Arizona State Parks: Audio Update

Event: Archaeology Expo, March 1 & 2, 2008, plus Archaeology & Heritage Awareness Month, March 2008

Location: Arizona State Museum
Guest: Public Archaeology Programs Manager Ann Howard
Summary: Overview of Archaeology & Heritage Awareness Month scheduled for March 2008 with over 60 events around Arizona. Discussion about what you can do at the Archaeology Expo at the Arizona State Museum on March 1 & 2. Learn how Red Rock State Park, Jerome State Historic Park, and Patagonia Lake State Park are involved. Also, an introduction to the Site Steward Program which offers volunteers an opportunity to help protect Arizona's archaeological sites.
Time: 6:51

Intro Music:

HOST:
Welcome to the Arizona State Parks update. Today we're talking about Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month which is being held during March 2008. Joining us today to talk about some of the events planned for this Awareness Month is Ann Howard, Public Archaeology Programs Manager for Arizona State Parks. Welcome to the program Ann.

PUBLIC ARCHAEOLOGY PROGRAM MANAGER ANN HOWARD:
Hi Tye, thanks for having me.

HOST:
Now the highlight event of Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month is the Archaeology Expo which will be held at the Arizona State Museum in Tuscon on March 1st and 2nd. This event Free and open to the public. The Expo will give visitors new insights into Arizona's many prehistoric, historic, and contemporary cultures. Tell us about what people can do and experience at the Archaeology Expo.

HOWARD:
The Archaeology Expo is basically an outdoor educational fair where the main purpose is to educate the public and sensitize them about the stewardship ethic; why it's important to preserve and protect archeological and historical and traditional Native American archeological sites and properties. So it's a lot of fun, we have about 40 different groups coming together to provide all kinds of hands-on activities and different demonstrations and lectures and talks and hikes to help the public learn about archeology and history in the area and across the state; why it's important to have stewardship ethic to help preserve those sites.

HOST:
Tell us some more about the Archaeology Expo

HOWARD:
The Archaeology Expo is also has a lot of entertainment going on with sort of an ethnic blend to it. We're going to have a multi-tribal group of native singers come from the Tohono O'odham Nation. We'll also have Hispanic organizations providing entertainment, as well as living history re-enactors and other kinds of more hands-on activities where you can really experience the flavor of the past of Arizona. The kids will be able to go on a discovery tour where they can go around and visit the booths and the different participants and learn a lot more about these kinds of things that were happening in the past. And at the end they'll get a free little prize.

HOST:
Besides the Archaeology Expo, other archaeology events are scheduled throughout Arizona during the month of March, this includes lectures, interpretive tours, back country hikes to petroglyph sites, special events at National Monuments, as well as archaeology activities for kids and more. Please tell us about some of the events that will be happening.

HOWARD:
Yes. We have over 60 different events that will be happening across the state. And we've put together a statewide listing of events that's available. We have different tours going on, some to different archeological and historic sites that aren't even normally open to the public. We have different talks and lectures being given. We have special days being presented at many museums across the state that focus on visitors coming to learn more about these areas and why they're important in the past. We have a number of State Parks too that are doing special events during the month. And I thought what I could do is highlight just some of those:

Red Rock State Park they're doing a number of activities. They have prehistoric culture demonstrations. And they'll have people weaving sandals, yucca fiber sandals. Visitors will also have an opportunity to use an atl-atl to throw darts and spears as the ancient people did when they were hunting.

Jerome State Historic Park also has a special lecture going on which focuses more on the historic area. What they'll be doing is they'll have a talk on Route 66 and talk about how Route 66 influenced the development of Arizona.

We also have Patagonia Lake State Park. They'll be doing a hike out to a rock art site that's near the lake. Rock art is prehistoric art done on rocks by the ancient people.

In addition to the State Parks we've been talking about just now, again, we have many different organizations that are presenting similar activities and events the public can get involved in, most of which are, in fact, free.

HOST:
I also wanted to mention a program that allows volunteers the opportunity to protect and preserve cultural resources including prehistoric and historic archaeological sites, called the Arizona Site Steward Program. I know these volunteers receive 10 hours of classroom and fieldwork training to learn how to preserve resources for conservation, scientific study and interpretation. Tell us more about Site Stewards and their mission.

HOWARD:
Yes. The Arizona Site Steward Program is an award-winning program that served as a model for many states in the U.S. Basically it's a program of over 800 volunteers across the state of Arizona that basically form the eyes and the ears for our public land managers. Much of the public land both state, federal, city, and county land doesn't have adequate protection from vandalism and looting, people that would go out and would vandalize or steal from archeological sites and historic sites on these lands. So public land managers have entered into a program with Arizona State Parks and the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to have volunteers out there monitoring the archeological sites on their lands. That way if these Site Stewards see evidence of looting or vandalism they report it to the land managers and in that way the land managers are able to respond in a much more quicker fashion, and hopefully curtail those kinds of illegal and harmful activities at these important sites.

HOST:
Thank you so much for joining us today.

HOWARD:
Thank you Tye.

HOST:
The Archaeology Expo, the highlight event of Archaeology And Heritage Awareness Month, will be held March 1st and 2nd at the Arizona State Museum in Tuscon from 9 am to 4 pm. Both days are open to public and admission to the Expo is free. For more information please call 602-542-4009. Many other archaeology related events are happening during March across Arizona, to download a complete schedule of events, or to learn more about the Site Steward program or the State Historic Preservation Office, please visit our website AZstateparks.com

Music:

Commentator:
Arizona State Parks: Managing and serving Arizona’s natural, cultural and recreational resources for the benefit of the people both in our parks and through our partnerships. Visit us on the web as azstateparks.com.

Music: End

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