It's a busy summer for all levels of the archaeologically inclined. Pull out your calendars and fill 'em up with one or more of the following:

Monday, July 1, 2019, 7:00 PM: the Archaeology Southwest Lecture Series in Cliff, NM, concludes with Archaeology Southwest's own Allen Denoyer speaking about "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Mule Creek Obsidian." Location is 8179 Hwy 180 W, Cliff, New Mexico. Look for the cream building with blue portable toilets on the north side of Hwy 180 just east of Shields Canyon Road and the highway yard. (This is 2.2 miles west of the 180-211 junction in Cliff.)

Sunday, July 7, 2019, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM: A second GCAS July field trip! One time only! View the storied Croteau Collection of Elk Ridge artifacts at the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site in the Wood House's panic room.

People, the next four weeks are chock-full-o' archaeological goings-on to suit every taste and budget. Carve out some time and mark your calendars for some or all of the following:

Monday, June 24, 2019, through Tuesday, June 25, 2019: Archaeology Kid's Camp at the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site gets underway with a field crew trip to the Cottonwood Site. To volunteer yourself, or to sign up your favorite kid for camp, contact Marilyn Markel at 575-536-9337 or email mmarkelmimbres@gmail.com.

On April 27, 2019, the Archaeological Society of New Mexico (ASNM) formally presented four individuals, including the GCAS's favorite Field Trip Coordinator, Greg Conlin, with the Richard A. Bice Achievement Award. This annual award recognizes individuals who have made significant and sustained contributions to advance the purpose of their local archaeological society/organization and the ASNM's goals of documenting, preserving and protecting the archaeological heritage of New Mexico. Nominees do not have to be professional archaeologists, but their achievements and dedication certainly stand out.

In Greg's case, for many years he has been an active member, officer, and Board member of the GCAS. He currently plans and leads our monthly field trips; people may not realize that he actually takes two field trips for every one of ours. He performs reconnaissance of each site shortly before the field trip actually takes place, in order to confirm that our group receives accurate and current road and trail conditions. In addition to all those extra miles, Greg has devoted many years to the New Mexico SiteWatch program, monitoring multiple sites as a Site Steward. Greg joins at least nine other GCAS members who are past Bice Award recipients.

We are proud of you, Greg. Thank you for everything you've done for us!

/s/ webmaster [Photo courtesy of Marilyn Markel]

The Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Society of New Mexico (ASNM) is set for Friday, April 26 through Sunday, April 28, 2019, right here in Silver City and hosted by our very selves, the GCAS.

We've posted this before and we're posting it again: the Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Society of New Mexico (ASNM) is set for Friday, April 26 through Sunday, April 28, 2019, right here in Silver City and hosted by ourselves, the GCAS.

The Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Society of New Mexico (ASNM) is set for Friday, April 26 through Sunday, April 28, 2019, right here in Silver City and hosted by ourselves, the GCAS.

The Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Society of New Mexico (ASNM) is set for Friday, April 26 through Sunday, April 28, 2019, right here in Silver City and hosted by ourselves, the GCAS.

The Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Society of New Mexico (ASNM) is set for Friday, April 26 through Sunday, April 28, 2019, right here in Silver City and hosted by ourselves, the GCAS.

The GCAS needs your help in fulfilling our mission of educational outreach. Please consider the following four opportunities occurring in late September and through October, three of which take place at the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site.

Pick one! Pick them all! No experience necessary! Enjoy the fresh air and sunshine of Autumn in the Mimbres Valley!

The GCAS Library's Checkered Past:

The GCAS collects educational and research materials in addition to maintaining the records every nonprofit corporation is required to keep. During our group's 90-year life, we have gradually built our Library with specific purchases; past and current GCAS members and our supporters in the community have also generously donated their personal collections of relevant books and papers. We are grateful to have acquired a lot of fascinating archeological literature and related materials in this way. We welcome everyone's kind offers.

Our acquisitions have been complicated until recently by the lack of a permanent place to store them. Until just a few years ago our GCAS Library had led a nomadic existence, stored in boxes and bins in a succession of temporary locations. They were often separated and stored at the homes of various GCAS members who made room for them for as long as they could. It had been the library equivalent of couch-surfing. For most of our 90 years. That's a lot of couches. We all knew our group possessed many items worthy of safekeeping, but under the circumstances almost all of it was impossible to use except by a few long-term members who remembered what was stored in whose home.