Upcoming Projects for 2007! The Dry Lakes area (northern Nevada) will be a major focus in 2007, as our work there continues with documentation of two large sites and numerous smaller sites over the late spring, summer and into the fall. A priority for 2007 will be Baseline documentation of sites currently being Monitored by Site Stewards. And, again, Lagomarsino will also be on the agenda as soon as weather permits. Because this is an unfunded project, our work is supported through donations to the Preserve-A-Panel Program (see how you can help by clicking on the "Preserve-A-Panel" button on our home page) and merchandise sales, etc. And thanks to the generosity of Dan Smercina (General Manager, Western Village Inn & Casino, Sparks) NRAF Volunteers have been able to come from all over the country to participate - and not have to mortgage their house! There are some special events planned for Lagomarsino in 2007 - including a recognition event for all NRAF members who have worked on this project since it started in 2003! Watch for further information as details are worked out ... Work in the southern part of the state will also begin to pick up as a better method of prioritizing sites is developed and NRAF begins to work more closely with land managers throughout Clark County. The Site Stewardship program is well developed there and now it's just a matter of finding ways that NRAF can better help in the long-term management and documentation of rock art sites in that highly threatened area. And in the east, rock art site documentation remains a high priority for land managers - and NRAF will be there to help should the need arise - so stay tuned! Little Red Rocks Project (southern Nevada) Five rock art sites located in the western edge of the Las Vegas valley were documented in November 2006. This unique project brought together private land owners, federal and state agencies, local concerned citizens and the Nevada Rock Art Foundation, working together to provide full documentation and future protection of these very special places. The project was completed on time, but with only moments to spare! For local residents who wish to help in the long-term protection of these five important sites, contact mbpconsulting@cox.net for information on the Little Red Rocks Site Steward Program. Back to Dry Lakes! (northern Nevada) Late summer and early fall are the time of year that NRAF members gather in the northern part of the state to work ... and this summer is no exception. We return to Dry Lakes for another summer to work at two of the larger remaining sites - one of them known to some people as the "Gooney Bird" site. This is a beautiful site and the pattern of rock art found in domestic contexts continues at this site as well. There are over one hundred panels to be documented and we'll be there to do it to the highest professional standard! It's a tough hike to get to the site, but it's being visited regularly by the general public and so the documentation is critical in BLMs ongoing effort to protect these sites. Work begins September 25 and continues until mid-October. Contact info@nevadarockart.org for further information. Lagomarsino 2006 (northern Nevada) Ongoing work at Lagomarsino continued in September and October 2006, when NRAF returned to our "home away from home" at the Western Village Inn & Casino in Sparks! Volunteer work began September 18 and continued until the 15th of October. This will be our fourth year at Lago and it's really amazing how much work has been done. Although it's only a guess at this point, the estimate is that around 1/3 of the site has been documented. If you haven't been before, make plans to come out in October and help ... you'll be glad you did! SLOAN CANYON (southern Nevada) Starting in mid-February and running through the end of March 2006, NRAF will be documenting the rock art in Sloan Canyon NCA. This is another very large, complex project that requires a lot of planning to accomplish. A project flyer was mailed in December and the FIRM deadline for registration is February 10, 2006. Sloan Canyon is located just south of Las Vegas, in the heart of the metropolitan area of southern Nevada. The area is remarkable for its setting in a spectacular landscape, and for its interesting and diverse imagery that ranges all the way from Basin & Range Tradition to historic motifs of horses and cowboys. The number of people on-site each day will be strictly limited, as will the number of cars. This may mean that not everyone will get to work as many days as they'd like ... but every effort will be made to ensure that everyone who wants to participate will have that chance. A list will be maintained for those who need to switch workdays so that you can swap with or give your days to someone else. PLEASE NOTE: BOTH TRAINING WORKSHOPS SCHEDULED FOR THIS PROJECT ARE NOW FULL! Contact info@nevadarockart.org for further details and be sure to get that registration flyer returned before the deadline! Dry Lakes 2006 (northern Nevada) There will be ongoing documentation of small sites at Dry Lakes throughout the summer and fall of 2006. There are many small sites that will be done as "spur of the moment" projects, mostly done by the site monitors for that area -- the "Dry Lakes SWAAT Team" (Stewards Working As A Team). The larger projects will be done in the normal way, with a formal NRAF Project Registration Flyer mailed to all members. As with all NRAF projects, training is required to participate, but there will always be a training session associated with any large project so no one has to miss out. Contact info@nevadarockart.org or call 775.315.5497 for information. Mt Irish Documentation (south-eastern Nevada) The Nevada Rock Art Foundation worked at Mt Irish November 10 through 16, 2005. The sites and localities included in this project are those which are included in the newly developed Mt. Irish Trail Guide. Mt Irish is located in eastern Nevada, north of Alamo which is on Highway 93. It is nestled in the beautiful and rustic landscape of the 640-acre Mt. Irish Archaeological District. Within the boundaries of the District are found many rock art and other archaeological sites, including Logan City, a historic mining town. Lagomarsino (northern Nevada) September 17 through October 16, 2005 recording resumed on this multi-year project. More than 30 volunteers participated and to date, more than 1,000 panels have been documented at this spectacular site. Next year, 2006, we'll spend another month at the site so that volunteers are able to fit at least a few days into their schedules. Training is required to participate and will be offered at the beginning of the project. The Lagomarsino Canyon Petroglyph site is one of the largest and most spectatular in the western United States and it will take many years to document ... but NRAF is committed for the long haul. If you don't get a chance to work this year, we'll be back in 2006 and 2007 ... maybe even more if necessary. But documentation is only the beginning here - Site Monitors are also critical and as site visitation increases, it becomes even more so. Another site recorded in Gold Butte (southern Nevada) No question about it, southern Nevada is just plain PERFECT in the winter! Weather in the 70s makes it hard not to want to go out and record rock art and the southern branch of NRAF is doing just that! A small site in the Gold Butte area, east of Las Vegas, was completed in November and because public usage of the area is increasing dramatically, now really is the time to get the job done! UPDATE ON Recording at Dry Lakes This project began in June and continued during July as well. The first part of this multi-year project for the BLM assisted in data collection for Signa Pendegraft's MA Thesis work at the University of Nevada, Reno. This work will continue through the summer - if you've been to training and want to help, contact Signa at signawp@yahoo.com. After this first year, NRAF volunteers will continue to record ALL of the sites in the Dry Lakes area! That's a lot of rock art ... more then 100 sites! But in addition to the recording project, the High Basins Site Steward program is also in full swing - visitation is increasing with the development of the Spanish Springs housing projects and so the threat of impact is increasing daily. Site Stewards agree to visit "their" site(s) regularly (3-4 times yearly) and provide the BLM with an inventory and regular updates on site condition. If you like hiking, the Site Steward program may be just the thing for you. Kirk's Grotto recording completed Sadly, Kirk's Grotto was hit by vandals just before the end of 2003 and just before the site was scheduled to be recorded by NRAF. The recording got rained out in February, but continued March, April and was finished up in May 2004. This is another example of why our education and recording efforts are so important and of such great urgency! Rock art sites are being impacted daily, sometimes maliciously, but always negatively when people visit sites without being adequately educated in proper site etiquette. With the dramatic increases in numbers of people out on public lands, our efforts are more important than ever. NOW is when you need to get involved! Become a site steward and volunteer to be a part of upcoming recording projects ... now is the time to make a difference! Arrow Canyon rock art was the latest project completed by NRAF Volunteers. Six separate sites were recorded over a five day period in early December, and members came from all over the west to participate, including northern Nevada, Oregon and even San Diego! A part of the canyon where many of the petroglyphs are found has been designated a Wilderness Area, and this project will help in the protection of the area, along with the Site Stewardship program that has also begun in the canyon. More than 100 panels were fully recorded during the project for the BLM. The rock art in Arrow Canyon is among the most interesting in southern Nevada. The most memorable motifs include dramatic shield figures, a Katchina figure that comes and goes depending on the time of year and angle of the sun and the collection of large rocks covered with petroglyphs and with deeply scalloped edges which sit at the confluence of Arrow and Warshield Canyons. The rock art at the six different sites in the canyon are distinctive enough to suggest they were created by different people, possibly inlcluding Anasazi. The context of the canyon suggests that it may have been a gathering place for various groups, perhaps as a part of seasonal gatherings. These people may have come together and camped at different locations around the canyon, marking that location with their own distinctive rock art. Whatever the reason for the petroglyphs, they are beautiful and now that they've been recorded, they will be better protected into the future. Site recording near Winnemucca completed and the project was a great success and fun for all! In spite of being a bit short-handed (only six NRAF members were on-site), we managed to get the entire main site recorded (26 panels ﾅ some of them pretty complicated!) along with 3 panels at a second site that we hadnﾒt planned on doing and 9 panels at a third site just for good measure! We did have help from Peggy McGukian from the Winnemucca BLM Field Office, along with her new volunteer Melonie Shier, archaeologist Lynn Furnis, and Rob Burton and Allen Slamay. Special thanks go to Joan Johnson, Howard Lambert, Signa Pendegraft, David Valentine, Bob Taylor and Sue Roberts ﾖ who proved once again that it will take more than a washout and a little bit of a rough slope to keep an NRAF member from getting a look at a really great rock art panel (in spite of bionic parts)! The Court of Antiquity rock art site is on the edge of Interstate 80, just minutes from downtown Reno. The site was named because the central portion resembles a courtyard enclosed by vertical walls. Some rock art is located on those vertical surfaces but most are found on the horizontal bedrock that looks out over the Truckee River. Motifs range from recognizable forms to pure design, and most appear to be more or less contemporary in age. Heizer and Baumhoff (Rock Art of Eastern California and Nevada 1962) recorded 27 panels, but upon closer inspection is was discovered that there are nearly ten times that many. Recording at this site in an ongoing project done as part of our regularly scheduled training program. If you're interested in participating please contact info@nevadarockart.org to reserve a place. The Lagomarsino Rock Art Site The Lagomarsino Rock Art Site is roughly 12 miles north of Virginia City. It consists of more than 2,000 panels of rock art scattered over 1/4 mile on a south facing rim rock and the talus slope below. There is abundant ground stone among the rock art and a large habitation feature across the wash. The rock art is primarily non-representational but there are a small number of animal (including 2 big horn sheep) and human motifs as well. This site will be recorded over the next several years with support from the Nevada State Museum and the Western Nevada Resource Conservation and Development. Mapping has been completed by the Nevada Department of Transportation who continue to provide support through GPS units and GIS. Volunteers do photography, scale drawings and GPS locations of each boulder.