Category Archives: Uncategorized

ANWR Presentation — Thursday March 16th at 7:00 pm

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Presentation
By Stephen Capra, Christianne Hinks and Chuck Houston

Thursday March 16th at 7:00 pm

Come hear personal stories about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and learn about the latest developments in the fight to save this pristine area. The presentation will include recent images from backpacking trips to the refuge and graphic images from the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

Come early to enjoy a drink and shop for art at the Wildlands Art! Exhibit and sale benefiting the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance. Doors will open at 6:30pm.

Albuquerque Arts Alliance Gallery is in the Courtyard Shopping Center at San Mateo and Lomas. Call 505-843-8696 for more information.

Antiquities Act Centennial

Antiquities Act Centennial by Mark Rose, executive and online editor of ARCHAEOLOGY

An online guide to the ground-breaking 1906 act and the celebration of its 100th anniversary

National Park Service has added a “feature” called “Antiquities Act 1906-2006” to its already extensive archaeology program website. Far more than a feature, this is a mini-gateway to the Antiquities Act and the National Monuments that presidents have created using it.

The site has a clean, simple design with clear navigation. Its homepage features photographs of Montezuma’s Castle [AZ], Devils Tower [WY], the Petrified Forest [AZ], and El Morro [NM] –the first four National Monuments created, all in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt. Inside, in five main sections–“About the Antiquities Act,” “Maps, Facts & Figures,” “Monument Profiles,” “Centennial Activities,” and “Continuing Conservation and Preservation”–you’ll find new material, as well links leading to existing NPS website resources and a select number of external sites. …

“Antiquities Act 1906-2006” is well designed, and its content, often available at multiple levels of detail, should appeal to broad range of people. It is well worth a look if you are interested in the history of archaeology in the United States and perhaps for your vacation planning, too. And while there, you might click on the “sitemap.” It brings up a directory of the entire NPS archaeology program website, with features such as “Ancient Architects of the Mississippi” and “The Robinson House,” teacher resources, a children’s section, online exhibits, volunteer opportunities, and frequently asked questions. There is much to explore on this site.

http://www.cr.nps.gov/archeology/sites/antiquities/

Wildlands Art! NMWA Reception — Saturday, March 18th 3 to 8pm

Wildlands Art! Exhibit and sale benefiting the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance – Join us this Saturday for the NMWA Reception and Silent Auction

Saturday, March 18th 3 to 8pm (Auction will close at 7 pm)

Albuquerque Arts Alliance Gallery in the Courtyard Shopping Center at San Mateo and Lomas. Call 505-843-8696 for more information. Continue reading Wildlands Art! NMWA Reception — Saturday, March 18th 3 to 8pm

Damage to the Quarai ruins at Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument

ABQjournal: ATVs Damaging Historic Area By Beth Hahn, Mountain View Telegraph

One of the most historic places in the Estancia Valley area has been damaged by all-terrain vehicles.

Damage to the Quarai ruins at Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument, near the land grant community of Manzano, could destroy delicate cultural and historic artifacts, monument Superintendent Glenn Fulfer told Torrance County commissioners recently.

As a result of the damage, Fulfer said the monument could get a new security gate and lock boxes.

Artifacts ranging from Spanish spear heads to pottery shards have been found among the ruins.

Most of the pueblo remains unexcavated, and Fulfer said that makes the park vulnerable to visitors who wander off the gray gravel trail.

Quarai was once home to 300 to 400 Tiwa pueblo-dwellers.

Today, the red sandstone ruins of Quarai— a massive church and a few pueblo structures— is open to the public almost year-round.

During a tour of Quarai earlier this month, Fulfer said that of the three sets of ruins included in the Salinas Pueblos area, Quarai is the best-preserved.

“Quarai is important because there is little physical evidence left of history where Spanish settlers came in contact with Native Americans,” he said. “These are capsules in time. These churches have gone through very little physical change.”

At Quarai, the church once known as Nuestra Señora de La Purisima Concepcion de Cuarac, stands about 40 feet tall, with walls three to six feet deep.

Quarai, along with Abó and Gran Quivira, contain some of the oldest church structures in New Mexico.

The church at Quarai was built during the late 1620s or early 1630s. It was abandoned in 1677 after a combination of drought, disease and Apache raids drove the residents from the area.

Doc Long Picnic Area, SANDIA CREST ROAD

The Albuquerque Tribune: La Vida
Trail Tales: Nature pioneer’s name lives on at camp area
By Ollie Reed Jr.
Tribune Columnist

But 90 years ago, this part of the mountain was a wilder place of greater solitude. What roads existed here then were dirt and rock and a trip to the mountains from Albuquerque was an enterprise requiring some planning beyond tossing a bottle of water and a tube of sunscreen into the back seat.

It was during this period that William Henry “Doc” Long established his field camp on the site now occupied by the picnic area named for him.

Long was a pioneering forest pathologist, a man who studied the diseases of trees….

New Mexico’s 19 Pueblos

A peek into the pueblo way of life | csmonitor.com

Today, there are 19 pueblo communities located in New Mexico whose inhabitants speak dialects of three distinct language families.

Each pueblo operates under its own government and therefore sets its own guidelines and rules. …

Of the 19 statewide pueblos, the northern villages are the most accustomed to visitors, and are easily accessible from the major cities.

Tesuque, Pojoaque, Nambe, San Ildefonso, San Juan, and Santa Clara are all within 30 miles of Santa Fe. Taos and Picuris are two hours from Santa Fe and three hours from Albuquerque.

Early risers departing from Santa Fe can make a day trip to the two most famous pueblos, San Ildefonso and Taos, and still have time to explore nearby Bandelier National Monument to learn more about the ancient ancestors of the pueblo people.
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New Mexico’s pueblos

The 19 pueblos of New Mexico are the oldest tribal communities in the United States, having descended from the ancestral Pueblo cultures that once inhabited Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde, and Bandelier.

1. Acoma Pueblo, known as Sky City, was built on top of a sandstone mesa 357 feet high. Location: 60 miles west of Albuquerque on I-40 at exit 102 and 12 miles south on Indian Route 23, exit 108. Phone: (505) 552-6604.

2. Cochiti Pueblo is known for storyteller figurines and ceremonial drums. Location: 22 miles south of Santa Fe on I-25 and another 14 miles north on N.M. 16 (between Albuquerque and Santa Fe). Phone: (505) 465-2244.

3. Isleta Pueblo was established in the 1300s. Location: in the Rio Grande Valley, 13 miles south of Albuquerque and five minutes from I-25 via exit 215. Phone: (505) 869-3111.

4. Jemez Pueblo is located among red sandstone mesas. Location: 27 miles northwest of Bernalillo on N.M. 4. Phone: (505) 834-7235.

5. Laguna Pueblo has been occupied since at least 1300. Location: 45 miles west of Albuquerque off I-40 and 31 miles east of Grants. Phone: (505) 552-6654.

6. Nambe Pueblo, at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, served as a cultural and religious center for the Pueblo people. Location: 18 miles north of Santa Fe off US 84/285 and N.M. 503. Phone: (505) 455-2036.

7. Picuris Pueblo features a museum of local beadwork, weaving, and pottery. Location: 24 miles southeast of Taos via N.M. 68, 518, and 75. Phone: (505) 587-2519.

8. Pojoaque Pueblo includes a cultural center and museum that displays Pueblo art and exhibits, hosts traditional Indian dances on weekends, and preserves the traditional arts of the Tewa-speaking pueblos. Location: 15 miles north of Santa Fe on US 84/285. Phone: (505) 455-5044.

9. San Felipe Pueblo, founded in 1706, is known for beautiful dancing. Location: 10 miles north of Bernalillo off I-25. Phone: (505) 867-3381.

10. San Ildefonso Pueblo. See story above.

11. San Juan Pueblo is home to the Oke-Oweenge Crafts Cooperative, which exhibits the art of the eight northern pueblos. Location: 25 miles north of Santa Fe on US 84/285 and five miles north of Española off N.M. 68. Phone: (505) 852-4400.

12. Sandia Pueblo got its name for the color of the steep mountains east of the pueblo, which Spanish explorers likened to watermelons, sandía in Spanish. Location: 12 miles north of Albuquerque off I-25. Phone: (505) 867-3317.

13. Santa Ana Pueblo is an agricultural community located on about 73,000 acres east and west of the Rio Grande. Location: less than two miles west of I-25, exit 242, 15 minutes north of Albuquerque near the intersection of US 550 and N.M. 528. Phone: (505) 867-3301.

14. Santa Clara Pueblo was established about 1550 when drought caused the residents of the nearby Puyé Cliff Dwellings to move here. Location: 1.5 miles south of Española off N.M. 30. Phone: (505) 753-7326.

15. Santo Domingo Pueblo is near the ancient Cerrillos turquoise mines, and its people have a history of making fine jewelry. Location: 25 miles south of Santa Fe, off I-25 at the Santo Domingo exit. Phone: (505) 465-2214.

16. Taos Pueblo. See story above.

17. Tesuque Pueblo may have stood on this site since AD 1200. Location: 10 miles north of Santa Fe on US 84/285. Phone: (505) 983-2667.

18. Zia Pueblo is situated atop a small mesa that offers a spectacular view of the surrounding areas. Location: 17 miles northwest of Bernalillo and eight miles northwest of Santa Ana Pueblo on US 550. Phone: (505) 867-3308.

19. Zuni Pueblo was thought by Spanish explorers to be one of the legendary Seven Golden Cities of Cíbola. Location: 35 miles south of Gallup on N.M. 53. Phone: (505) 782-7238.

Source: New Mexico Tourism Department

map showing 19 pueblos of New Mexico

New Mexico Tourism Department
3 Tribes & 19 Pueblos
Pueblos – Navajo Nation – Jicarilla and Mescalero Apache Nations

Ak’u – Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico

Legacy of Acoma Pueblo by: Brenda Norrell / Indian Country Today

This city of Acoma sits atop a 350-foot rock mesa with sheer sides, situated in the middle of a fertile valley 6,300 feet above sea level. ”It was referred to as ‘Haak’u,’ which means ‘prepared,’ because we believe it was there already prepared for us.

”It was there waiting, Ak’u is and always was.” …

Acoma is part of the Keresan people which include the present day tribes of Santa Ana, Zia, Cochiti, Santo Domingo, Laguna and San Felipe Pueblos.

”My people’s origins are from the north. How far north is buried in the collective subconscious, but where the conscious memory begins is at Kashkatruti, Chaco Canyon and from various places, most of them impermanent; momentary, for the people still had not found the place for with they were searching.”

Stone remnants of these settlements, remaining from migrations from the north, can be found at Mount Taylor and near the lava flow known as El Malpais in present-day New Mexico.

Sharing this land of high desert and mountains were the Keres, Towa, Tiwa, Tewa, Zuni, Hopi, Apache and Navajo. In the region, to the east were the Comanche and to the north were Utes. While there were conflicts in the struggle to survive, the people respected one another’s ceremonies and even borrowed certain aspects from one another’s ceremonies.

While trading with the Mayan people to the south in present-day Mexico, Acoma acquired precious stones, sacred parrots and sea shells. Today, Acoma have the Parrot Clan. Trading with the people of the West Coast of California brought abalone shell.

”The people speak of the Warrior Twins who guided the people from Siapapu, our place of emergence in the north. Ak’u (Acoma Pueblo) was the destination.”

Premiere of “Remembered Earth – New Mexico’s High Desert” at The Northwest New Mexico Visitor Center

Premiere of “Remembered Earth – New Mexico’s High Desert” at The Northwest New Mexico Visitor Center

“A breathtaking and poetic journey across one of the most beautiful and
forbidding landscapes in North America.”
The Washington Post
“A remarkable work of great integrity.”
American Society of Cinematographers
“A fabulous film, intelligent and beautiful.”
Smithsonian Institution

The staff of El Malpais National Monument and the Northwest New Mexico
Visitor Center are pleased to announce the premiere of the center’s new
movie, Remembered Earth: New Mexico’s High Desert, on June 9, 2005. The 27
minute film will be screened at 6 and 7 pm, with a maximum of 60 seats per
screening in the center’s theater. This event is free and open to the
public; seats will be filled on a first come, first served basis.

Remembered Earth is a captivating journey through a storied landscape of
the American West, featuring spectacular landscape photography and a
thoughtful interpretation of land ethics by Pulitzer Prize-winning author
N. Scott Momaday. Noted Indian actor Irene Bedard (Smoke Signals,
Pocahontas) narrates the film. The haunting original orchestral score by
Academy Award-winner Todd Boekelheide was recorded at Skywalker Sound.

Remembered Earth explores the relationships between people and the land,
“exemplified by the ingenious use of clips of Hollywood Westerns that
helped mythologize not just the Southwest but America itself.” (Washington
Post) It has been an official selection of environmental film festivals in
Washington, DC, Italy and Greece, and won first place and merit awards for
script and photography at the International Wildlife Film Festival. An HD
version of Remembered Earth will be featured in a national prime time
broadcast on PBS later this year.

Filmmaker John Grabowska will be present at the premiere to discuss the
movie. For more information about this event, contact the Northwest New
Mexico Visitor Center at (505) 876-2783.
Continue reading Premiere of “Remembered Earth – New Mexico’s High Desert” at The Northwest New Mexico Visitor Center

Discovering the Aldridge petroglyphs, near Grants, NM

Discovering the Aldridge petroglyphs By Will Kie

BLM ranger Karen Davis. Davis is a native of Acoma Pueblo, and she cannot wait to show you the many ancient treasures of Cibola County.

Davis will be leading three planned hikes in the El Malpais National Monument area beginning June 4. The first hike will explore the Aldridge petroglyphs. “I talk about the petroglyphs and the journeys or routes the Anasazi people may have taken a long time ago,” said Davis. Davis said she will also talk about the cultural importance of the area and how the ancient ways of life are still carried on today in the traditions of the Acoma people.

Davis said one question she frequently answers concerns the whereabouts of the Anasazi. “People from Chaco did not die, they are still here,” Davis said.

Davis will also talk about the meanings of the petroglyphs. “What I did was go to the elders and ask them what the symbols might mean,” said Davis. Davis said that the petroglyphs visitors will see on the Aldridge hike tell part of the creation story of the Anasazi. To hear the creation story told by Davis while standing in the same spot as the ancient ones and imagining what life was like around 950-1300 A.D. during the Chacoan period, sign up for Davis’ hike. …

Interested hikers can contact Davis at the ranger station at (505) 280-2918. Other hikes to the petroglyph panel are scheduled for July 9 and August 6. To get to the ranger station on state road 117, take I-40 east from Grants or Gallup to exit 89, and drive south for nine miles to the station. Davis said hikers need to arrive at 9 a.m. The hike will start at approximately 9:15 a.m.

El Malpais National Monument (National Park Service)

Albuquerque’s “Acropolis”

ABQjournal: Leaders Save Wilds at the City’s Edge By Bob Howard, Wilderness Advocate

[The Sandia Mountains] loom as timeless sentinels on our horizon, as Albuquerque’s “Acropolis”— so familiar in its beckoning wildness and blissful solitude.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of an important step in preserving the Sandia Mountains. It is a story worth remembering.

Gazing up at Sandia Crest, I think of the leadership that has preserved some of New Mexico’s grandest wilderness areas. In a less frantic and driven world, one might think such gems of public land wilderness could preserve themselves. But as early as the 1920s, farsighted leaders understood that in the face of ever-growing development pressures, wilderness areas would persist for our grandchildren’s children to savor only if we deliberately protect them while we can. …

Who benefits from half a century of bipartisan efforts to preserve areas such as the Sandias? To my Teddy Roosevelt-style Republican conservationist way of thinking, we all do.

We earn the blessing of future generations for our restraint in leaving some of New Mexico’s still-wild landscape for them to know and enjoy. We all benefit, too, from the fact that our wild Sandia “Acropolis” stands above us, visible throughout Albuquerque and the surrounding valley. It enriches our busy lives with the scenic grandeur of its lofty, well protected wildness. Even if we never set foot within its boundaries, the Sandia Mountain Wilderness is a pillar of what makes Albuquerque unique.

What metropolis would not envy us this wilderness setting! …

Viewing the wilderness crest of the Sandias reminds us that it is the land of enchantment we must preserve for all who will follow us.

Bandelier National Monument

Great piece by Chantal Foster on a one or two day trip to Bandelier in the Jemez Mountains and Santa Fe National Forest, featuring waterfalls, ruins and a ceremonial kiva (with photos):
Duke City Fix ROADTRIP: Bandelier Nat’l Monument
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Here are some photos by MRudd at Bandelier with visitors Plamen and Susan in May 2002.

Tyonyi Ruins - click for larger pictureTyonyi Ruins

doorway and window in cliff - click for larger picturedoorway and window in cliff

long climb to ceremonial cave & kiva - click for larger picturelong climb to ceremonial cave & kiva

restored kiva in ceremonial cave - click for larger picturerestored kiva in ceremonial cave

San Pedro Parks Wilderness Birthday Trip

First of all, turning 50 is better than the alternative. While I’m no senior citizen, I’m surely not middle aged anymore — unless I’m living to 100. I’m afraid the glass isn’t half empty — it’s 5/8ths empty, maybe 2/3rds.

The Big DayStill it was a good excuse for an in-town party and another party in the woods. In-town, a couple of dozen friends came over for a potluck cookout and cakes. We had a good time and even stayed up past 9pm — woo-hoo.

For the weekend, a dozen of us trekked to a sweet little spot I’d visited the week before. The place is called Resumidero and we all loved it on first sight. It is a long, flat meadow between two rushing streams, surrounded by dense woods on the edge of the San Pedro Parks Wilderness. It was perfect — up until it was ruined. But I get ahead of myself. …
Continue reading San Pedro Parks Wilderness Birthday Trip

Great Old Broads for Wilderness–2005 Calendar of Events

The Great Old Broads for Wilderness have released their calender of events for 2005! The groups unique, passionate voices are needed in many places on many issues that threaten our nation’s wild places. Join the Broads as they do Wilderness events in New Mexico. For more information, contact Rose Chilcoat at: 970-385-9577, rose@greatoldbroads.org

Days in the Desert IV – Jemez Mountains, NM

Date: May 20-22

Cost: $70 incl. meals and camping

If you want to understand the effects of grazing on our desert riparian areas, this is the workshop for you! We gather Friday afternoon at an undeveloped campsite near La Cueva for dinner and to begin our awakening to the way streams in the desert should look. Scientists from the University of New Mexico will train us out in the field to systematically assess the health of a riparian area. We will spend a day visiting an ungrazed stretch of creek as our reference site, where you will be able to see what optimal conditions look like and to practice using the assessment tools. Sunday, we will visit an overgrazed, impacted stream, and continue to learn how to evaluate the health of the stream. Our weekend will conclude with a wrap-up Sunday afternoon. Folks are welcome to arrive early or stay longer to enjoy the beautiful Jemez Mountains, hiking trails, and hot springs.

Valle Vidal Broadwalk – northeast of Taos, NM

Date: June 23-27

Cost: $90 incl. meals and camping

Potential oil and gas leasing threaten the Valle Vidal, a lush mountain basin in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Donated to the American people in 1982 by Pennzoil, the Valle Vidal is managed by the Carson National Forest primarily for its wildlife, as well as its outstanding scenic and recreational opportunities. However, a forest management plan has never been developed for this area. The time for public input into the decision process is now. The Santa Fe Broadband is helping host this Broadwalk, so that Broads from all over can experience this special place and learn to speak for its protection. Folks from the Valle Vidal Coalition will lead us on hikes and talk about this special place. Forest Service District Ranger Ron Thibedeau will give us agency insight and a tour of the Valle. Tweeti Blancett, NM rancher, will share the horrors of oil and gas development on her ranch and adjoining BLM lands. Broads will help the Forest Service with a service project. We’ll be camping at a Forest Service campground. Cost includes camping fees, 4 breakfasts and dinners, and speakers.

To reserve your spot for any of these events, send full payment or a $50 deposit per event per person to Great Old Broads for Wilderness, PO Box 2924, Durango, CO 81302. Please include an email address if you have one. Detailed information on logistics, packing, and agenda will be sent to registered participants. More information is also available at www.greatoldbroads.org