Congratulations to TAS's Region 4 director, Victor Galan (PhD Texas A&M)! Victor was recently appointed to the National Park System Advisory Board along with 14 other new members by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. Secretary Haaland made the announcement Wednesday, May 24, 2023 stating “These new National Park System Advisory Board members represent experienced practitioners in cultural and natural resources management, as well as experts in relevant academic fields including environmental law, geography, and history. I look forward to their insight as we work to make our public lands accessible and inviting to all.”

In addition to its advisory role, the Board also has a regulatory role in recommending new National Natural Landmarks and National Historic Landmarks and provides recommendations regarding the national historic significance of proposed National Historic Trails. In recognition of the importance of hearing from Tribal voices and perspectives when making management decisions that impact public lands and waters, Secretary Haaland added a requirement that at least one member of the Board be from a federally recognized Tribe.

Please join me in celebrating Victor and this well-deserved acknowledgement of his expertise and the significance of his work collaborating with Tribal communities!

The Texas Archeological Society's Spring 2023 newsletter is now available online by clicking on Our Voice in the menu above or by clicking the button below:

Spring 2023 Newsletter

This edition contains information about the summer field school in Nacogdoches, a recap of the spring academies (with pictures), a call for papers for Annual Meeting, and much more!

Registration for this year's TAS Field School is now open! This year's field school will be held in Nacogdoches county from June 10th - June 17th. This year, TAS is fortunate to conduct excavations at the Gallant Falls Site (41NA344), an important contact period Mission Concepcion site, and two nearby and associated Hainai Caddo structures at 41NA338 (the Ben Gallant site) and 41NA346 (the Belle Gallant site). More information can be found on the Field School page under Activities in the menu bar. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

The January 2023 Board Meeting of TAS is being held today, January 21st. Members in good standing are welcome to attend via Zoom or in-person. Meeting information can be found on the agenda posted in the Member Area section of the website Under Board and Committee Reports or by clicking the link below:

Board and Committee Reports

You must be an active member and logged into the site to access the agenda.

The Winter 2023 TAS Newsletter is now available on the txarch.org website under the Our Voice tab or by clicking the button below:

Winter 2023

The 93rd Annual Bulletin of the Texas Archeological Society is now available for paid TAS members on the Txarch.org website! You can find the volume under the Our Voices tab on the menu bar and selecting BTAS - Current Issue or by clicking the link below.

2022 BTAS

For those who requested a print copy of the BTAS and who were active members at the annual cut-off date (August 15th, 2022), print editions are being mailed and should be received by mid-December. Please contact the TAS Office with any issues or questions.

The presentations from last year's TAS Virtual Annual Meeting, originally presented through the Houston Museum of Natural Science, have been posted to the TAS website and can be found here: https://txarch.org/Presentations/

Doug Boyd's presentation focused on the recent archeological excavations of Frost Town, a historically working-class neighborhood in Houston, Texas.

Dr. Carolyn Boyd's visually-driven presentation discussed the laboratory and field methods that she and her team have employed to analyze and study the methods and meaning behind the rock art of the Lower Pecos.

The proposed TAS budget for 2023 has been posted to the website for review and comment by the membership. You can find a link to the budget on the Member Business page or by clicking the link below. This budget is subject to change based on the feedback received. A final budget will be voted on by the membership at through online balloting during the upcoming Annual Meeting.

Member Business

The page also contains links to TAS year-to-date financial reports and budget comparisons for the year.

Feel free to reach out to the TAS Office, the budget chair, or the TAS president with any comments or questions.

The Fall 2022 TAS newsletter is now available on the website here:

Newsletter

This edition features information about the upcoming Annual Meeting, discussions about TAS Field School, and more. Check it out!