Feds block government archaeologists from speaking at a major science conference - 2018-05-11
Feds block government archaeologists from speaking at a major science conference May 11, 2018,
At a time when archaeological sites are a growing flashpoint in the debate over public lands, the Bureau of Land Management blocked at least 14 staff archaeologists and other specialists, including some from Utah, from attending a major scientific conference last month, a new report says.
The Washington Post reported that BLM staffers were scheduled to attend an April 14 gathering of the Society for American Archaeology, among the world's largest organizations of professional archaeologists, in Washington, D.C., where they were to lead a symposium titled "Tough Issues in Land Management Archaeology."
But a few days before the conference, BLM supervisors decided against sending the staffers, many of whom are based in Western states where the agency manages millions of acres that contain countless sites and artifacts left by ancient American Indian civilizations.
