Join us for a presentation at the Bears Ears Education Center by Don Simonis

Visiting known and previously recorded archaeological sites on the dates of summer and winter solstice can give evidence that people were aware of these events and marked them by observation points and designed features. These types of markers are unusual in that they do not use rock imagery (rock art) to interact with the sun.

About the presenter:

Don worked for more than 40 years for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). He worked in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, California, Oregon. and had three official details to Washington, D.C. He taught at Glendale Community College in the 1970s until one of his students convinced him to go to work for the government. In the 1980s and 1990s, he worked for the Arizona BLM in the Kingman Field Office as the first permanent archaeologist. He served as the BIA Navajo Regional archaeologist from 2002 to 2007. He was an archaeologist with the Utah BLM-Monticello Field Office from 2009 to 2017 when he retired.

Don is especially interested in the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), historical archaeology, cultural astronomy, public education, and the long-term preservation of heritage resources. Don and his team-mate wife Marcia, who is a Board member of Friends of Cedar Mesa, currently split their time between Florence, AZ and Mancos, CO.

Registration is encouraged, but not required! Click here to register for Don’s presentation: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/don-simonis-on-recently-recognized-solstice-sites-in-se-utah-tickets-410801918597