For the 17th year, eighteen energetic teenagers from local pueblos and the nearby community, committed themselves to two weeks working with the Annual Summer Youth Intern Program on Mesa Prieta. Six adult mentors as well as staff worked along side the interns in the field as they discovered and recorded hundreds of petroglyphs and other archaeological features on the mesa.
Project Administrator, Jennifer Goyette, Environmental Scientist, organized and led the two-week program. Experienced adult volunteers participated for the full two weeks in the field.
The first day training of interns and adults took place at the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Center, thanks to the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area. Interns participated in a powerpoint presentation and two new active learning programs: GPS use and petroglyph recording practice. One Team Leader conducted the sessions on metric measurement, safety and compass work.
Bob Pinto gave a demonstration on flint knapping, Larry Humetewa gave a presentation for career development on his experience as a conservator with the Department of Indian Arts and Culture, Santa Fe and Ritchie Sahneyah presented the Ancestral Lands Project. We provided updated packets for career development to parents and students. Finally, we hosted a tour of the Preserve for families, which was well attended.
Joaquin Gallegos, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences at Northern New Mexico College trained the interns in GPS and compass use and in entering their recording data into a GIS database.
Intern gifts this year included insulated steel water bottles and cooling neckerchiefs that the interns were expected to use in the field. Lunch was provided.
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This year the Summer Youth Intern Program worked in about 80 acres of very rugged terrain. More climbing was necessary to reach proveniences above those done in 2017: the teams are now working 1000 feet above the river. Features from four time periods were identified: Archaic, Ancestral Puebloan, Historic and Anglo-American periods.
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Because of the emphasis on working in teams, the interns develop interactive skills through learning and cooperation with their teammates and adult mentors. The process of documentation includes taking metric measurements of the petroglyphs, using a GPS to record their location on a boulder, taking a photograph of each image, drawing the image and image categorization. Safety procedures were upgraded this year: interns were required to carry water, wear hats, use high visibility safety vests. New whistles were provided for each pack.
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Project Director, Jennifer Goyette, oversaw the implementation of the Environmental Education component of the Youth Program. Interns were instructed in the methodology of nature journaling in the field and spent a quarter hour of each day observing, contemplating and writing and drawing their surroundings and expressing their thoughts about that and the activities they were doing in the program.
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Angelina's Restaurant in Española donated food for the closing ceremonies. Northern New Mexico College donated the use of a computer lab for the final day's instruction by GIS/CAD professor Joaquin Gallegos in entering and managing recording data in a GIS database. The experience in the computer lab provides an introduction to a marketable skill for the interns. Certificates of Appreciation, intern stipends and photo discs were presented by the Project Director.
Participants for 2018 SYIP
Matthew Quintana - Lead Intern
Diego Torrez - Team Leader
Gailene Morgan - Team Leader
Bernardo Jaramillo - Team Leader
Keenan Greywolf
Robyn Garcia
Joaquin Suazo
Ian Johnson
Michael Pacheco
Elviria Encinias
Gailey Morgan
Diego Jaramillo
Amador Gonzales
Wheat Joshua
Joaquin Romero
River Fox
Roland Fuentes
Jennifer Goyette – MP Project Director
ADULT LEADERS
Robin Gibbs
Alison Youngs
Kirk Adams
Miri Stewart-Tengco
Kevin Jenkins
Bob Pinto
Joaquin Gallegos - Northern New Mexico College
Representation: Native American - Tesuque Pueblo, Nambe Pueblo, Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, Hispano/a and Anglo
Of eight age-eligible students, four enrolled in dual credit through our partnership with Northern New Mexico College.
Volunteer as Adult Mentor HERE
