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an0 design m tne Ravrafna neighborhood by M eritage Homes. The tw o-story M & rssss ? need to cut from your ooor is fine w ith a few caveats. ulv^v^vs- w w -----r‘.— : ' " door. E xpect to pay double and His Web addr M S &<$}?< mm DIG: Students to explore M L V site CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1M a focal point for the com m uni­ty to learn th e im portance of the scientific site. Already, Buck has arranged for photos of the dig to be displayed at the Nigh school and hopes to bring participants of the dig back to speak. A ndrew s and Rowland took to the idea quickly and becam e co-principals of the grant. The patch of caliche dunes, arroyos and m an-m ade trenches lies a t a point t h a t , w as once a spring mound, a m arshy area a b le to sustain anim als large and sm all, ac­cording to Rowland, who first visited the site m ore than 20 years ago. All of those anim als died suddenly about 10,000 years ago, roughly the sam e tim e when hum ans arriv ed on the scene. Scientists have been unable to confirm w hether or not hum an m igration w as the cause of the m ass extinction, or if clim actic change caused both. _ The site becam e w orld fa­m ous in the early 1960s when a team of prom inent scientists headed a m ajor excavation hoping to find new evidence placing hum ans in N orth A m erica 18,000 years ago. Sci­entists erected a ten t city. Bulldozers plowed giant trenches into the dirt. N ational G eographic sent a photogra­pher. W illard Libby, a profes­sor a t the U niversity of Chica­go, cam e to te st his new radio­carbon dating technology. fn less than a year, they un­covered fossils of prehistoric cam els, Colum bian m am m oth and bison from 12,000 years ago, and discovered evidence from plants and sm aller fos­sils th at th e Las V egas Valley w as once a colder and w etter place. U ltim ately, though, the “Big Dig” ended w ith disap­pointm ent. W hile evidence of hunters w as discovered, re ­searchers found little to sup­port hum an presence as long * ago as they had hoped. Presence of modern man is all too common at the site, ac- * cording to ran g ers at Floyd Lamb State P ark, who have * found garbage, as well as de­bris associated w ith a m ake­shift paint-ball course on the roughly 300 acres of the site that technically belong to the park. The once rem ote site, now p a rt of N orth Las Vegas, has plenty of neighbors: air- V» c ra ft fly quietly overhead from the m odel airplane field to the south, while to the east hom es line the w est side of D ecatur W ith the ancient finds are rem nants from the dig itself. A ring of rocks outlines w here once lay Camp H arrington, a rem ote encam pm ent for sci­entists and support staff. At its peak, the encam pm ent was hom e to about 30 w orkers, who braved the harsh ele­m ents of the open d esert in the p u rsu it of science. A few hundred feet away stands a creosote that the team decorated for C hristm as 1962. A pile of bison bones was found next to the creosote bush, w hich survives to this day, indicating the presence of the herd anim al in the valley m ore than 10,000 years ago. Rusty nails and wooden stakes pounded into the caliche at various spots show w here re ­searchers found fossil evi­dence of snails and sm aller life form s. For T eran and his students, one of the m ost im portant rem nants of the “Big Dig” is T rench G, a path through the caliche cut w ith a bulldozer w here an expert eye can dis­cover any of a m ultitude of fossils, or take notice of the history of the land em bedded in changing layers of soil p erfect for a high school class. T eran said students likely will find and gather actual fossils, m ake observations of the stri-ations in the soil, m easure the site’s dim ensions, and m ake sm all topographical m aps. “T here’s plenty to find on the surface,” T eran said. “They’ll definitely take in fresh w ater clam s, brachio-pods, soil sam ples. ... Im agine finding th at in the desert.” Rowland said the site is still a relevant one for scientists. W hen N evada Pow er Co. in­stalled lines across an edge of the property a few years ago, a scientific team was brought out to observe. “San B ernardino (Calif.) M useum cam e out to do a su r­vey before the lines w ere built. They said bones w ere ju st literally popping out of the ground,” Rowland said. “T here’s alm ost certainly new discoveries, significant ones, and we don’t know w hat they are yet. T here’s a lot of unansw ered questions relating to the m ass extinction and the whole ‘pverkill’ hypothesis.” Rowland and Buck say their in terest in the parcel extends beyond education into p reser­vation, possibly by finding a public use for the land such as trails w ith interpretive dis­plays. Rowland added th ere is a need for active m anagem ent of the site now that develop­ment has come to its borders. “We hope to reach adults, too, eventually, to m ake peo­ple aw are of w hat a resource we have here. I think this type of area really does give people a sense of place, that th ere’s som ething special about w here they live,” he said. FREE Written Estim ates 248-0550 Credit Cards Welcome LICENSED • BONDED • INSURED NCIi#s: 47405, 57466, 57467 We Show Up. On Time. (now hiring expert craftsmen) can move smooth NORTH AMERICAN PRECIS SYNDICATE W hen home buyers close es­crow, it is tim e to m ake the big move. Following are a few suggestions that m ay help: Do not be a pack rat. T here is no need to pack unnecessary or unused item s th at will clut­te r the new home. Toss the plastic swim m ing pool w ith the rip in it. H ave a yard sale to get rid of clothes th at have not been w orn in m ore than a year or old furniture th at does not m atch the new decor. Do­nate books, old movies, kitch­en dishes and appliances to charity. Review receipts and docum ents to m ake sure you m ove only w hat is im portant. M ake a b u d g e t M oving can be expensive. D eterm ine if you have the tim e arid energy to pack up your entire house­hold belongings or if you can afford to let the experts do it. Com pare m oving costs by checking Web Sites such as www.moving.org. M any sites have cost calculators to help you determ ine w hich m oving option you can afford. Use proper m aterials. Do not pack precious belongings by recycling worn-out boxes. U se sturdy new boxes, quality packing tape (not duct), indeli­ble m arkers for labeling box­es, and cushioning m aterial such as bubble cushioning or foam packing peanuts for breakables. Pack-and-ship stores stock m oving supplies and can item s fu raitu n sions. T1 vide shi] pare ag; as well during y Pack c a box’s w hich is bottom i es for 1 books ai L arge t lightwei as linei heavier of the lighter tim es c< not get suitcase you wil cations, you unt H ^ •_C5_1 f_E_ _S/VHJUJ|§ OFFICE NOW OPEN|- 2845 Las Vegas Boulevard South (Located inside th< f M E E T Y O U R N E W N E 1 G H B O I Las Vegas IANDYMAI IN C . G uaranteed Low-Cost ^ Home R epairs & R em odeling High Rise Condo/Hotel Prices From the Low $500’s 877-822-2022 or 702-933-2022 | w\ Full Decorating Services * ?’ ': 'l?' M M i s 1 ? -SiTO 7 A # V GM Jinteriors.com T H £ S T R ! ? * I A S V I S A 8 Exclusively Presented by RE/MAX Benchmark Realty. EACH OFFICE IS INDFPF.NDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED