The AAC has set up a mobile application for AAC members. The Wild Apricot member app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store, or from the Apple iOS App Store. Once downloaded, log in with your AAC account credentials. The mobile app allows you to:

• Renew their membership
• View and update your member profile
• View and email fellow members
• View a calendar of upcoming events and events to your device calendar
• View/Register/Cancel for events and pay any registration fees

Want to support research at PGM? They are offering discounted publications - proceeds benefit the City Archaeology Office and their research publications.

Ever wonder about Hole-in-the-Rock? You can learn about its history in Papago Park: A History of Hole-in-The-Rock from 1848 to 1995. On sale through the City Archaeology Office for $10 (cash/check). Email archaeology@phoenix.gov to purchase your copy

Please Join the AAC for a Zoom-based virtual happy hour on Friday May 21^st at 4:00pm MST. We will have an open discussion on how people are currently doing and what they are working on, and we will throw in some fun 90s trivia. BYOB.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85193697785?pwd=aE9nL2ViVHo3ZTNramY5dkdnQ09MQT09

Meeting ID: 851 9369 7785

Passcode: 103634

One tap mobile

+13462487799,,85193697785#,,,,*103634# US (Houston)

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Dial by your location

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Meeting ID: 851 9369 7785

Passcode: 103634

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kefa3uZF5C

The Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society welcomes nominations for three annual awards (see descriptions).  Nomination letters, and Curriculum Vitae (if appropriate), should be emailed to Ron Towner (rht@email.arizona.edu) no later than May 1, 2021.  Awardees will be selected by the Awards Committee and approved by the AAHS Board of Directors. Awards will be presented at the Pecos Conference in August.  

Byron Cummings Award  

The Byron Cummings Award is given in honor of Byron Cummings, the principal professional founder of the Society, the first head of the University of Arizona’s Department of Archaeology (later Anthropology) and the first Director of the Arizona State Museum. The Byron Cummings Award is given annually for outstanding research and contributions to knowledge in anthropology, history, or a related field of study or research pertaining to the southwestern United States or northwest Mexico.  

Victor R. Stoner Award  

The Victor R. Stoner Award is given in honor of Reverend Stoner, a strong avocational historian, supporter of the Society and one of the founders of Kiva. The Victor R. Stoner Award is given annually for outstanding contributions in leadership or participation in the Society; fostering historic preservation; or bringing anthropology, history or a related discipline to the public.   

Alexander J. Lindsay, Jr. Unsung Heroes Award  

The newly designated Alexander J. Lindsay, Jr. Award is given in honor of Dr. Lindsay, a long-time southwestern archaeologist, AAHS member and Officer. The LUHA is given annually as a lifetime service award to those individuals whose tireless work behind-the-scenes has often gone unrecognized, but which is often critical to the success of others’ research, projects, and publications. These may be field personnel, lab managers, archivists, cooks, analysts, and others.   

Want to support research at PGM? They are offering discounted publications - proceeds benefit the City Archaeology Office and their research publications. This week's special - Beneath the Runways: Archaeology of Sky Harbor for $15. Email archaeology@phoenix.gov to purchase your copy.

https://www.betalabservices.com/photo-contest.html 

To support researchers around the world, we are hosting a photo competition, in which three winners will receive vouchers valid for any of Beta Analytic’s radiocarbon dating, hydrology, and stable isotope services. Please submit original images related to archaeological or geological research and field work.

Contest Details

Contest Dates: February 1, 2021 – March 1, 2021
Allowed number of entries: 1 per person
Allowed number of votes: 1 per person
Selection Process:. Most votes on a photo submission
File Types: PNG, JPG, JPEG, and GIF
Maximum File Size: 50 Megabytes

About the Prize

Number of Winners: 3 (1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place)
Prize: USD $1,500 Voucher for 1st place, USD $1,000 for 2nd place, USD $650 for 3rd place (Valid until December 31, 2021)
Vouchers are only valid for services provided by Beta Analytic

Senate Bill 1338, which would transfer permitting responsibility from the Arizona State Museum to the State Historic Preservation Office, is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Government Committee on Monday, February 1, 2021 at 2:00 P.M. The Senate Government Committee Agenda is here: https://www.azleg.gov/getCurrentPDF/?doctype=A&docid=14996. The bill text is here: https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/55leg/1R/bills/SB1338P.pdf

 

Please join members of the AAC Political Action Committee for a Zoom-based virtual happy hour on Friday January 29 at 4 PM:   https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88127568505?pwd=WUIxMGtQYjREbDBIVDJOcTZRSmNLZz09 (Meeting ID: 881 2756 8505 Passcode: 180341). We will discuss the bill and some of its implications and hear your concerns. We will also give an overview of the Arizona legislature’s Request to Speak (RTS) system and how you can support or oppose this and other legislation. 

The AAC has also created a members-only forum, where we can debate and discuss sensitive issues together, in a more private online space. The general forum rules topic is at the top, and a new topic has been created if people want to weigh-in on this bill:   http://arizonaarchaeologicalcouncil.org/Forum/10039282 

You may also call or email the committee members (information below).

Name	Position	Phone	Email
Sonny Borrelli	Member (Majority Whip)	(602) 926-5051	SBORRELLI@azleg.gov
Juan Mendez	Member	(602) 926-4124	JMENDEZ@azleg.gov
J.D. Mesnard	Member	(602) 926-4481	JMESNARD@azleg.gov
Jamescita Peshlakai	Member	(602) 926-5160	JPESHLAKAI@azleg.gov
Warren Petersen	Member	(602) 926-4136	WPETERSEN@azleg.gov
Martin Quezada	Member (Minority Whip)	(602) 926-5911	MQUEZADA@azleg.gov
Kelly Townsend	Vice-Chairman	(602) 926-4467	KTOWNSEND@azleg.gov
Michelle Ugenti-Rita	Chairman	(602) 926-4480	MUGENTI-RITA@azleg.gov

AZ Senator David Gowan (R, LD-14 Sierra Vista/Safford) has just introduced 2021 Senate Bill 1338 (historic preservation; state museum; transfer) which has the potential to impact Arizona Archeology. A copy of the bill’s introduced language can be found at https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/55leg/1R/bills/SB1338P.htm. This bill is similar to a smaller bill introduced in 2020 (SB 1241), which was not enacted. AAC previously adopted a neutral position on this bill. An initial analysis of the new bill finds it would amend multiple state statutes to shift authority, powers, duties and responsibilities from the Arizona State Museum (ASM) to the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO).

The bill would require the Board of Regents to consult SHPO on matters relating to the ASM. The bill would remove ASM’s ability to adopt Arizona Antiquities Act fees for anything other than fees related to the Arizona Burial Laws on non-state lands (note SHPO is not given authority to propose fees). The bill shifts Antiquities Act permitting and reports of discoveries to be the responsibility of SHPO. The bill also adds SHPO as the point of contact when human remains are discovered on non-state lands – SHPO would then contact ASM for determination of affiliation, which adds an extra step adds an extra step and more bureaucracy when human remains are encountered. Finally, the bill transfers an acquisition and preservation fund from ASM to SHPO. Note that no appropriations or ability to generate fees by SHPO are included in the current version of the bill. Because the bill is an unfunded mandate for an already underfunded state agency, and because the bill would complicate the process of notification and repatriation of human remains, we feel the bill would potentially have a negative impact on Arizona Archaeology.

The AAC Political Action Committee will be meeting with administrators, legislators, and liaisons in the coming days to discuss the legislation and its potential impacts to Arizona Archaeology. Following those meetings, AAC will schedule an afternoon zoom-based information sharing session for the membership and others interested in the bill and communicate how you can help shape the legislation as it goes through the committee process. AAC media will continue to share updates on this and other bills affecting Arizona Archaeology.