National Park Service Hosts 2nd Annual Archaeology Day

From the National Park Service:

CALABASAS, CA - All lovers of cultural history are invited to take part in the Second Annual Archaeology Day at the Santa Monica Mountains Visitor Center on Saturday, October 15, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

“The main purpose of the event is to introduce park visitors to the archaeology of the Santa Monica Mountains and surrounding areas, ” says Sophia Wong, Western National Parks Association Store & Events Manager. “It is going to be a great day with lots of interesting and fun programs and activities.”

There will be a range of activities for all ages including atlatl and flintknapping demos, hands-on “dig box”, artifact displays, children’s activities and presentations by local archaeologists. The atlatl is an ancient spear throwing tool, used for hunting before the development of the bow and arrow, and flintknapping is a method Native Americans used in the past to create stone tools.

The event is sponsored by the National Park Service, California State Parks, and Western National Parks Association. Free event, free parking. For more information, email samo@wnpa.org or call 805-370-2302.

Directions: Santa Monica Mountains Interagency Visitor Center is located on the grounds of King Gillette Ranch, at 26876 Mulholland Highway in the Calabasas area. Free parking.

Western National Parks Association helps make the national park experience possible for everyone. As a nonprofit partner of the National Park Service, WNPA supports parks across the West, developing products, services and programs that enrich the visitor experience. Since 1938, WNPA has worked to connect new generations to parks in meaningful ways, all with one simple goal: Create advocates who want to preserve and protect these special places for everyone, for all time. For more information on WNPA visit here.

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) is the largest urban national park in the country. encompassing more than 150,000 acres of mountains and coastline in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. A unit of the National Park Service, it comprises a seamless network of local, state and federal parks interwoven with private lands and communities. As one of only five Mediterranean ecosystems in the world, SMMNRA preserves the rich biological diversity of more than 450 animal species and 26 distinct plant communities. For more information, visit here.

Image via the National Park Service: Archaeologist Austin Ringelstein discusses the impacts from the 2013 Springs Fire on archaeological resources. Archaeology Day will take place at the Santa Monica Mountains Visitor Center on October 15th. Credit: Jamonn Roberts