FALL NEWSLETTER 2024
ARCHAEOBOTANIST KAREN ADAMS HONORED WITH SAA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
botany in the U.S. Southwest, Northwestern Mexico, and North American Archaeology more broadly.” — Reuven Sinensky Karen is an internationally renowned scholar whose broad research contributions include transformative work on archaeobotanical sample collection and analysis techniques, interdisciplinary research on Indigenous maize landraces, collaborative work with descendant communities, and influential work on the cultivation, domestication, and movement of plants native to the U.S. Southwest and Northwest Mexico by Indigenous farmers and foragers spanning the Pleistocene to late Holocene. Beyond this, Karen has also excelled as a mentor to young scholars, particularly in her role guiding and training three decades of environmental archaeology interns in paleoethno- botanical methods and interpretation at Crow Canyon. Reuven Sinensky will continue Karen’s tradition of training a younger generation in archaeobotany through Crow Canyon’s Environmental Archaeology internship program. Congratulations to Karen Adams on this award and her retirement, and we are forever grateful for her tireless contri- butions to the field and the incredible impact she has had on generations of aspiring students! Learn more about Karen, her projects, contributions, and publications at crowcanyon.org/people/adams-karen/ .
You may recognize the name Dr. Karen Adams, especially if you’ve interned with Crow Canyon Archaeological Center or have an interest in archaeobotany. Karen has been a full- time practicing archaeobotanist in the U.S. Southwest and Northwestern Mexico for nearly 50 years. She has long been an invaluable friend and partner to Crow Canyon and has served in many capacities within our organization. For 26 years she trained and supervised Crow Canyon’s Environmental Archaeology interns in the analysis of archaeobotanical materials recovered from Ancestral Pueblo sites. She also previously served as the director of the environmental archaeology program, and until her recent retirement she was the organization’s archaeobotanical analyst for many years. Our new Lab Manager, Dr. Reuven Sinensky, one of Karen’s former interns, is now Crow Canyon’s archaeobotanical analyst. In late April, Karen was honored with the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) Award for Excellence in Archaeological Anal- ysis for her innovative and enduring research grounded in skilled technical analyses and significant impact on the discipline. For nearly five decades, Karen has been at the forefront of analyzing and interpreting diverse archaeological plant remains, the results of which are reported in nearly 150 peer-reviewed publications and several hundred technical reports. “It would be difficult to overstate the impact that Karen has had on the fields of archaeobotany and paleoethno -
COLLEGE FIELD SCHOOL STUDENTS PRESENT POSTER AT THE PECOS CONFERENCE IN AUGUST Crow Canyon Lab Manager Reuven Sinensky and Crow Canyon College Field School students Alexander Jones and Christopher Manuel traveled to Chino Valley, Arizona the first week of August to present their research findings at the Pecos Conference. Above is the poster they presented, focused on understanding the manufacture of manos and metates used by Ancestral Pueblo people and still used in Pueblo communities today.
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MOBILE LEARNING LAB TRAVELS TO FIRST COLORADO CHARTER SCHOOL ON AN INDIAN RESERVATION
Reuven and College Field School Students aren’t the only Crow Canyon associates who have been traveling this summer! Crow Canyon educator Jon Ghahate took the Mobile Learning Lab to The Powerhouse Science Center in Durango. There, he had the opportunity to engage with a group of 1st and 2nd grade students from the Summer Discovery Camp. The theme was “Twisting Through Time.” Earlier in the day students participated in a pottery activity and made their own petroglyph panel. Jon
provided his perspectives as a science educator and showed students around the Mobile Learning Lab. Crow Canyon educators and American Indian Initiatives staff members traveled to the Kwiyagat Community Academy (KCA), the first Colorado charter school on an Indian reservation, in Towaoc, CO, home of the Ute Mountain Ute people. There, they worked with KCA to provide experiential learning out of the Mobile Learning Lab.
WILD FOOD & CUISINE WORKSHOP
Our first Wild Food & Cuisine Workshop was a blast, and we learned so much from scholars Reyna Banteah, Rebecca Renteria, and Katrina Blair. Thanks to the workshop leaders and to all the participants who joined us for the day in southwest Colorado to identify, collect, and prepare delectable meals from locally foraged foods. Through a combination of cultural sharing and adventuring through the outdoors, we came away with a greater awareness of our relationships with these biocultural landscapes—together. “Y’all went above and beyond. Every contributor added such richness to the experience! I loved the edible plant foraging focus, was amazed by the delicious foods prepared, wowed by the cultural sharing, delighted by the friendly and informative participation of all assembled.” — David
OUR VISION To expand the sphere in which we operate, both geographically and intellectually, and show how the knowledge gained through archaeology can help build a healthier society.
IS THE TAX-FREE IRA QUALIFIED CHARITABLE DISTRIBUTION RIGHT FOR YOU?
HAVE YOU SEEN THE 2023 ANNUAL REPORT?
If you haven’t read it already, make sure to check out our 2023 Annual Report which celebrates 40 years of the Crow Canyon organization. Read it online HERE .
If you are at least 70½ years old and have a traditional IRA, you may make a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) to Crow Canyon up to $100,000 a year. If you are 72 years of age or older, your gift may count toward your required minimum distribution (RMD) for the year in which the check is issued and is excluded from your taxable income. Please contact Jennifer at jpeeso@crowcanyon.org to learn how a QCD from your traditional IRA will reduce your taxable income while supporting Crow Canyon’s important mission. Please be sure to consult with your own accountant or finan - cial advisor for the best tax advice specific to your own circumstances.
to make a gift to Crow Canyon today!
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