May 18, 2005. Timely through August 15, 2005.
For more information, call 1-800-422-8975, ext. 130. Media photo provided below.

Cortez, Colorado
Do you love to photograph interesting places? Have you always had an interest in archaeology? Combine those two interests, along with hiking and camping, and join Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in October for a new exploration, Archaeology and Images: Photographing Southeastern Utah. Beginning and ending in Cortez, Colorado, the journey begins on Sunday, October 16, and ends on Saturday, October 22, 2005.

The canyonlands of southeastern Utah have long been a cultural crossroads—Paleoindian and Archaic people lived in the area at least 11,000 years ago, subsisting on hunting and the gathering of plants. Later peoples, the Anasazi and the Fremont, farmed corn along the canyon bottoms and built homes on the mesa tops, pecking and painting rock art on boulders and sandstone canyon walls along the way. When the Ute Indians came into the area, they again used the land for hunting and gathering. Ranching and mining drew white settlers into the area in the late 1800s and today's explorers are the outdoor enthusiasts that come to this area to seek solitude and scenic beauty.

Led by professional photographer, author, radio documentary producer and children's art coach, Bruce Hucko, and director of Crow Canyon's research laboratory, Scott Ortman, this promises to be an exciting blending of an educational archaeology adventure and a photographic journey.

Bruce Hucko is an avid hiker and explorer who has captured the images of archaeological sites and rock art panels in southeastern Utah for many years. He has worked with several Native American communities, taking photographs, coaching children in the arts, and writing books and articles about art and culture. His commitment to the preservation of archaeological sites and his respect for Native American traditions is strongly reflected in his work and teaching style, and he is an advocate for the protection of fragile archaeological sites.

Scott Ortman has been studying the pottery of the ancestral Pueblo people for more than a decade and has conducted groundbreaking research on the links between language and artifacts. Scott's wealth of knowledge and lively sense of humor have made him a favorite scholar on Crow Canyon's trips.

During this special program, participants will become intimately acquainted with the ancient cultures, geological features, and natural beauty of Utah's canyon country by studying it through the camera lens. Begin your journey by visiting Canyonlands National Park where rock art panels and diverse terrain provide an abundance of subject matter for your photography. Stops at Newspaper Rock, an intriguing petroglyph panel, and other rock art panels are included as you retrace the footsteps of ancestral Pueblo and Ute Indians who left their marks on the landscape.

Move from there into Beef Basin, where you'll examine other rock art panels as well as take in stunning views of Canyonlands' Needles District. Camping in Beef Basin will provide an opportunity for evening photography of this impressive area. Dinner and stories around the campfire round out the day.

Hike out at dawn to photograph ancient granaries tucked into picturesque recesses in the stone and standing masonry architecture complimented by natural rock formations and fields of tall, swaying grass. Kent Frost, a living legend who has explored canyon country for more than 70 of his 87 years, delights the group with tales of early exploration in this area. As a teenager he would hike for weeks, carrying only the clothes on his back, a few pounds of nuts and cornmeal, and a 22-caliber pistol!

Balladeer, cowboy poet, and rock art explorer Rory Tyler joins the group in Moab, Utah, where he'll lead an exploration of outstanding sites along Kane Creek and Mill Creek. Photographic opportunities are diverse in this region of Utah.

Wrap up your adventure with a visit to Arches National Park. Bruce photographed the interpretive slide show for the park, and he will share with the group the best places to visit and photograph.

The cost of the program is $1,595. The price includes Crow Canyon tuition, all meals, entry fees and permits, and local transportation after arrival in Cortez.

Crow Canyon is a not-for-profit organization, located in the archaeological heartland of the American Southwest, near Mesa Verde National Park, offering excavation, workshop, and travel programs in the greater Southwest and throughout the world.

The photo below may be used by the media to accompany this press release. No other use is authorized. Photographer credit and copyright notice is required.

Discover the awesome landscape and cultural history of Utah's canyonlands—through the lens of your camera. Photo by Stephen Alden. Copyright © 2004 Stephen Alden.