During our April Friends of Chaco Board meeting, park Superintendent Larry Turk and his staff presented us with a list of projects that would benefit from the support of the Friends. After deliberation, we decided to fund six exciting projects. We will support:
- Maya-Pueblo Youth Cultural Exchange: This August, a group of approximately 45 youth and elders from the Pueblos in New Mexico and Maya towns in Mexico and Guatemala will visit Chaco and two other ancestral sites–Aztec Ruins National Monument and Mesa Verde National Park–as well as the contemporary Pueblos of Laguna, Zia, and Acoma. These special places will offer an authentic context for learning about the scientific and cultural legacy of the Pueblos and serve as ideal settings for exchanging cultural traditions with the Maya visitors.
- Volunteer Housing: Volunteers are the backbone of the summer activities for the public at the park;
- Tribal Elder Consultation: Native perspectives are a valuable resource to inform the park. We will also support a visit by the elders to see the Chacoan artifact collection at the Hibben Center in Albuquerque;
- “Roberts’ Great House” Damage Assessment: This Great House is located at the East end of Chaco, near Wijiji. The Great House has suffered major damage by a nearby arroyo that has compromised a key structural element, the back wall;
- Paleontological Resources Workshop: Chaco is rich with fossil specimens The workshop will convene experts at Chaco who can inform the park’s priorities for future research in this area;
- Transportation for School Field Trips: Our support will allow regular visits to Chaco by children from schools in the region.
We will have more information about these projects as they get implemented at the park.