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National Landscape Conservation System

National Landscape Conservation System

The public lands of the American West present rugged and remarkable landscapes for the use and enjoyment of all Americans.

Among the most spectacular of these natural treasures are the national conservation areas, national monuments, wild and scenic rivers, national scenic and historic trails, wilderness areas and wilderness study areas that comprise the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS).

Including:

· 15 National Monuments;
· 13 National Conservation Areas;
· Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area;
· Headwaters Forest Reserve;
· 38 Wild and Scenic Rivers;
· 175 Wilderness Areas;
· 5,327 miles of National Historic and Scenic Trails;
· more than 600 Wilderness Study Areas.

Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (Colorado) — This 164,000-acre national monument includes the densest concentration of Anasazi Indian sites in America—totaling more than 6,000 recorded sites so far.

The Wilderness Society

Report Finds BLM’s Finest Western Lands Suffering
Inadequate funding, staffing, monitoring, and accountability cited in first assessment of National Landscape Conservation System

Considered by many to be the “hidden treasures of the American West,� the lands and waters of the National Landscape Conservation System are experiencing rapidly increasing visitor numbers. For example, the number of visitors to the five BLM National Monuments in Arizona has doubled since 2000. Some of the fastest growing urban areas in the West border or surround NLCS lands, including Palm Springs, Tucson, Phoenix, and Las Vegas.

Many NLCS lands are threatened by excessive road networks that fragment wildlife habitat and bring motorized vehicles perilously close to cultural resources, such as archeological sites that, in most cases, have not yet been studied by the BLM. On average, 50 percent of the land in NLCS monuments and conservation areas is within one-half mile of a road or travel route, and 90 percent is within two miles of a road or route.

Central Arizona’s Apache Trail turns 100

Apache Trail turns 100 by Carl Holcombe, The Arizona Republic

Since 900 A.D. and probably before, Apache Trail has been vital to life in the Valley. It has been a trade route, a path to cooler climates and water recreation, the scene of legends and the key to the construction of a dam that provided the foundation for the Valley’s rise from the desert floor.

This year, the paved version of the trail turns 100.

The trail, which is also Arizona 88 and runs from Apache Junction east to Roosevelt Lake and south to U.S. 60, rolls through areas flush with jagged rocky towers that rise from hills alongside the Superstition Mountains. Colossal mesas jut from the earth, green moss brushes the sides of bulbous rock formations and archaic remains of Native American cliff dwelling tribes stare out across miles of empty, rocky desert.

The earliest documented use of the trail was by the Salado tribe in about 900 A.D. as a footpath to cooler summer home locations. Historians believe the Anasazi later followed the trail to trade pottery with the Hohokam and gain access to water, Akers said.

Canyons of the Ancients National Monument

Four Corners region entices all types of outdoor enthusiasts by Scott Willoughby, Denver Post Staff Writer

Ranging from Mesa Verde National Park’s tranquil walking tours to do-it-yourself adventures within lesser-known Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, the Four Corners hub of Cortez combines a wealth of outdoor activity with rich Indian heritage and spectacular scenery. And to top it off, it’s almost always summer.

Canyons of the Ancients

Protected by former President Clinton in 2000, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is 3 miles west of Cortez and offers a unique variety of do-it-yourself recreational options in one of the densest archeological landscapes in the world. An estimated 30,000 archeological sites exist within the vast 164,000-acre monument, including 6,000 recorded sites in the form of cliff dwellings, shrines, petroglyphs and sweat lodges, among others.

The Trail of the Ancients National Scenic Byway in Southwestern Colorado and the Four Corners

Trail of Ancients wins Scenic Byway designation By John R. Crane

The Trail of the Ancients, 116 miles of scenic highway in and around Cortez flanked by mountains and archaeological attractions, recently garnered National Scenic Byway designation.

Also designated Sept. 22 were 364 miles of culturally rich roadways in Utah linked to the Southwest Colorado path.

The Trail of the Ancients’ change from state-designated byway to a regionally significant attraction makes it the nation’s first and only archaeological byway, said Lynn Dyer, director of Mesa Verde Country Information Bureau in Cortez.

“This makes us tied with Oregon with the most scenic byways (10) of any state within the U.S.,” Dyer said.

“It will bring more exposure to our area,” Dyer added. “It’s absolutely perfect timing to be going on the same time as the Mesa Verde Centennial.” …

Archaeological sites along the Trail of the Ancients include Mesa Verde National Park, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument on the Utah-Colorado border, Lowry Pueblo west of Pleasant View, Anasazi Heritage Center near Dolores, Hovenweep National Monument west of Cortez and other landmarks.
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TRAILING THE ANCIENTS BY DAN LEETH

To learn more about their culture, I stop at Edge of the Cedars State Park on the route’s northeast corner in Blanding.

The park’s museum holds the area’s largest collec-tion of Anasazi artifacts. Outside, eerie statues depict three-dimensional rock-art figures. Exhibits inside contrast the lives of the Ancient Ones with present-day tribes. In the restored ruins behind the museum, a ladder allows access into a restored kiva, an underground ceremonial chamber.

Kivas were important to the Anasazi. The ruins at Butler Wash have four. The site lies a few miles to the west of Blanding on the Trail of the Ancients.

From a roadside parking area, a pathway leads to a viewpoint, which overlooks the end of a box canyon. A sharp ravine separates visitors from the cliff-bound structures. In spite of the distance, the structures have impact.

“Maybe it’s the lack of guard rails and protective rangers,” fellow visitor Mick Sears observes, “but I am more impressed with this site than the mega-ruins of Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon.” …

Not all Anasazi homes were built beneath overhangs. A few miles away at Mule Canyon, the Ancient Ones built on flatlands. The site contains the remains of a two-story tower, a block of square rooms and a roofless kiva now protected by a canopy.

Ohkay Owingeh, formerly San Juan Pueblo

ABQjournal: San Juan Pueblo Tries To Change Name By Martin Salazar, Journal Northern Bureau

SAN JUAN PUEBLO — The green sign off N.M. 68 north of Española says San Juan Pueblo, but mention that name to Pueblo Gov. Joe Garcia and he’ll likely correct you.

The pueblo plans to officially change its name back to what it was before Spanish missionaries arrived in New Mexico more than 400 years ago. It has already changed some signs and is identifying itself by its original name in correspondence.

“It’s Ohkay Owingeh (pronounced O-keh o-WEENG-eh),” the ponytailed, gray-haired governor said during a recent interview, casting aside the Spanish name bestowed by Don Juan de Oñate during his 1598 expedition to New Mexico.

Oñate christened the pueblo San Juan de los Caballeros when he took possession of it on July 12, 1598, according to “The Place Names of New Mexico,” a reference book considered an authority on names in the state. Oñate chose the name to honor his patron saint — John the Baptist. …

The book Place Names of New Mexico by Robert Julyan lists the pueblo’s original name as O’ke and translates the word as “we are the brothers.” But Garcia said Ohkay is Tewa for strong and Owingeh means place or village, adding that his translation of the name is “place of the strong people.”

“It sets our purpose in life, but it also impacts the perception we get from the rest of the country,” Garcia said. “It means a lot more.”

Edge of the Cedars State Park, Blanding, Utah

Tiny Utah town has impressive Anasazi, dinosaur museums Ron Dungan
The Arizona Republic

You will probably never plan a trip to Blanding, Utah. But if you travel in the Four Corners area and find yourself passing through, the small town’s museums are worth stopping for.

Don’t miss the Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum. It has an impressive display of Anasazi artifacts.

The museum is built near a ruin, part of which has been restored. As ruins go, Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde are more impressive, but Edge of the Cedars has excellent examples of pottery, knives, arrowheads, awls and other items.
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Much of the year, you’ll see snow on the Abajo Mountains in the background as you walk by the ruin walls, an impressive sight that gives you an idea of why the Anasazi lived in the valleys rather than the mountains.

Soon to be flooded

.: Corvallis Gazette-Times :. Archives
Colorado dig at dam site running out of time, money
By ROBERT SANCHEZ
The Denver Post

PARKER, Colo. — Amid the weedy expanse that soon will become this growing town’s reservoir, Erik Gantt and his archaeological crew are fighting a battle against time.

The group from Fort Collins-based Centennial Archaeology Inc. was invited to Douglas County nearly a year ago to investigate findings that ancient people lived at the creek site southwest of Parker for thousands of years, building homes, creating artistic objects and hunting food.

But budget overruns due to time-consuming discoveries on the Rueter-Hess Reservoir land have prompted the Army Corps of Engineers to ask that archaeologists abandon the 6,500-year-old site early next month.

Bulldozers would shovel dirt over sites that have already yielded some of Colorado’s oldest pottery and what may be a one-of-a-kind kiln. …

Because only 1 percent to 2 percent of the site was excavated, meaning more money would be needed, town officials argued that a cap should be put on the work. …

But if the archaeologists pack up next month and rebury dig areas, the decision could add to a continuing nationwide debate over whether public needs should trump preservation of prehistoric finds. …

“There are complex deposits all along (Rueter-Hess) that you simply couldn’t have planned for,” said Larry Todd, an anthropology professor at Colorado State University. “If your only concern is economics, then it’s impossible to argue against.

“But everyone involved here has to know that you’re dealing with an irreplaceable, nonrenewable piece of history.”

The site was home to prehistoric people that lived there 6,500 years ago to about 1,800 years ago. The oldest artifacts predate Egypt’s pyramids by more than 3,000 years and Plato’s teachings in Greece by more than 6,000 years.

A different project —

Ah, Wilderness!: study area under water within a few years

A team from SWCA Environmental Consultants is wrapping up four years of investigations this summer because the Animas-La Plata Project, a settlement of American Indian water-right claims, will leave the study area under water within a few years.

They said “no.”

http://www.crosswindsweekly.com/follow_up.htm
Environmental victory at Red Paint Canyon
by Sherry Robinson

In the end, all the people who cared about Warm Springs and Red Paint Canyon — Apaches, ranchers, farmers and residents — spoke with one voice.

They said “no.”

Last week, the Division of Mining and Minerals turned down an application to drill in an area that’s both fragile and sacred.

mjh’s Blog: More About the History Around the Monticello Box

mjh’s Blog: Help Save A Special Place in New Mexico

The Big Meltdown

Arctic melt likely to worsen, scientists warn – Environment – MSNBC.com

The rate of ice melting in the Arctic is increasing and a panel of researchers says it sees no natural process that is likely to change that trend.

Within a century the melting could lead to summertime ice-free ocean conditions not seen in the area in a million years, the group said Tuesday.

Melting of land-based glaciers could take much longer but could raise the sea levels, potentially affecting coastal regions worldwide.

Rio Grande bosque

ABQjournal: Local Biologists’ Vision of Restored Rio Grande Valley Taking Hold
By Tania Soussan
Journal Staff Writer

Cliff Crawford has been talking about a Rio Grande bosque made up of scattered groves of cottonwoods and willows separated by open, grassy savannas for years.

Now, with tree thinning and restoration projects gathering momentum and creating change in the bosque, Crawford’s vision seems attainable. …

There are other benefits of restoring a more open bosque, including making trees less vulnerable to disease and saving water.

“What we’re focused on here is ecosystem function,” Grogan said. “We’re trying to make the bosque more resilient.”

Stands of trees in the bosque now are typically 10 to 15 feet apart, but they should be 40 feet apart, said Yasmeen Najmi of the conservancy district.

Thinning out the trees and replanting young cottonwoods and shrubs to emphasize patchiness with different ages and species of natives is a priority.

Albuquerque Mountain Rescue Council

ABQjournal: Group Comes to Aid of Stranded or Injured Hikers in the Sandias
By Toby Smith
Journal Staff Writer

Chances are you won’t bump into an Albuquerque Mountain Rescue Council volunteer unless you are in trouble. Big trouble.

Say you’re a hiker in the Sandia Mountains who wanders off course, slips and turns his ankle. Suddenly you’re stuck with a bum foot and no idea which way to go.

It’s getting late when your friends in town start to worry about you. That’s when the Albuquerque Mountain Rescue Council generally gets a telephone call, usually from the State Police.

Fifty years old this year, the AMRC is a wilderness and search and rescue team, one of several working in New Mexico.

The group got going in February 1955 when people were needed to recover and bring down bodies from the TWA airplane crash in the Sandias. …

“The Sandias are much more complex than they look from the city,” says Scherzinger, a Sandia Labs aerospace engineer. “They’re pretty big, and it’s easy for people to get lost up there.”

Albuquerque Mountain Rescue