State hires coordinator to oversee historical sites

Sali Underwood joins Nevada State Historic Preservation Office

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You can tell a lot about someone by what they carry in their car.

Sali Underwood keeps her hiking boots in hers. There's also a backpack, surplus water and sunscreen. Then there's her gardener-style hat.

She needs these things for her new job.

The archeologist, who came to Las Vegas in 2000 to finish her master's degree at UNLV, was recently hired as site stewardship coordinator.

The position came about after the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office decided to officially open a new Southern Nevada site in Las Vegas in the Nevada State Museum and Historical Society, 700 Twin Lakes Drive in Lorenzi Park.

"This is a much-needed step forward for the Department of Cultural Affairs in our ongoing effort to identify historically significant sites and aid in their preservation," said Ron James, state historic preservation officer.

Underwood's job entails working with agencies like the Bureau of Land Management and the park service to document any destruction to sensitive sites of historic relevance.

American Indian sites may immediately come to mind, but other areas that fall under her responsibility include historic mining sites, cemeteries and ghost towns.

Whenever it's discovered that any of the sites have suffered impact from graffiti or campfires, it's reported to the proper agency.

Sometimes people engage in pot digging -- unearthing ancient sites while looking for American Indian relics. Such actions are illegal when done on federal land.

About 10 percent of Underwood's job entails visiting sites.

"I wish it was 30 percent," she said. "I love being out in the field."

Since the position was just created, Underwood relies on input from George Phillips, program manager of a grassroots cultural site stewardship program and a professor at UNLV.

She also relies on her counterpart in Arizona, Mary Estes. The Nevada program is modeled after the award-winning Arizona one.

Phillips acquired 240 volunteers to keep tabs on assigned sites, reporting if graffiti or other destruction had occurred.

"Some volunteers get very possessive about their sites," Underwood said. "They get so sensitive about it, they want to (be updated) whenever anything will be going on at their site."

One volunteer in Lincoln County visited her assigned location last year only to find squatters had moved into a house, though the bleached remnants barely qualified it as a building. A couple of walls still remained and the roof had long since fallen down, yet people had made it as cozy as they could.

The volunteer took pictures, made notes and, following the guidelines, made no contact with the squatters. She filed her report and let the state take action.

Underwood has a background in historic and prehistoric archaeology, as well as hands-on experience with various museums. For the past four years, she operated a lab for the Springs Preserve of the Las Vegas Valley Water District.

"The museum is happy to have her here," said Barbara Slivac, curator of education. "She's our first archeologist."

Underwood lives with her two dogs and a cat, all of them rescued, in her 50-year-old house. She spends her spare time gardening and said she is an avid reader.