Giving Tuesday is a global movement that harnesses the power of radical generosity to support communities around the world. Here at the CCC, we are committed year-round to supporting Chaco Culture National Historical Park and Aztec Ruins National Monument. This Giving Tuesday we are focusing our fundraising on one very important park project. From now until December 6th, we will be raising funds for a project benefiting the great house site Pueblo del Arroyo at Chaco Culture National Historical Park.
Pueblo del Arroyo is a great house site located on the north side of Chaco Canyon, just west of Pueblo Bonito. You may recognize the building for its notable tri-wall kiva, but what you may not know about Pueblo del Arroyo is that the Chaco Wash is slowly cutting into the building’s architecture. Eventually, this building may be lost to unavoidable erosion…making any and all preservation important and urgent. Through Scenario Planning and Climate Change Adaptation, Chaco Culture NHP was able to pinpoint Pueblo del Arroyo as the most at-risk publicly visited site, due to its location near the Chaco Wash. Climate change and extreme weather events are causing more frequent flooding of the wash, and therefore putting Pueblo del Arroyo at a greater risk of fast deterioration.
Did You Know?
LiDaR scanning is a remote sensing method that uses light to measure distances to the earth. This incredible technology allows the parks to create accurate 3D models of scanned architecture for use in preservation and monitoring. In fact, donations made to the CCC in 2022 supported a pilot 3D scanning project at Pueblo Bonito. The project was so successful that using LiDaR 3D scanning as a preservation tool has become the first step in architecture documentation at these parks.
This ongoing project is ensuring that Pueblo del Arroyo is digitally preserved for future generations, but is also enhancing monitoring of the site now. It will enable NPS staff to invest more preservation techniques into the site as it changes, and ensure that Pueblo del Arroyo remains open and safe for visitors.
So far, the project of scanning Pueblo del Arroyo has been hugely successful, but 60 rooms remain unscanned and at high risk of erosion. This is where you come in! The Chaco Culture Conservancy is now raising $20,000 to fund an additional part of this crucial project.
This Giving Tuesday, YOUR gift could make a huge impact on this irreplaceable site. The Chaco Culture Conservancy has set up an $8,000 gift matching fund, so your donation to our Giving Tuesday campaign will be DOUBLED! There is no better time of year to make a difference and ensure that your donations go further.