DECEMBER — JANUARY 2000 NEWS/NOTES:

PUBLIC ARCHAEOLOGY INTEREST GROUP TO FORM

   The SAA Board of Directors has approved the formation of the Public Archaeology Interest Group, which SAA members can join by so noting on next year's dues renewal form. The Public Archaeology Interest Group, which will be co-chaired by Ruth O. Selig and Beth Nodlund during its first year, will meet once a year during the SAA meetings. The interest group provides an opportunity for information sharing and networking among SAA members interested in Public Archaeology and Education. The interest group will not be project- or work-oriented but rather an opportunity to gather together once a year to share ideas. The interest group was originally an initiative of the Professional Involvement Subcommittee of PEC.

VOLUNTEER-ASSISTED ARCHAEOLOGY PROGRAMS OPEN AT FORT HUACHUCA

   Late in 1999 Old Pueblo Archaeology Center was awarded a cultural resource management consulting contract to conduct archaeological work on the Fort Huachuca Army base near Sierra Vista, Arizona, approximately a 1½ hour drive southeast of Tucson. Part of this work involves providing opportunities for avocational archaeologists to work as volunteers on historical and prehistoric site excavations, and to help prepare ancient artifacts for permanent curation at the Fort Huachuca Archaeological Laboratory and Curation Facility.
   These Fort Huachuca projects include the following activities. Members of Old Pueblo's Archaeology Opportunities group, other archaeological societies, and the general public are welcome to participate as volunteers.
   Volunteers can assist in test excavations at Fort Huachuca Archaeological Sites, both historic and prehistoric, on various Saturdays from January 15-September 30, and can help with artifact curation on Thursday and Fridays through June. For more information, contact Old Pueblo Archaeology Center at 520-798-1201.

MEDITERRANEAN TRADE FEATURED IN NEW BOOK FOR TEACHERS

   A new education book, Cargoes from Three Continents: Ancient Mediterranean Trade in Modern Archaeology edited by Marie Cleary and Mark J. Meister, with lesson plans and resources for teachers, has just been published.
   The content of the book is derived from the 1997 Summer Institute of the same name held in Boston and underwritten by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The aim of the Institute was to enrich the precollegiate curriculum by showing the importance of archaeology in reconstructing the past and demonstrating the interconnectedness of ancient cultures.
   The innovative materials in this 200+ page book with handy maps and drawings come from 16 of the 24 teacher participants. Also included are the Institute's detailed lecture schedule (a who's who of distinguished archaeologists and ancient historians who participated), the syllabus, and a bibliography.
   The book is available from AIA Order Dept., Kendall/Hunt Publishing, 4050 Westmark Dr., Dubuque, IA 52002, or call 800-228-0810. Price: $16 for AIA members, $19.95 for nonmembers, plus $4 shipping for the first book and 50 cents each additional copy.