Following up on our previous post, here is one poet's view on such destructive expressions of privilege. Matthew Olzmann wrote:

Letter to the Person Who Carved His Initials into the Oldest Living Longleaf Pine in North America

- Southern Pines, NC

Tell me what it's like to live without

curiosity, without awe. To sail

on clear water, rolling your eyes

at the kelp reefs swaying

beneath you, ignoring the flicker

of mermaid scales in the mist,

looking at the world and feeling

only boredom. To stand

on the precipice of some wild valley,

the eagles circling, a herd of caribou

booming below, and to yawn

with indifference. To discover

something primordial and holy.

To have the smell of the earth

welcome you to everywhere.

To take it all in, and then,

to reach for your knife.

/s/ webmaster

Update on the 11/23/2024 vandalism of a petroglyph panel on public land in Utah: law enforcement have identified both perps. The woman, Daniela Ganassim Erickson, was arrested 11/30 and now sits in jail on felony vandalism charges. While she awaits a visit from the Consequences Fairy, we'd like to remind everyone that it was involvement by the public in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management that led to such a quick result. Members of the public who care enough about ancient places to do something when they see acts of destruction, really do make a difference and help preserve our patrimony. Thank you!

/s/ webmaster

The Kane County, Utah Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Land Management would like a word with them.

On November 23, 2024, the Kane County Sheriff's Office received a report with 4 photos of two people caught in the act of vandalizing a petroglyph panel near the Wire Pass trailhead in Kanab, Utah - a popular hiking area near Arizona's northern border. If anyone recognizes the people or the vehicle in these photos, please contact the Kane County Sheriff's Office on their Facebook page, or by telephone at 435-644-2668 or 436-644-4916.

Thank you for any help you can give to protect our public lands.

/s/ webmaster [all photos courtesy of Kane County Sheriff's Office]

Wednesday, November 20, 2024, 6:00 PM: Please join the GCAS as we shift to our wintertime location - the clubhouse at 2045 Memory Lane in Silver City, New Mexico. Our November meeting is our GCAS annual meeting so bring your questions, opinions, and votes (!) as we elect two new members to our board of directors. No potluck during the winter months but some light refreshments will be on offer.

We will follow our typically brief business meeting with our Featured Speaker, NMSU graduate student in Anthropology, Tuesday Critz, who will discuss her ongoing research at Cottonwood Spring Pueblo (LA 175): Ceramic Exchange in a Multiethnic Community during the El Paso Phase (AD 1275/1300 – 1450). Tuesday indicates that this research is in its early stages so the GCAS is being treated to a sneak preview. Tuesday explains,

The Mimbres Culture Heritage Site and the co-located Mattocks Site just got a brand new perimeter fence and things are looking good. This report from Archaeology Southwest explains it all - the number of volunteers and the amount of planning that are involved to make a seemingly simple project a resounding success. It's a nice photo essay to enjoy before visiting the MCHS to inspect the fence for yourself!

/s/ webmaster

Saturday, October 19, 2024 beginning at 4:00PM: the GCAS shifts the regular day, time, and location of our usual October Wednesday meeting to 4:00PM on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2024, to accommodate our featured speaker and National Archaeology Day. For those wishing to spend all day Saturday in the Mimbres Valley, the fun begins at the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site where folks will celebrate National Archaeology Day from 10:00AM to 3:00PM with assorted activities. Immediately following, from 4:00PM to 5:00PM, the GCAS general membership is welcome to join the general public at the Roundup Lodge where Marilyn Markel will present Apaches on the Mimbres and the Story of the Captive Boy, Santiago McKinn. Promptly after Marilyn's talk concludes at about 5PM, the GCAS will have our typical brief business meeting and we expect to adjourn by about 5:30PM. Given the earliness of the hour, no potluck or refreshments will be provided so that GCAS members can all be safely back home in time for dinner. See you on Saturday the 19th!

/s/ webmaster

Saturday, October 19, 2024, 10:00AM to 3:00PM, at the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site in Mimbres, NM: the MCHS celebrates National Archaeology Day with guided site tours, tales of local legends, and activities for the whole family. Immediately following, from 4:00PM to 5:00PM at the Roundup Lodge, Marilyn Markel will present Apaches on the Mimbres and the Story of the Captive Boy, Santiago McKinn. Santiago McKinn's later residence has recently been located at a Mimbres Valley historic/archaeological site so this is a talk you won't want to miss. Telephone Marilyn directly at 575-536-9337 with any questions.

For even more online and in-person action, always check out the long list of upcoming activities happening all over the place, on the GCAS Events page on this very website.

/s/ webmaster

The next several weeks are chock-full of archaeologically flavored events and activities, and one of them offers an opportunity for you (yes, you!) to help introduce local schoolchildren to experience hands-on education in ancient pottery techniques:

Friday, September 27, 2024, 9:30AM to 12:00PM Noon at the WNMU Museum in Silver City: the San Lorenzo Elementary School's 4th and 5th grade classes, guided by the GCAS's own Marilyn Markel, visit the WNMU Museum for a morning or education and activities, immediately followed by a pizza lunch for the kids and all other participants in a nearby outdoor area. Marilyn Markel is seeking two volunteers to help at the Museum and to enjoy a slice of pizza afterwards. Please telephone Marilyn directly at 575-536-9337 to help out and for extra details.

The next several weeks are chock-full of archaeologically flavored events and activities on two different days offer an opportunity for you (yes, you!) to help introduce local schoolchildren to experience hands-on education in ancient pottery techniques:

Wednesday, September 25, 2024, 2 sessions at 12:15PM and again at 2:00PM, at San Lorenzo Elementary School in San Lorenzo: Marilyn Markel is seeking volunteers to help San Lo's 3d through 5th grade classes in a fun and educational pottery program. Please telephone Marilyn directly at 575-536-9337 with the time you can help the school and for program details.

Wednesday, September 18, 2024, 6:00PM: the GCAS in-person monthly meeting begins with the last potluck of the summer at the Roundup Lodge in San Lorenzo (Mimbres Valley). As usual bring your own plates & utensils, and a dish for yourself or to share. A brief business meeting follows at about 6:45PM, after which we will welcome our Featured Speaker, Allen Denoyer, preservation archaeologist at Archaeology Southwest in Tucson, Arizona. Allen will use examples from his years of experimental archaeology projects to introduce us to the wonderful world of MUD, ranging from how mud is utilized in pithouse construction, to excavations of mud-built agricultural fields, to the amazing impressions that archaeologists can find in prehistoric mud. Join us!