As a contractor for the US Department of Interior’s International Technical Assistance Program Phil Young spent a total of three months in 2011 working at Petra Archaeological Park in southern Jordan helping to develop the Park’s Cultural Resources Management, Park Ranger, Tourism Police, and Visitor Services programs. Visitation to Petra, already a World Heritage Site, tripled in the three years following its selection as one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. The increased visitation added pressures to the already challenging task faced by the Park’s managers. Young’s experience as a Regional Special Agent with the National Park Service conducting criminal heritage resource investigations, was especially pertinent in view of the international artifact trafficking nexus and present conditions in the Near East. The talk will highlight some of the past criminal heritage resource investigations conducted by Young in the United Statesundefinedsuch as East-West Trading Co., Richard N. Corrow, Rodney Tidwell, and Joshua Baerundefinedthat resulted in landmark Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act convictions.
Young will also talk about the many travelers who have experienced Petra, from the time when it was known as “Raqmu” in Nabataean/Hellenistic times to the present. In addition to the short history of the area, Young will discuss current research, UNESCO involvement, working (and non-working) relationships with local and tribal leaders, plus recent developments since the “Arab Spring.”
Join other TAS members and our speaker at the Trading Post. Dinner at 5PM
Call Chris Riveles,
at 776-1005, or email ckriveles@gmail.com
to let us know how many guests.
Taos Archaeological Society
PO Box 143
Taos, NM, 87571
Admin@TaosArch.org
