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| House Passes Wilson-Sponsored Hibben Center Act |
September 28, 2004 |
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| Wilson Works for UNM Archeological Center
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Heather Wilson, sponsor of the Hibben Center Act, today hailed House passage of the bill to preserve historic Chaco Canyon artifacts.
The legislation (S. 643), identical to the original H.R. 3258 introduced by Wilson, authorizes the National Park Service to fund the preservation and display of the Chaco Canyon Collection at the University of New Mexico. The bill, passed by unanimous consent in the House, awaits passage in the U.S. Senate.
Congressional action will allow completion of the Hibben Center as a longterm home for the Chaco Collection of more than 1.5 million artifacts. The excavated artifacts are currently temporarily stored in three substandard facilities at UNM. Concerns include the lack of environmental controls, leaking water pipes, and inadequate security and fire protection systems.
“These artifacts have tremendous historic significance, and the Hibben Center Act ensures their preservation and a place of prominence at the University of New Mexico,” Wilson said. “Chaco Canyon is a uniquely New Mexican treasure, and I’m pleased the House recognized the importance of preserving this history.”
The bill authorizes construction of a museum, storage facility and workspace in the Hibben Archeological Research Center on the Albuquerque campus.
Wilson urged passage earlier this month at the House Resources Committee. At that time, UNM Vice President for Research, Dr. Terry L. Yates, said: “This important legislation will complete the construction of the Hibben Center for Archaeological Research and allow the unique collections from Chaco Canyon National Park and the Aztec Ruins National Monument to be housed in a single state-of-the-art facility where they can be readily accessed by scholars and students. The act will also make it possible for Park Service and UNM scientists to share a common facility and more fully exploit the power of what has been a 70-year collaboration. The University of New Mexico is delighted that the dream of the building`s namesake and early Chacoan researcher, Dr. Frank Hibben, will finally become a reality."
For six centuries, massive prehistoric structures lay untouched in a remote area of northwestern New Mexico. Chaco Canyon was the home of many indigenous southwestern people from between A.D. 850 and 1250. The Pueblo peoples of New Mexico, the Hopi of Arizona, and the Navajo consider Chaco Canyon to be part of their ancestral homelands. In recognition of its significance, President Theodore Roosevelt designated Chaco Canyon a national monument in 1907 and Congress changed the park’s designation to a national historic park in 1980. The University of New Mexico has participated in exploring Chaco Canyon’s archeological features since Chaco Canyon National Monument was founded in 1970.
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