National Trust ranks Chaco region among most endangered

Biz Journals ^ | June 15, 2011

[SJackson]

The National Trust for Historic Preservation named the Greater Chaco Landscape, which includes Chaco Culture National Historical Park, to its annual Most Endangered Places List.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has named the Greater Chaco Landscape in northwest New Mexico to its annual list of America’s most endangered historic places.

Much of the threat Chaco faces is from the boom in energy resource exploration and extraction, according to the Trust. The oil and gas industry is continuing to push for development on federal lands outside the Chaco Culture National Historical Park, and has recently nominated several Bureau of Land Management parcels in the area for oil and gas lease sales.

Also, many of the ancient Chacoan roads are endangered because modern roads are being built and planned to serve the heavy truck traffic associated with energy extraction, Trust officials said.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park, managed by the National Park Service, is one of 20 sites in the U.S. designated World Heritage properties by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The natural and cultural landscape as a whole, not just individual sites, makes the Chacoan region worthy of protection, Trust officials said. Many of the sites and ancient roads outside the park rival those within the park, Trust officials said, such as the recently mapped Great North Road, which runs dozens of miles toward the New Mexico-Colorado border.

The Chacoan people inhabited this area starting in 700 A.D., and the architecture and engineering prowess of that civilization suggest a highly developed culture, the Trust said.

Its feats include massive stone buildings, or great houses, containing hundreds of rooms constructed using masonry techniques unique for their time. Many of the sites are in ruins, but many others are “remarkably intact,” according to the Trust.

The legacy of the Chacoans includes thousands of ancient pueblos and shrines, and an extensive road network that linked people across the region.

Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust, said the Greater Chaco Landscape has tremendous religious and cultural significance for Native American tribes, and is recognized worldwide for its historic and cultural significance.

“We cannot stand back and witness insensitive energy development and the permanent scarring of a place that holds deep significance for hundreds of thousands of people around the globe,” she said in a prepared statement.

The area was nominated for the Most Endangered List by the Solstice Project, a nonprofit in New Mexico. The Chacoans were keen astronomical observers, and several sites in the park are aligned to coincide with the angle of the sun’s position on summer and winter solstices, including the Sun Dagger petroglygh.

[colorado tanker]

The roads to Chaco are fine. It's just that it's in the middle of nowhere and requires travel on two-lane roads. You have to intend to go there.

And going there is well worth the trip. It's really an amazing place.

[wolfcreek]

Well dead gumit, we camped ove a Lake Abiquiu a couple of summers ago and we’re in Cuba when I was reading this advisory:

http://www.nps.gov/chcu/planyourvisit/directions.htm

Otherwise we really wanted to go there.

Went to Bandelier instead.

[colorado tanker]

We went into Chaco from the north. If you're ever back in the area it's well worth it.

I agree with the website that people should be wary of GPS in an isolated area. A while back my wife used Mapquest for directions to Crested Butte and it sent her over a pretty scary road. Best to use an old fashioned highway map.