Nevadans for Cultural Preservation

November 2024

The 10th Biennial Three Corners Conference was held November 2nd at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The conference speakers share research in the region of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert. NVFCP's presentation was on the issues of vigilante graffiti removal in the area. 

In addition to traditional presentations the conference had:

• Panel of Museum Specialists
• Workshop on USA Jobs
• "Speed Dating" - one on one time with professional archaeologists
• Archaeology Lab Tour

Check out the program here.

The next conference will be in 2026. We hope you can make it!

October 2024

Presentation by Isabelle Guerrero - Ph.D. Student/Museum Fellow with the Department of Anthropology, University of Nevada Reno

Tunna’ Nosi’ Kaiva’ Gwaa (TNKG) is a large multi-component site complex situated within pinyon-juniper woodlands at the edge of the western Great Basin in a region known by the Numu toponym, Tuvugatudu. The pre-contact components at TNKG include hunting features, rock rings, lithic materials, and rock art. Recent historical materials at TNKG include evidence of charcoal production and wood cutting likely connected to the historic mining towns of Bodie, California, and Aurora and Del Monte, Nevada. While the precontact materials have been well-studied, the recent historic components require further investigation. This presentation showcases the preliminary results of dissertation research being completed at TNKG, examining how this landscape was transformed from the mid-19th to early 20th centuries. This project utilizes a multi-pronged approach that incorporates archaeological investigation, archival research, oral history research, and collaborative work with Tribes, federal agencies, and private landowners.

Watch the video on our YouTube Channel here.

October 2024

NVFCP is working with Stratum Unlimited LLC to develop interpretive panels for a new campground and trail in the Mt. Irish Archaeological District in Basin and Range National Monument. The district contains 640 acres of cultural sites and resources. Four concentrated petroglyph areas are along the trail and NVFCP will be encouraging preservation and respectful visitation. We are honored to be working on such an important educational project. In October, we collected mapping data and selected sites for 6 new kiosks along the trail. We will let you know when the signs have been installed. 

At this time, Bird and Hike has some of the best information for those interested in the campground and trail. Learn more

Photo is of the new pit toilet and main kiosk. 

October 2024

NVFCP held an outreach booth for Public Lands Day at Walking Box Ranch in Avi Kwa Ame National Monument. Folks volunteered to clean up around the ranch in the hot temperatures. Trucks took others to work on other manual labor tasks like repairing fencing. What an amazing dedicated group of folks interested in helping the ranch and monument. The day ended in early afternoon with root beer floats and lively conversations. Check out the Friends of Avi Kwa Ame for upcoming events and tours of the ranch. 

Photo is a view from inside the Walking Box Ranch. 

"The Walking Box Ranch is a 160-acre ranch in Searchlight, Nevada that was owned by silent film stars Rex Bell and Clara Bow from the 1930s through the 1940s. Rex Bell (née George Francis Beldam) purchased the ranch in 1931 from John Woolf who bought it from the Rock Springs Land and Cattle Company. The Walking Box Ranch name and cattle brand were inspired by a film making process and motif popular at the time: a box camera mounted on a tripod." read more

September 2024

Presentation by Jackson Mueller, University of Nevada - Reno

Archaeologists, when documenting and reporting historic mining sites, frequently review mineral surveys and their field notes.  In this presentation, Jackson covered how he and his colleagues plotted the locations of mining features using original distance and bearing descriptions in survey notes, then compared the results with archaeological survey data. 

Watch the video on our YouTube Channel here.

Webster Mack, Lois Etzel, Alicia Evans, Cheryl Stinar, Rayette Martin, Gordon
England, Philip Sherman, Paul Krachenfels, Isabelle Krachenfels, Lucky Holtam,
Bruce Kester, and Roland Alburquerque

September 2024

Ten volunteers provided 38 hours of their time to remediate graffiti, pick up trash, and repair fencing at the historic Cold Creek Ranch north of Las Vegas. 

This project would not have been possible without funding from the Nevada Offroad Association through a grant from Fox Trail Trust, our volunteers, members from the Dunes and Trails UTV Club of Las Vegas, and US Forest Service Archaeologists Marty McMahon and Alicia Evans.

After a short talk on the history of the area, the team worked on trash clean up, fence repair, and remediating graffiti on the historic garage. Only two bags of trash were collected. The area was really clean considering it is a popular OHV staging area. Unfortunately, there are no photos of the fence repair but a few areas were taken care of to prevent wild horses and burros from accessing the site.

September 2024

NVFCP was proud to be a part of the Annual OHV Summit. We believe it is important to engage with the off road community. These are the folks who can access a lot of Nevada's remote archaeological and historic sites. They are our allies and can report damages they find to these nonrenewable resources. 

This year's summit was held in Virginia City at Piper's Opera House. There were talks, panels, and education session on the importance of safe and sustainable recreation and partnerships. Nevada Senator, Robin Titus, provided opening remarks. Representatives for the Lt. Governor's Office, Department of Outdoor Recreation, and Nevada Commission on Off Highway Vehicles were also present and participated in discussion.

NVFCP's Executive Director, Rayette Martin and President Katie Hoffman held a booth and provided archaeological information on the county sheriff led trail ride to Lagomarsino Petroglyphs. Rayette also presented "Partnerships for Preserving Cultural Heritage in Nevada!" and recruited OHV Preservation Ambassadors. 

Photo above is Katie Hoffman at Lagomarsino Petroglyphs.

August 2024

Friends of Gold Butte invited NVFCP to speak about how folks can preserve archaeology in Nevada. 

Rayette Martin-NVFCP Executive Director and Public Archaeologist provided a Zoom presentation that covered the types of cultural sites found in Nevada, the laws that protect them, and how everyone can participate in preservation efforts.

Means to participate included:

• Signing and following the ethics in the Citizen Steward Pledge
• Training to be an OHV Preservation Ambassador
• Volunteering to clean sites including graffiti remediation 
• Supporting Archaeology as a field
• Learning and Sharing what was learned with others

A great Q/A session followed the presentation with tips on how to report if you find someone actively vandalizing, what to do about cleaning up modern trash left in historic trash piles, and more.

August 2024

NVFCP had a booth at Smokey the Bear's 80th birthday celebration at the visitor's gateway at Mount Charleston. During set up and the first hour and a half or so we had great sunny weather with a light breeze. By 11am the sky was black, winds were whipping, and there was thunder and lightening. We packed up earlier than we had hoped. The fire engine left early as well but it went to put out two lightening caused fires on the mountain. 

We had a great time singing Happy Birthday, eating cupcakes, and visiting with folks on the Mountain. At our booth, kids learned about manos and metates and pine nuts, and were sent home with archaeology related activity books. Adults learned about online reporting, the importance of leaving artifacts in context, and the educational opportunities we provide. 

July 2024

Presentation by Kelly Harvey - Museum Specialist for the Bureau of Reclamation

How do agencies keep cultural resources preserved in perpetuity? This presentation takes a deeper dive into what can deteriorate a museum collection and how these preservation practices can assist anyone in protecting their valued artifacts. Kelly goes over agents of deterioration with an in-depth discussion of our lenses in which we view things as well as the usual suspects like pollutants, theft, temperature, humidity. 

Watch a recording of this video on our YouTube Channel here.