KVCHA

Preserving, Protecting and Interpreting the Cultural Resources of the Arizona Strip

Kaibab Vermilion Cliffs Heritage Alliance 

 For at least 10,000 years people have traveled and lived on the eastern Arizona Strip. Over this long period of time, this big, remote land north of the Grand Canyon to the Utah border has sustained Native hunters and gatherers, Pueblo farmers, Spanish priests, Mormon homesteaders, ranchers, and visitors. 

Here residents have grown crops, harvested plants, built homes, raised families, and practiced a way of life possible only through an intimate knowledge of the sky and the land. They left traces of their presence in many forms, and these cultural resources are a significant part of the region’s heritage. Yet the traces could disappear if not properly cared for and managed.

The job is a large one because the several million acres require more eyes and hands than land-managing agencies have at their disposal. Thus, the Kaibab Vermilion Cliffs Heritage Alliance was formed in 2006, soon after Grand Canyon Trust purchased the Kane and Two Mile ranches. The Trust joined with Coconino County and representatives from the United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Grand Canyon National Park, Museum of Northern Arizona, Northern Arizona University, tribes, and other interested parties in this public-private partnership to assist the agencies in protecting cultural resources on these lands.

The mission of the Alliance is to develop a deeper understanding of the cultural resources of the region and help preserve, protect, manage, and interpret those resources. That mission is being realized on several fronts:

• On-the-ground projects made possible by hundreds of hours of time generously donated by volunteers working with professional archaeologists on the North Kaibab Forest, in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, and Grand Canyon National Park.
  
  Postcards From the Field:
            Warm Fire Survey
            Lion Dreams 
•  Investigations by professional archaeologists on the Paria Plateau
•  A field school to train college students in archaeological methods     
• A literature review and complete bibliography for researchers, compiled by a graduate student intern   
• A conference on the region’s ceramics organized by the Museum of Northern Arizona in 2007, with published results  
• Public outreach programs presented during Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Months and other special events throughout the year

In recognition of its “innovative and cooperative approach,” the Alliance received the U.S. Forest Service Southwest Region’s Windows on the Past Award in 2008. In 2009, the Alliance received the Private/Nonprofit Entity award in public archaeology as part of the Governor's Heritage Preservation Honor Awards and received recognition for helping the U.S. Forest Service catalogue dozens of ancient pueblo sites.

For additional information about the Alliance, or to volunteer for projects, please contact the Project Coordinator.