The headquarters for the Conservancy was first established in Santa Fe in January 1980. It didn’t take long before it was determined that regional offices would be necessary to keep up with site acquisition and preservation in various areas of the country. James Walker served as the first Regional Director for the Southwestern region and served until 2022 when he retired and April M. Brown was hired for the role. She and her Regional Field Representative Mandy Woods oversee more than 200 sites across nine states: Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana.
After a flurry of acquisitions in the Conservancy’s early years the decision was made to establish two regional offices, one in the Midwest and another in the Southwest. Early work in the Southwestern region was focused on sites in the Cortez, Colorado area where more than twenty Mesa Verdean and Chacoan sites have been preserved to date. Early work in this region also included the preservation of sites in the Verde Valley area of central Arizona, near Sedona.
Preserves in the Southwestern region represent a wide variety of cultures, including Archaic and Paleo Indian, early Spanish exploration, Civil War outposts, and even a mastodon kill site. Several have been featured in virtual tours which give you the chance to visit and learn about these sites from the comfort of your home.
Arroyo Hondo (New Mexico)
Pueblo San Marcos (New Mexico)
Wells Petroglyph Preserve (New Mexico)
The Hisatsinom Hilltop Sites of the Verde Valley (Arizona)
Fetterman Archaeological Preserve (New Mexico)
The Living Landscape of Mesa Prieta
