Ancient rock art adorns the Southern Nevada (USA) landscape and tours of the cultural and archaeological treasures are scheduled monthly through May at the Valley of Fire State Park in Southern Nevada. The next tour is Saturday, January 14. The park, located just north of Las Vegas, features more than 100 panels of ancient petroglyphs. "These particular images are probably between 800 and 2,000 years old, but some could be much older," Alanah Woody, executive director of the Nevada Rock Art Foundation, said.
     Woody has been leading rock art tours in Northern Nevada since 2002, where they are scheduled year round. Reservations are required for all tours. Southern Nevada tours are held the second Saturday of winter and spring months. To register for the tour, call 702-804-6723. Attendees should bring plenty of water, lunch, hat, and wear sturdy walking shoes. The tours are free, will begin at 9 a.m. and last approximately three hours, finishing with an optional tour of the Lost City Museum for $2.
     Woody, along with local community leaders and archeologists, founded the Nevada Rock Art Foundation in 2001 in order to preserve and protect the more than 1,000 sites in Nevada, as well as educate the public. Despite being situated in spectacular landscapes, many sites, some as old as 10,000 years, are still under threat from building development, vandalism and natural degradation.
     
Source: The Beehive Standard Weekly (26 December 2005)