JohnFitchLongtime GCAS member and supporter, John Fitch, passed away in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on Monday, August 21, 2023. John grew up in El Paso, Texas, graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso, and worked for 30 years with the Federal Government in the Washington, DC, area before returning to the Southwest in 1995. An enthusiastic avocational archaeologist, he assisted for many years with the Cañada Alamosa and other archaeological projects on behalf of Karl and Toni Laubach and Human Systems Research in Las Cruces as well as with the Black Mountain and Woodrow Ruin projects for Colorado University. Memorial and funeral arrangements are still pending as of the date of this publication.

The GCAS misses you, John.

/s/ webmaster


Repost: Job Opportunities with the Gila National Forest

Logo_of_the_United_States_Forest_Service.svgGila National Forest Supervisor, Camille Howes, reports that her agency is working to find and hire additional staff. She explains,

The National Forests are suffering from the same ‘great resignation’ as other local businesses and government agencies over the past several years. We are looking to fill vacancies with local talent. If you or someone you know is looking for work and loves public land, reach out to learn about opportunities to make a difference in your community and enjoy a lifelong career with the Gila National Forest.

If you or someone you know loves our outdoors and wants to preserve and protect them, please contact the Gila National Forest. Start by calling or visiting the Silver City Ranger District at 575-388-8201, located at 3005 Camino del Bosque in Silver City, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information contact Maribeth Pecotte at 575-388-8211 or via email; or go directly to the Forest Service's Careers web page.

Our public lands need you!

/s/ webmaster


Save These Dates!

People, archaeologically-flavored events are being scheduled all over the place. In our corner of the Southwest, the action is ramping up during September and gets fast and furious during October. Set aside the following dates and check back to our Events page and to this here blog for details as they develop:

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Our Next Monthly Meeting Features Allen Dart, RPA Via Zoom

Wednesday, August 16, 2023, VIA ZOOM: The GCAS will begin at 5:30PM Mountain Daylight (New Mexico) Time/4:30PM Mountain Standard (Arizona) Time with a very short business meeting. At or shortly before 5:45PM New Mexico/4:45PM Arizona time, we will welcome our Featured Speaker, archaeologist Allen Dart of Old Pueblo Archaeology Center, who will describe The Antiquity of Irrigation in the Southwest:

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