Nevadans for Cultural Preservation

Summer 2020

With COVID 19 and high summer temperatures, NVFCP has been focused on some socially distant projects including creating panels for 6 interpretive kiosks for the Bureau of Land Management.

March 2020

Participants took part in an hour long introductory lesson on GPS units before heading to the Las Vegas Springs Preserve for a scavenger hunt. At the Preserve they tested their new skills by entering way points and following their units to the destinations. Each small group of 2 or 3 was accompanied by a trainer who let them make and learn from little mistakes along the way. 

December 2019

In partnership with the Nevada Site Stewardship Program and the Bureau of Land Management Red Rock Field Office, NVFCP trained scouts to be citizen site stewards. They were taught how to take photographs of damages and complete an online reporting form found here. The scouts and their families will now complete reports when they visit public archaeological sites and find damage. 

December 2019

Nevada Site Stewardship Program intern, Chava Aaron, provided an amazing dating workshop for historic bottles and cans. After an overview presentation on what elements to look for, attendees were provided a bottle and can to date. They used informative handouts and the internet to narrow down date ranges. We had so many RSVP's that we held back-to-back workshops of about 8 participants each. This made it possible for attendees to share the information they found and help each other out.

November 2019

Seven scouts and their leaders joined the Nevada Site Stewardship Program and Nevadans for Cultural Preservation for an Ocher Pictograph Experiment. We used the scientific method to test which binder (lard, blood, egg yolk, etc) worked best when mixed ocher to form a paint for pictographs. The scouts got to grind locally sourced ocher, mix and measure, and are in the process of observing the results. In December, they will join us again. This time to learn how to be citizen stewards and to adopt a site in Red Rock National Conservation Area to monitor for damages. 

September 2019

NVFCP Executive Director, Rayette Martin provided an artifact identification and site recording workshop for Sierra Club volunteers. The information she provided in this abbreviated training was sufficient to ensure volunteers could make an educated guess whether or not an object was possibly an artifact or not and how to document the finding so it could be relocated. The group later did a pedestrian survey (walked and looked for evidence of endangered species and cultural sites) in the muddy mountains area. They found an artifact and an old historic building in their survey and sent in photos to be verified. 

We love working with our partners to help them better care for our cultural resources!  

September 2019

NVFCP supports the Nevada Site Stewardship Program. We hold an annual silent auction to raise funds for our insurance. Generous donors like Mutability (who provides Golden Knights Hockey Tickets), long supporting artists like Robin Stark (who provides original ceramics), and our friends and partners (who provide a variety of other items), get to support NVFCP and provide killer deals on some really great finds. In 2019 we were able to raise over $1,000.00.

Thanks to everyone who supports us!

April 2019

Katie Hoffman and assistants from Nevadans for Cultural Preservation provided a hands on workshop. Participants got to see natural locally sourced clay in it raw form, after it had been ground, and when it was ready for forming. They got to try their hand at creating a vessel with both traditional and modern commercial clay. Both can be quite difficult for beginners. Participants had a great time and learned a healthy respect and appreciation for prehistoric ceramics they find when they are out monitoring archaeological sites or when they are visiting a museum. 

June 2019

Caroline Kunioka, from the Nevada State Museum, joined Mary Beth Timm and Ginny Lucas, from the Lost City Museum, for a wonderful workshop on reconstructing pottery! Caroline, a skilled conservator, demonstrated and helped participants learn the materials and techniques for piecing ceramics back together.

“It was like rebuilding a 3D puzzle in a sandbox with glue. Totally fun!”

February 2019

Archaeologist, Spencer Lodge with the US Fish and Wildlife Service led a tour of the archaeology in and round the visitor's center at Desert National Wildlife Refuge. Participants braved the cold to see the sights and hear the stories Spencer had to share.