An Anthropocene Without Archaeology—Should We Care?

For more than a decade, a movement has been gathering steam among geoscientists to designate an Anthropocene Epoch and formally recognize that we have entered a new geological age in which Earth’s systems are dominated by humans. Chemists, climatologists, and other scientists have entered the discussion, and there is a growing consensus that we are living in the Anthropocene. Nobel Prize-winning atmospheric chemist Paul Crutzen (2002a, 2002b; Crutzen and Stoermer 2000) coined the term, but the idea that humans are a driver of our planet’s climate and ecosystems has much deeper roots. Italian geologist Antonio Stoppani wrote of the “anthropozoic era” in 1873 (Crutzen 2002a), and many others have proposed similar ideas, including journalist Andrew Revkin’s (1992) reference to the “Anthrocene” and Vitousek and colleagues (1997) article about human domination of earth’s ecosystems. It was not until Crutzen (2002a, 2002b) proposed that the Anthropocene began with increased atmospheric carbon levels caused by the Industrial Revolution in the late eighteenth century (including the invention of the steam engine in A.D. 1784), however, that the concept began to gain serious traction among scientists and inspire debate

Ecological Change on California’s Channel Islands from the Pleistocene to the Anthropocene

Historical ecology is becoming an important focus in conservation biology and offers a promising tool to help guide ecosystem management. Here, we integrate data from multiple disciplines to illuminate the past, present, and future of biodiversity on California’s Channel Islands, an archipelago that has undergone a wide range of land-use and ecological changes. Our analysis spans approximately 20,000 years, from before human occupation and through Native American hunter–gatherers, commercial ranchers and fishers, the US military, and other land managers. We demonstrate how long-term, interdisciplinary research provides insight into conservation decisions, such as setting ecosystem restoration goals, preserving rare and endemic taxa, and reducing the impacts of climate change on natural and cultural resources. We illustrate the importance of historical perspectives for understanding modern patterns and ecological change and present an approach that can be applied generally in conservation management planning.Keywords: novel ecosystems, historical ecology, restoration, conservatio

Glassow, Perry, and Paige: The Punta Arena Site: Early and Middle Holocene Cultural Development on Santa Cruz Island

Santa Barbara: Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Contributions in Anthropology 3, 2008, 101 pp., 20 b/w gures, 2 maps, 27 tables, $21.95 (soft cover)

Geographic and Temporal Variability of Middle Holocene Red Abalone Middens on San Miguel Island, California

For at least the last half-century, Middle Holocene "red abalone middens" have been of interest to a variety of scientists working on the Channel Islands of California. Paleoclimatologists, oceanographers, ecologists, and archaeologists have all offered hypotheses to explain their widespread occurrence; however, quantification of their midden constituents has generally been insufficient to explain both their temporal and spatial variability. Detailed zooarchaeological analysis is a key component in understanding why these middens appeared at about 7,500 cal B.P. and disappeared at about 3,300 cal B.P. Faunal data from three radiocarbon (carbon 14) dated red abalone middens on San Miguel Island are presented. The analysis demonstrates both the geographic and temporal variability inherent within these sites, and suggests that our models for explaining their presence must account for this complexity

A Note From The Editor

This issue of the Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology (JCGBA) will mark my rst as editor. It is with great excitement and a deep sense of responsibility that I take over the editorship from Dr. Lynn Gamble. Her leadership over the last six years has allowed JCGBA to thrive and consistently produce top-quality research that highlights the diverse and complex history of California and the Great Basin. My primary goal as editor will be to continue to nurture this tradition. the JCGBA is the only academic publication in the far west that features articles from all four subfields of anthropology—linguistics, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, and archaeology. With anthropology departments ssioning around the country due to nancial constraints and philosophical and theoretical differences, I see the Journal as a way to share our research within and across disciplines. When reading the JCGBA manuscripts that cross my desk, I often am reminded that despite the application of very different methods and analytical tools, our discipline is held together because we have much to offer one another, and an understanding of the human condition requires a holistic perspective

Glassow, Perry, and Paige: The Punta Arena Site: Early and Middle Holocene Cultural Development on Santa Cruz Island

Santa Barbara: Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Contributions in Anthropology 3, 2008, 101 pp., 20 b/w gures, 2 maps, 27 tables, $21.95 (soft cover)

A Note From The Editor

This issue of the Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology (JCGBA) will mark my rst as editor. It is with great excitement and a deep sense of responsibility that I take over the editorship from Dr. Lynn Gamble. Her leadership over the last six years has allowed JCGBA to thrive and consistently produce top-quality research that highlights the diverse and complex history of California and the Great Basin. My primary goal as editor will be to continue to nurture this tradition. the JCGBA is the only academic publication in the far west that features articles from all four subfields of anthropology—linguistics, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, and archaeology. With anthropology departments ssioning around the country due to nancial constraints and philosophical and theoretical differences, I see the Journal as a way to share our research within and across disciplines. When reading the JCGBA manuscripts that cross my desk, I often am reminded that despite the application of very different methods and analytical tools, our discipline is held together because we have much to offer one another, and an understanding of the human condition requires a holistic perspective