THE SAN LUIS VALLEY ARCHAEOLOGICAL NETWORK

The Mission of the SLV Archaeological Network is to help protect, preserve, and restore archaeological sites in the San Luis Valley. We do this by: identifying and recording archaeological sites, providing for site stewardship and monitoring, providing educational programs and exhibits, and by arranging local and regional tours for adults and children. Activities are done in cooperation with government agencies, private landowners, archaeological organizations, and other groups with similar interests. If you would like further information about the network please go to our website at the above address.

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SAN LUIS VALLEY SITE STEWARDSHIP TRAINING

On June 9th the San Luis Valley Public Lands Center, the Rio Grande County Museum, and the SLV Archaeological Network conducted a cultural resource stewardship training session to increase awareness about the protection of cultural resources of the San Luis Valley. Ten SLV Archnet members attended the training. The newly formulated San Luis Valley Cultural Resource Stewardship Program will utilize a cadre of trained Rio Grande County Museum and SLV Archaeological Network volunteers to monitor at-risk archaeological sites and report any vandalism or other changes in site condition.

Inspection of deteriorating historic building	Rock art panel endangered by natural spalling
The workshop included the presentation of information about the need for a stewardship program in the SLV, the types of sites found here, and details about observations when monitoring sites. A field visit to a local rock art and stone structure site near Del Norte was also a part of the training. An archeological survey of the surrounding area resulted in finding pottery shards, stone tools, and grinding stones. Among the pottery shards were several identified as Taos Incised Grayware which is found almost exclusively in the Taos Valley during the Valdez phase of the Late Developmental period (ca. A.D. 1050-1225). After about 1225 A.D., incising is replaced by corrugation, which has been dominate in the rest of the northern Rio Grande since at least 900 A.D. Observations made by trained site stewards will be entered into a database at the Rio Grande County Museum to help track changes over time. Additional training, focusing on the use of GPS units and map reading, will follow in August at the Rio Grande County Museum. Please watch the website for more details on this upcoming training.
Pottery shards found near Del Norte of the Taos Incised Type.

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UPCOMING FIELD TRIP: DRY CREEK PETROGLYPHS NEAR MONTE VISTA
SATURDAY, JUNE 30

A San Luis Valley Archaeological Network field trip to gather information on the present condition of rock art sites in the Dry Creek area (in the foothills to the southwest of Monte Vista) will occur on Saturday, June 30th. We will meet at the Forest Service office, about 2 miles to the west of Monte Vista, at 9:00 AM. The trip will be completed by about 2:00 PM and we will return to Monte Vista by 2:30 PM. Access is on a rather rough dirt road so high clearance vehicles will be needed. There will be the opportunity to carpool for those without a high-clearance vehicle. After arriving we will hike about 1 mile on a rocky ridge side to several rock art sites and one possible "prehistoric rock sculpture". At each site we will take notes on the present condition and will establish photo points to be used in subsequent monitoring.

Please bring along a lunch, water, and hiking apparel. For more information please contact Vince Spero at 719-873-5916 (home), 719-852-6242 (work), or by email at vspero@peoplepc.com.

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