Feds block government archaeologists from speaking at a major science conference

[G_j]

https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2018/05/11/feds-blocks-government-archaeologists-from-speaking-at-a-major-science-conference/

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.

In response, conference organizers canceled that symposium, which was to be led by the BLM’s top cultural resources official Byron Loosle, formerly with the agency’s Utah state office. The Post cited federal employment databases to report that 17 of the scheduled SAA presenters were BLM employees.

The agency’s move to keep them from the conference is seen by some as another example of how the Interior Department under President Donald Trump’s leadership is curbing federal researchers’ ability to engage with the public, particularly in areas that touch on energy development.

..more..

[GusBob]

1. Archeologists? They are going after archeologists

Jesus Fucking Christ what the fuck is going on?

This is not America anymore

[underpants]

3. No shit

This is so sad

[G_j]

4. desecration of historical artifacts

seems to be ok with extremists in many places on this poor planet.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. They're afraid the archaeologists will want to preserve artifact sites

and thereby hinder the ability of developers to ruin them.