PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Sensitive sites: UC Research examines preservation of Southwest archaeology in time of tight budgets

2013-04-03
(Press-News.org) When surveying in the Upper Basin of the Grand Canyon National Park in April 2011, University of Cincinnati faculty and students discovered a previously unknown 17-room subterranean pueblo that likely dates back to the 12th century.

For UC anthropology graduate student Ryan Washam, that find – in which he took part – helped spark his current research in how federal agencies are conducting archaeological and environmental protection and preservation efforts in a time of tight budgets.

Washam, 23, of Florence, Ky., will present a case study of protection and preservation efforts in two locales. He examines such efforts in about one-and-a-half square miles of the Upper Basin of the south rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, which is managed by the U.S. National Park Service. He also examines protection and preservation efforts in about eight square miles of the adjacent Kaibab National Forest managed by the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Agriculture.

He will present his case study findings in a paper titled "Archaeology in Distress: Federal Land Management and Vulnerable Landscapes" at the April 3-7 Society for American Archaeology annual conference. His research builds on about 25 years' worth of UC research in the Grand Canyon's Upper Basin.

Using several years' worth of surveys, satellite images and data, GPS data, Google Earth data and his own months-long work in the region, Washam found that his study area in the Grand Canyon is being safeguarded and protected. However, that is not the case in his study area in the Kaibab National Forest.

He explained that a number of factors work in favor of preservation and protection of the dense archaeological record within the Grand Canyon National Park including



An access point that requires visitors to funnel through a single main entrance where interaction with park rangers and other personnel is routine.

Strict environmental and preservation policies are enforced by several park rangers and other personnel as well as by tourists themselves, especially those regarding where visitors may and may not go.

In addition, signage clearly indicates areas that are accessible to visitors: interpretive centers, trails, picnic areas and parking lots.

Visitors are permitted into the study area for day use only.

Said Washam, "From the moment a visitor enters the Grand Canyon by the main gateway, he or she interacts with the official face of the park in the form of rangers and other personnel. It's clearly communicated to enjoy, view but don't disturb or touch the off-limits protected areas. This is still the case even though budgets have been frozen at a 2009 level."

However, differing policies and fewer available protective resources mean that archaeological sites and finds in Kaibab National Park have greater likelihood for destruction. For instance, evidence abounds that stones and beams used for prehistoric pueblo construction have been routinely – if unknowingly – removed and used for modern outdoor campfires. This exposure to the campfire makes chemical analysis of archaeological remains problematic.

The forest's environmental and archaeological sites are vulnerable for a number of reasons. These include



No single access point into the forest where visitors must interact with Forest Service personnel. Instead, many roads provide access.

Extensive wood cutting, hunting, camping, back packing and off-road vehicle use is permitted. All of these activities are in an area where concentrations of archaeological sites are dense, as dense as those found within the nearby Grand Canyon National Park, which increases likelihood that visitors will come into contact with cultural resources.

One lone Forest Service ranger and a handful of Forest Protection officers are responsible for overseeing that Kaibab's rules and regulations are followed by visitors. However, due to the multiple access roads into the forest, the preserve's personnel may have little to no interaction with most users and visitors.

For instance, Washam's research points to one wood-cutting area of the forest that encompassed 30 acres of felled trees in 2006. In 2012, that same area encompassed 65 acres of felled trees. Almost half of that increase took place in the last two years.

This matters because when users log (or campers or drivers use) the area, they can inadvertently or unknowingly remove, use or damage historical structures and remains, such as the remains of ancient human habitations. "It dramatically changes the archaeological record and hinders archaeologists' ability to accurately size up extant cultural resources and ancient behavior," Washam stated.



INFORMATION:



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Review: Few effective, evidence-based interventions to prevent posttraumatic stress disorder

2013-04-03
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – Millions of adults are exposed to traumatic events each year. Shortly after exposure many experience symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) such as flashbacks, emotional numbing and difficulty sleeping. Despite this high rate of exposure, little is known about the effectiveness of treatments aimed at preventing and relieving posttraumatic stress symptoms that adults may experience after such events, according to researchers at the RTI-UNC Evidence-based Practice Center. The article, published online today by the American Journal ...

Puzzle of how spiral galaxies set their arms comes into focus

2013-04-03
MADISON — As the shapes of galaxies go, the spiral disk — with its characteristic pinwheel profile — is by far the most pedestrian. Our own Milky Way, astronomers believe, is a spiral. Our solar system and Earth reside somewhere near one of its filamentous, swept-back arms. And nearly 70 percent of the galaxies closest to the Milky Way are spirals, suggesting they have taken the most ordinary of galactic forms in a universe with billions of galaxies. But despite their common morphology, how galaxies like ours get and maintain their characteristic arms has proved to ...

Epileptic seizures can propagate using functional brain networks

2013-04-03
New Rochelle, NY, April 2, 2013—The seizures that affect people with temporal-lobe epilepsy usually start in a region of the brain called the hippocampus. But they are often able to involve other areas outside the temporal lobe, propagating via anatomically and functionally connected networks in the brain. New research findings that link decreased brain cell concentration to altered functional connectivity in temporal-lobe epilepsy are reported in an article in Brain Connectivity, a bimonthly peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article ...

Negative emotions in response to daily stress take a toll on long-term mental health

2013-04-03
Our emotional responses to the stresses of daily life may predict our long-term mental health, according to a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. Psychological scientist Susan Charles of the University of California, Irvine and colleagues conducted the study in order to answer a long-standing question: Do daily emotional experiences add up to make the straw that breaks the camel's back, or do these experiences make us stronger and provide an inoculation against later distress? Using data from two national ...

Access to mental health care lacking for children, teens across the US

2013-04-03
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Everyday, news reports detail the impact of the deficiencies in the nation's mental health care services. Even more startling, a survey from the University of Michigan reveals that many adults across the U.S. believe children and teens have extremely limited or no access to appropriate mental health care services. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation commissioned the National Voices Project to facilitate a five year study to gauge opportunities available for children and teens at the local level in communities across the U.S. Officials at the National Voices ...

Total buzz kill: Metals in flowers may play role in bumblebee decline

2013-04-03
PITTSBURGH—Beekeepers and researchers nationally are reporting growing evidence that a powerful new class of pesticides may be killing off bumblebees. Now, research at the University of Pittsburgh points toward another potential cause: metal pollution from aluminum and nickel. Published in the journal Environmental Pollution, the Pitt study finds that bumblebees are at risk of ingesting toxic amounts of metals like aluminum and nickel found in flowers growing in soil that has been contaminated by exhaust from vehicles, industrial machinery, and farming equipment. The ...

UC research examines ancient Puebloans and the myth of maize

2013-04-03
Research from the University of Cincinnati shows that perhaps the ancient Puebloans weren't as into the maize craze as once thought. Nikki Berkebile, a graduate student in anthropology in UC's McMicken College of Arts & Sciences, has been studying the subsistence habits of Puebloans, or Anasazi, who lived on the southern rim of the Grand Canyon in the late 11th century. Traditional ethnographic literature indicates these ancient American Indians were heavily dependent on maize as a food source, but Berkebile isn't so sure about that. "I'm trying to assess sustainable ...

Heart failure doesn't discriminate

2013-04-03
CHICAGO --- Lifetime risk for heart failure is similar for blacks and whites and higher than expected for both groups -- ranging from 20 to 45 percent -- according to a new Northwestern Medicine® study. "This is a bad news scenario for both race groups," said Northwestern Medicine researcher Mark Huffman, M.D., the first author of the study. "With lifetime risks this high, heart failure prevention is paramount for all Americans." Huffman is an assistant professor in preventive medicine and medicine-cardiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and ...

UC research on Maya village uncovers 'invisible' crops, unexpected agriculture

2013-04-03
The University of Cincinnati's mastery of ancient Maya mysteries continues with new research from professor of biological sciences David Lentz. UC faculty have been involved in multiple research projects concerning ancient Maya culture for more than a decade. This latest Maya study from Lentz focuses on Cerén, a farming village that was smothered under several meters of volcanic ash in the late sixth century. Lentz will present his research, "The Lost World of the Zapotitan Valley: Cerén and its Paleoecological Context," at the 78th annual meeting of the Society for ...

White blood cell enzyme contributes to inflammation and obesity

2013-04-03
ORLANDO, Fla., April 2, 2013 – Many recent studies have suggested that obesity is associated with chronic inflammation in fat tissues. Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) have discovered that an imbalance between an enzyme called neutrophil elastase and its inhibitor causes inflammation, obesity, insulin resistance, and fatty liver disease. This enzyme is produced by white blood cells called neutrophils, which play an important role in the body's immune defense against bacteria. The researchers found that obese humans and mice have ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Underserved youth less likely to visit emergency department for concussion in Ontario, study finds

‘Molecular shield’ placed in the nose may soon treat common hay fever trigger

Beetles under climate stress lay larger male eggs: Wolbachia infection drives adaptive reproduction strategy in response to rising temperature and CO₂

Groundbreaking quantum study puts wave-particle duality to work

Weekly injection could be life changing for Parkinson’s patients

Toxic metals linked to impaired growth in infants in Guatemala

Being consistently physically active in adulthood linked to 30–40% lower risk of death

Nerve pain drug gabapentin linked to increased dementia, cognitive impairment risks

Children’s social care involvement common to nearly third of UK mums who died during perinatal period

‘Support, not judgement’: Study explores links between children’s social care involvement and maternal deaths

Ethnic minority and poorer children more likely to die in intensive care

Major progress in fertility preservation after treatment for cancer of the lymphatic system

Fewer complications after additional ultrasound in pregnant women who feel less fetal movement

Environmental impact of common pesticides seriously underestimated

The Milky Way could be teeming with more satellite galaxies than previously thought

New study reveals surprising reproductive secrets of a cricket-hunting parasitoid fly

Media Tip Sheet: Symposia at ESA2025

NSF CAREER Award will power UVA engineer’s research to improve drug purification

Tiny parasitoid flies show how early-life competition shapes adult success

New coating for glass promises energy-saving windows

Green spaces boost children’s cognitive skills and strengthen family well-being

Ancient trees dying faster than expected in Eastern Oregon

Study findings help hone precision of proven CVD risk tool

Most patients with advanced melanoma who received pre-surgical immunotherapy remain alive and disease free four years later

Introducing BioEmu: A generative AI Model that enables high-speed and accurate prediction of protein structural ensembles

Replacing mutated microglia with healthy microglia halts progression of genetic neurological disease in mice and humans

New research shows how tropical plants manage rival insect tenants by giving them separate ‘flats’

Condo-style living helps keep the peace inside these ant plants

Climate change action could dramatically limit rising UK heatwave deaths

Annual heat-related deaths projected to increase significantly due to climate and population change

[Press-News.org] Sensitive sites: UC Research examines preservation of Southwest archaeology in time of tight budgets