Vandalism Discovered at Arnold Cave Complex in Central Oregon-Reward Offered
April 21, 2011, during a visit to the Arnold cave complex, Forest Archaeologist Penni Borghi, Wildlife Specialist Julie York, local Grotto president Matt Skeels, and ASCO members Lisa Nicol and Susan Gray discovered extensive paint vandalism at Hidden Forest Cave.
Several different colors of spray paint graffiti covered a large stretch of the east face of the sink area, stopping just short of the drip line. Pictures do not do the damage justice (see video below)!
This cave is one of the most beautiful in the extensive lava tube systems in Central Oregon, and one of the most overused and badly treated. Past ASCO stewardship visits have reported evidence of vehicular traffic on the closed roads, illegal fire pits, damaged trees cut for firewood and shot up for whatever reason, large numbers of beer cans and bottles (many shattered against the rock faces), discarded clothing, and other types of graffiti.
If you have any information that could help the investigation into the vandalism at this site, please contact Eddy Cartaya, the Forest Service law enforcement officer handling the case, at the Bend-Fort Rock Office (541-383- 4796).
(Article above reprinted with permission from the ASCO May-June 2011 Midden. Thanks to Susan Gray, Editor of the Midden for sending us this info.)
VIDEO BELOW PROVIDED BY OREGON HIGH DESERT GROTTO
(caution...if you love rock art and/or caves this is a very disturbing video).
REWARD OFFERED/DONATE TO REWARD FUND
Oregon High Desert Grotto, a caving club based in Bend, OR, is offering a reward for information on the Hidden Forest Cave vandalism. They are also asking for donations to increase the reward fund. Click here for more info on the reward or to make a donation
OAS MEETING THIS TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 7:00 PM AT OMSI “From the Mountains Beyond: The Archaeology of Huckleberry and Cedar in the Southern Washington Cascades” is the title of the March 1, 2011 lecture sponsored by the Oregon Archaeological Society. Rick McClure, the Forest Archaeologist and Heritage Program Manager for Gifford Pinchot National Forest, will discuss the record left by Lewis and Clark regarding the many resources—including plant foods--they encountered and their cultural significance to local Native peoples.
Some of these resources were from the surrounding uplands - the mountains beyond - areas managed today as national forest system lands. The presentation will take a closer look at several specific resources, beginning with descriptions from the pages of the expedition journals, and moving to the archaeology of the mountains beyond, to investigate traditional land use practices in the period 1805-1806.
The presentation is at Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) at 7:45 PM, and is free and open to the public. The talk is preceded at 7 PM by a general business meeting, which is also open to the public See www.oregonarchaeological.org or call 503-727-3507 for more information.
CLARK COUNTY MUSEUM HONORS OAS MEMBER RICHARD REAY The Clark County Historical Museum threw a party on Jan. 19 for Richard Reay, who has volunteered there for a decade. He didn’t want any fuss, so the museum made it a surprise party. “Richard made himself indispensable to staff, other volunteers and visitors alike with his can-do attitude, endless patience, attention to detail, and encyclopedic knowledge of our reference library as well as the last 10 years of museum history,” a museum press release stated. “In a word, Richard is irreplaceable.”
Read more at: Richard Reay Honored JEAN M. AUEL'S NEW BOOK TO BE RELEASED MARCH 29, 2011! The highly anticipated sixth book of Jean Auel’s Earth’s Children® series, The Land of Painted Caves, is the culmination fans have been waiting for. Continuing the story of Ayla and Jondalar, Auel combines her brilliant narrative skills and appealing characters with a remarkable re-creation of the way life was lived more than 25,000 years ago.
CHAUVET CAVE FILM TO BE RELEASED! Werner Herzog's new film "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" is a stunning 3D documentary about the cave in France that is home to the world's oldest known human art. The film, which includes appearances by Dr. Jean Clottes, is scheduled to be released in March.
So far no schedule for showings has been released, but stay tuned!
OREGON TRAIL/ANTELOPE RIDGE WIND FARM UPDATE Over the past week I learned that Portland-based Archaeological Investigations Northwest Inc. (AINW) is the firm doing the archaeological research and analysis on the wind project. This is encouraging because AINW is a very good and highly respected firm...but keep in mind that AINW (like any archaeological consulting organization) is only in a position to analyze and recommend things to the various regulatory agencies that have the real decision-making power that will determine the fate of the Oregon Trail in the project area.
According to Terry Ozbun, Senior Archaeologist at AINW... "AINW is conducting cultural resource surveys for the Antelope Ridge Wind Energy Project to provide information for appropriate protections of historic and archaeological resources during the project planning process. For over a year now, the project developer has been working closely with the Oregon-California Trails Association (OCTA) and with the Oregon Historic Trails Advisory Council (OHTAC) to formulate plans for avoiding impacts to the Oregon Trail. This collaboration was proactively initiated by the developer and has been productive and sincere. All of the parties are working very hard to find a way to develop wind energy and, at the same time, protect the Oregon Trail, along with other important cultural resources. The project's permit application is available online at http://www.horizonwindfarms.com/western-region/under-dev/antelope-ridge.htm and I would also be happy to field questions that OAS members may have about the project." You can reach Terry at: terry@ainw.com.
I encourage you to let your elected officials and representatives of the regulatory agencies (see my previous email for details) know how you feel about protecting the Oregon Trail for future generations.
ENDANGERED PLACES LIST STARTED BY LEAGUE The Historic Preservation League of Oregon is creating a most endangered places list for Oregon. The list will be an annual register of those historic buildings, and sites, and districts, and structures, and landscapes that need a little extra attention in order to make it to the next phase.
You can submit a nomination until March 21. While a diversity of places will be selected, historic significance, the nature of the threat, and the potential for local support will be considered during review process. The inaugural list will be announced in late May, after which the league will actively support the selected places through partnerships and direct assistance.
For more information and a nomination form, visit www.historicpreservationleague.org
That's all for now. Let me know if you like the new eNews format (mike@instantiations.com).
Let's take a short video trip to one of the Pacific Northwest's premier rock art sites. This culturally and spiritually important area has been used by native people for thousands of years.
In April of this year I was privileged to accompany Dr. Jim Keyser on a day-trip to photograph the site for possible inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. Located in the Columbia River Gorge, the site (actually many sites in close proximity) holds hundreds of ancient petroglyphs and pictographs and remains very important to the Indian people of the region.
This was a return trip to one of my favorite Northwest places. Over a period of about 5 years beginning in 1998 I worked with Dr. Keyser, tribal members, and many other volunteers to catalog and preserve the extensive body of rock art found in the area.
Almost pristine, the area is closely monitored and watched over by the U.S. Forest Service, Columbia River Intertribal Fisheries Enforcement and a number of other law enforcement agencies. Thanks to the work of the Forest Service and The Trust for Public Lands the site is protected and now belongs to all of us, ownership having been passed to the Forest Service a few years ago.
Following is a short video that I hope will give you a feel for this special place...enjoy the trip!
(Click on the triangle in the center of the screen to start the video. Don't forget to turn on your computer's sound. To watch "full screen" click on the small gray rectangle second from the lower right corner of the video control bar)
You can learn more about this culturally sensitive and important site and the rock art of the Columbia Gorge in a series of books written by Dr. Jim Keyser, myself (Mike Taylor), George Poetschat, and others. Published by The Oregon Archaeological Society Press, you can find them at http://www.oregonarchaeological.org/store.htm and at book stores around the Northwest. (All money from sales of the books goes to the non-profit Oregon Archaeological Society).
The books most closely relating to this area are:
- Echoes of the Ancients, Rock Art of The Dalles-Deschutes Region By James D. Keyser, Michael W. Taylor and George Poetschat - Visions in the Mist: The Rock Art of Celilo Falls By James D. Keyser, Michael W. Taylor, George Poetschat, and David A. Kaiser
- Talking With the Past: The Ethnography of Rock Art By James D. Keyser, George Poetschat, and Michael W. Taylor
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cultural heritage...CWNW is dedicated to the protection and preservation of the historic and prehistoric cultural resources of the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
Vandalism Discovered at Arnold Cave Complex in Central Oregon-Reward Offered
