What's New
- The Presidio Trust has proposed a major revision to the Management Plan for the Presidio Main Post, the park that contains the archaeological site of the Spanish-colonial Presidio de San Francisco. If this revised plan is adopted , it could pose serious threats to the integrity of the site and to the Presidio de San Francisco National Historic Landmark District. The public can provide input and ask that the July 31st deadline be extended. Click here to read the entire press release.
- The Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA) invites abstracts (papers and
posters) for the Program of the 69th Annual Meeting in Santa Fe, NM, March
17-21, 2009. The theme of the Program is "Global Challenge, Local Action:
Ethical Engagement, Partnerships and Practice".
The Society is a multi-disciplinary association that focuses on problem
definition and resolution. We welcome papers from all disciplines. The
deadline for abstract submission is October 15, 2008. For additional
information on the theme, abstract size/format, and the meeting, please
visit our web page (www.sfaa.net, click on "Annual Meeting").
- West Sacramento City Council Approves Agreements with California State Parks for California Indian Heritage Center. At its meeting on June 18, the Council voted 4 - 0 for an agreement that places the new State Park museum and cultural heritage complex at the 43 acre "East Riverfront" property located along the Sacramento River. The property is currently owned by the city of West Sacramento and its' Redevelopment Agency. Click here to read the entire press release.
- African-American Landmarks. Staff of the National Historic Landmarks program are developing a list of potential African-American National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) that are archaeological sites or that are properties with substantial archaeological resources. They especially need help with California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. There is a real possibility that funding will be made available to document at least one qualifying archaeological site among these states.
If you would like to suggest an African-American archaeological site with NHL potential please send your suggestion by e-mail to Mark_Rudo@NPS.GOV who will compile a list and forward it to the NHL program archaeologist in Washington D.C. and report back to the SCA membership. Suggestions have already been received for Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park and three 9th Cavalry sites: a road network at Sequoia-Kings Canyon, the Arboretum at Yosemite, and components of Ft. Vancouver in Oregon.
NHLs are similar to National Register properties except they all have a national level of significance, fit within a national context, and have a high level of integrity. The evaluation criteria are also somewhat different (see http://www.nps.gov/nhl/QA.htm for more information). Ideally, the property you suggest will not already be listed as a National Register property.
- ACRA Conference. This year’s American Cultural Resource Association (ACRA) conference will be held at the University Marriott in Tucson, Arizona, from September 25 to 28, 2008. ACRA is dedicated to serving the practical needs of the cultural resource management (CRM) industry. The conference will feature a day-long workshop, the Business of CRM, a day and a half of sessions, an awards ceremony highlighting best practices in the industry, and tours that introduce conference participants to the local archaeology, architecture, and Sonoran Desert environment. One of the highlights of the plenary session will be an interactive panel discussion with speakers Lynne Sebastian, Tom King, and the Arizona State Historic Preservation Officer, Jim Garrison, discussing their sometimes controversial views of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, the key piece of legislation enabling the CRM industry. For more information and updates, please visit http://acra-crm.org/ and look for “Events.”
- New Officers. The new members of SCA's Executive Board were announced at the SCA Annual Meeting in Burbank. C. Kristina Roper becomes President-Elect, while Mark Allen moves up to President and Stephen Horne becomes Immediate Past President. The new Northern Vice President is Jennifer Farquhar, and SCA's Secretary is Jamie L. Dotie.
- SHRC White Papers. The State Historical Resources Commission (SHRC) Archaeology Committee continues to work on the draft position (white) papers regarding the practice of archaeology within California. The comment period on the white papers is now over for archaeologists, and the committee is currently focused on reaching other interest groups such as Native Americans, local governments, and the building industry. The OHP now has a link which details the current status of the draft White Papers: http://ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=24556. Questions can be emailed to SHRC_ARC@yahoo.com.
- OHP Webpage. The California Office of Historic Preservation has made available a webpage with an assortment of bulletins, guidelines, and forms to be used in documenting and evaluating archaeological resources.
- Changes in the SCA Business Office. The SCA has reopened at a new location, with a new business model, operations plan, and new day-to-day manager, Denise Wills. We anticipate increased efficiency, productivity, and member services in the year to come.
- Membership Renewal Reminder. Last year, SCA began the transition to calendar year membership. In 2007 all Regular, Student, Senior, Spouse, Institutional, Contributing, and Corporate members were asked to renew their SCA membership using a pro-rated system that allowed payment for a span of service to terminate December 31, 2007. On January 1, 2008, all new and renewal memberships shifted to the full calendar year, and new membership filed at any time during 2008 will pay the full year's rate.
- SCA Student Webpages -- New pages have been added to SCAhome with information addressed to student members, thanks to the efforts of by Student Affairs Committee Chair Shannon Tushingham. Among the features are a new listserv function and information on academic programs in California anthropology, SCA meetings, awards, membership, and organization.
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