Message #226 Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1998 23:01:09 Subject: Arizona Highways Curse? [ AzTeC / SWA SASIG ] : From: Robert Coody Robert.Coody@nau.edu Have you ever noticed that every spot in Arizona that is advertised in Arizona Highways magazine gets trashed in one way or another? Well, prepare yourself for a biggie, check out the latest treasure story in the August 1998 issue. "Legend haunted Chavez Pass May Have Witnessed the Massacre of a Wagon Train" by Leo Banks. In this story is given the location of the ruins of Chavez Pass and how to get there. Expect to see the end of another cultural resource in Arizona!! I've already sent a letter to the editor. This type of journalism must be stopped!! Robert Coody From: Peter Pilles Pilles_Peter/r3_coconino@fs.fed.us Subject: Re: Arizona Highways Curse? Cc: editor@arizhwys.com, director@arizhwys.com In fact, we HAVE received a report of recent pothunting that we are in the process of checking out now. And, as you note, whenever a place is mentioned in Arizona Highways, whether it's an archaeological site or just a "nice area" on the Forest, we ALWAYS see an increase in visitation. It's a dilemma. Arizona Highways is charged to write aricles that promote Arizona tourism, but now, there are so many people in Arizona, that most of the "nice" areas they promote simply can't take the increased visitation without destroying their beauty. From: Ann Howard ahoward@pr.state.az.us Bob--I agree that this is a problem and has been a problem with this magazine for years....our office and the Arizona Archaeology Advisory Commission (AAAC) are trying to work with Arizona Highways (AH) on just this problem; I'll talk about that a little more in detail below. However, did you also notice that, after the lead article "Sanctuary: A Tale of the Rim Country" in the September 1998 issue of AH, the Editor has added a note, albeit short, on archaeological site etiquette! (Our office puts out a page-long [front and back] synopsis on arch.'l site etiquette which the AAAC has been lobbying with various publications to publish. Roger Lidman, the current Chair of the AAAC, and Jim Britton, the Chair of the AAAC's Heritage Tourism Task Force, have been successful in getting an abbreviated version of SHPO's etiquette sheet into the Phoenix & Valley of the Sun's Official Visitor's Guide (Winter/ Spring, 1997-1998), as well as into the Sept. issue of AH.) So, this is real progress, having AH publish info. for the public on how to be sensitive and protect sites that they visit! Our office and the AAAC have met separately with the Editors of AH in the recent past to discuss problems with their stories; these problems have ranged from providing site locational info./maps to the general public, publishing stories in which the author(s) dig and/or collect on arch.'l sites, running articles telling people to go visit sites which are on permitted Federal or tribal lands, not being sensitive to Native American concerns regarding activities conducted on arch.'l sites, etc. We are committed to continuing to work with AH, as is the AAAC, to sensitize them to these issues, and have offered our assistance in a variety of ways, from reviewing actual stories involving/mentioning archaeological sites, to offering to speak at their annual "convention" of writers on the sensitivity of cultural resources and educating them about the state and federal laws protecting these resources. Although AH has yet to take us up on any of these offers of assistance, we are ready and willing and continue to offer our expertise in these areas of concern. We HAVE been somewhat successful, however, in getting them to print in past articles in the last couple of years, small blurbs mentioning that laws exist which prohibit certain actions on archaeological sites. I think that one of the most important things that the public can do to help educate and sensitize AH is to write letters to them and voice these concerns. It would be especially helpful if NON-archaeologists and Native Americans could write letters of concern to the Editors. The Editors indicated to us that, in the past, letter-writing "campaigns" by concerned Arizona Site Stewards and archaeologists have actually "turned off" the Editors, but they indicated that they wanted to be very responsive to Native American concerns/letters. So, in addition to making your concerns known over the Internet in general, please write letters or e-mail the AZ Highways Editor. We will also take your concerns to the Editors ourselves, so please copy us or e-mail us on any correspondence you make directly to AH. Thanks for your help and concern! Ann Howard, SHPO Public Archaeology Programs Manager 602/542-7138 ahoward@pr.state.az.us