Arizona State Parks

Arizona State Parks - Press Release

ARIZONA STATE PARKS
For Immediate Release
Managing and conserving Arizona's natural, cultural and recreational resources for the benefit of the people, both in our Parks and through our Partnerships.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Bilbrey at (602) 542-1996 or (602) 228-8518, pio at azstateparks.gov, or Monica Enriquez at (602) 542-6997
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Governor's Archaeology Advisory Commission
Honors Outstanding Efforts in Public Archaeology

(Phoenix, AZ -June 29, 2007) -- In honor of 2007 Archaeology Awareness Month, awards in Public Archaeology were recently given by the Governor's Archaeology Advisory Commission.

A total of six awards were given in the areas of Professional Archaeology, Avocational Archaeology, Site Steward, Tribal Program, Public Sector Archaeology Program and Private Sector Archaeology Program.

Professional Archaeologist
·William Doelle
Dr. William Doelle has been a professional archaeologist for more than 30 years, and his primary research focus has been the Greater Southwest. Doelle is the owner of Desert Archaeology, Inc., a cultural resource management firm based in Tucson. He is also the founder and President of the Center for Desert Archaeology, a non-profit organization that fosters stewardship of the region's cultural resources through research, education, and outreach. The Center's many projects, which often depend on the efforts of volunteers, have included survey and test excavations in the Lower San Pedro Valley, work in support of National Heritage Area designations for the Santa Cruz and Little Colorado valleys, and a Preservation Fellowship program for doctoral students in archaeology.

Doelle is universally recognized as a man of great vision and integrity. His dedication to public participation in historic preservation has resulted in model programs that benefit the entire community.

Avocational Archaeologist
This year, the award in the Avocational Archaeologist category was presented to two people: Walter Duering and Jerome Ehrhardt.

·Walter Duering
Walter "Dutch" Duering has been involved in Arizona archaeology since he began working toward a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology at Arizona State University (ASU) in 1960. A long-time Arizona Archaeological Society (AAS) member, Dutch has been involved in several AAS archaeological projects, including the excavations at the Calderwood Site. His volunteer efforts have included work with ASU archaeologists at AZ U:9:100(ASU), AZ U:9:101(ASU), and the Fitch site. Dutch first worked at Mesa Grande with his friend and mentor, Frank Midvale, in 1971. Later, as a member of the Southwest Archaeological Team (SWAT), Dutch assisted with excavations at the site, trained new volunteers, and provided tours for the public. Dutch has also helped to train a new generation of archaeologists through the Mesa Community College field school, assisting Dr. Jerry Howard in the field and the lab. Dutch has also donated his time for many years as the Arizona Archaeological Council's webmaster.

·Jerome Ehrhardt
Since 1997, Jerome Ehrhardt has been a tireless supporter of Coconino National Forest and Museum of Northern Arizona research projects. Building upon skills and knowledge gained through the Arizona Archaeological Society (AAS) certification program and as a volunteer working with professional archaeologists, Peter Pilles and Dr. David Wilcox, Ehrhardt has made major contributions to long-term research projects focused on Sacred Mountain, in the Beaver Creek drainage, and Honanki, northwest of Sedona. In the past four years, he has been a leader among members of the AAS Verde Valley chapter in assisting Pilles and Wilcox in their efforts to document the archaeology of previously unexplored corners of the Sedona area and to refine knowledge of the cultural resources of Perry Mesa. His work in the Perry Mesa region has included assisting in the surface collection of sites within the Agua Fria National Monument and "ground-truthing" hilltop sites located from the air by Arizona Site Steward, Joe Vogel. Ehrhardt has also been instrumental in discovering and documenting line-of-sight relationships and trails linking archaeological sites and settlement clusters in central Arizona.

Site Steward
This year, the Commission presented two awards in the Site Steward category. The honorees are Rich Davis and Terry and Kathy Robbins.

·Rich Davis
With more than 1200 volunteer hours as a Site Steward in the Ajo area, Rich Davis has set a fine example. His monitoring has helped to protect many vulnerable archaeological resources near Ajo, including a number of previously unrecorded sites he discovered and reported to land managers. As a member of the Ajo Chapter of the Arizona Archaeological Society, Davis has worked with professional archaeologists, including Rick Martynec, Sandy Martynec, and Cheryl Blanchard, in local survey and excavation projects. Rich has been instrumental in efforts to document resources in the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, assisting in site recording and coauthoring a report published by AAS. He is also hard at work a new publication focused on the flaked stone assemblages of southwestern Arizona.

·Terry Robbins and Kathy Robbins
Terry and Kathy Robbins, Site Stewards since 2004, have made important contributions to historic preservation in the Prescott area. The Robbins are responsible for monitoring human remains left in place within the StoneRidge development and also aid in the protection of the DeNoyelles site and other nearby resources. In the course of their duties, the Robbins discovered previously undocumented petroglyphs and reported them to the land manager. Terry Robbins has also assisted the Yavapai-Prescott Tribe and the Hopi Tribe in the recovery of human remains that had to be removed from harms' way.

Tribal Program
This year, the award in the Tribal Program category was presented to two people: Chris Coder and Vernelda Grant.

·Christopher Coder
Having worked for the Yavapai-Apache Nation for eleven years, Chris Coder is regarded as a very important asset by his employer. Coder has been instrumental in identifying archaeological evidence of Yavapai and Apache occupations on many occasions, but most recently in the context of compliance-based research along State Route 260, near Payson, and on the Barry M. Goldwater Range. He has also played a major role in successful repatriation negotiations with the Denver Art Museum. In the context of a larger project meant to restore the flow of Fossil Creek, Coder documented Apache campsites, farms, and traditional cultural properties. He also gathered important ethohistorical and ethnobotanical data on behalf of the Nation. Above and beyond these accomplishments, Coder is valued for his dedication to the sharing of knowledge and to the preservation of the Nation's traditional lifeways.

·Vernelda Grant
Vernelda Grant, a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, is currently Tribal Archaeologist and Director of the tribe's Historic Preservation and Archaeology Department. Grant was responsible for having her program designated a Tribal Historic Preservation Office by the National Park Service, giving her the same responsibilities on the San Carlos Apache Reservation as the State Historic Preservation Officer has elsewhere.

Grant is an advocate for historic preservation and for tribes on the local and the national level. She is a member of the Governor's Archaeology Advisory Commission, as well as the Advisory Council for Historic Preservation's Native American Advisory Group, and Chair of the National Congress of American Indians' Commission on Burial Sites and Repatriation. As a Native American working in the field of anthropology, she has contributed perspectives that have improved communication among the different stakeholders in historic preservation.

Public Sector Archaeology Program
·Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park
83 years ago, the City of Phoenix had the foresight to preserve and protect the archaeological features that are now part of Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park. Over the decades, this institution has become a premier destination for those seeking to learn more about the ancient inhabitants of southern Arizona. Pueblo Grande Museum's exhibits and public programming regularly draw more than 60,000 visitors per year. Educational programs at Pueblo Grande are designed to reach a variety of audiences and include hikes, tours, workshops, summer camps, classes, and lectures.

Pueblo Grande Museum is also the official archaeological repository for the City of Phoenix, and curates more than a quarter of a million prehistoric objects, in addition to the documentation associated with nearly 500 archaeological excavation projects. The museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums (AAM) and in 1999 was recognized by the AAM for having exemplary informal education programs. Of the 38 museums recognized nationally for this honor, Pueblo Grande Museum was one of only two in the state of Arizona.

Private Sector Archaeology Program
Two organizations will be honored with the Private Sector Archaeology Program award this year: The Archaeological Conservancy, and SunCor Development Company.

·The Archaeological Conservancy
Since 1980, the Archaeological Conservancy has been acquiring and protecting significant archaeological resources around the United States and 24 of these are located in Arizona. For each of its preserves, the Conservancy forms a management committee representing diverse stakeholders and a long-term management plan. Guided tours and provisions for access by researchers are regular features of such plans.

The Conservancy's list of holdings in Arizona reads like a "Who's Who" of important sites on private land. This list includes Atkeson, Sugarloaf, and Hatalacva pueblos, in the Verde Valley; Cresswell, Hooper Ranch, and Danson pueblos, in the Little Colorado River Valley; and the Trincheras at Los Morteros, in the Santa Cruz Valley. Several key Conservancy acquisitions have been transferred to federal land managers. Examples include McCreery Pueblo and Mission Guevavi (both donated to the National Park Service), and Sears Point (donated to the Bureau of Land Management). Recently, the Conservancy worked with the Center for Desert Archaeology to document and backfill Sherwood Ranch Pueblo (the site formerly popularized as the Raven Ruin), located between Springerville and St. Johns. The Conservancy is currently in the process of acquiring Broken K Pueblo, one of the iconic sites associated with the birth of the New Archaeology.

·SunCor Development Company
SunCor Development Company, the builder responsible for the StoneRidge development in Prescott Valley, has gone well above and beyond the requirements of Section 106 compliance. The company has preserved a portion of Fitzmaurice Pueblo, one of the largest 13th century pueblos in the region and has placed deed restrictions on parcels encompassing petroglyph sites, preventing any future development in these areas. SunCor also assisted the Yavapai-Prescott Tribe, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, and the Hopi Tribe by providing a location for the reburial of human remains recovered during archaeological excavations in advance of construction. To assist in the long-term management and protection of the resources at StoneRidge, SunCor entered into an agreement with the Arizona Site Steward Program allowing unlimited access by site monitors. The Commission is delighted to present SunCor Development Company with this year's award in the Private Sector Archaeology Program category.

Arizona Archaeology Awareness Month took place in March 2007. The ASP State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) coordinated activities throughout the state for its annual celebration of Arizona Archaeology Awareness Month. The events focused on current efforts to preserve our past by protecting our fragile and non-renewable cultural resources. Museums, historical societies, tribes, agencies, parks, and archaeology organizations all hosted events across the state; many of the events were planned in Arizona State Parks as part of their interpretive programs.

For information about the State Historic Preservation Office or Arizona State Parks call (602) 542-4174 (outside of the Phoenix metro area call toll-free (800) 285-3703) or visit the website at www.azstateparks.com.

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