The URARA 2026 symposium will be held in Bluff, UT. For many of us we know Bluff to be a haven for archeology and rock art. It has a rich history. 

People have been living in this area for at least 12,000 years. We find remnants of Paleolithic hunter-gatherers, the people who left Glen Canyon Linear rock art and other hunter-gatherers, then the more recent Ancestral Puebloan peoples who transitioned to farming and hunting. Some reports from this later period indicate that more than 90% of calories were obtained from corn. The Bluff area was on the far edge of the Chaco culture with Chacoan great roads crossing the area and a Chacoan Great House right inside the current town. (There will be a tour on Thursday if you are interested.) The Ancestral Puebloan people left this area in the 1200s CE and later Ute and Navajo peoples took up residence. 

White settlers eventually moved into the area. The Hole-In-The-Rock Expedition consisted of 236 individuals who traveled 200 miles creating their own route to arrive at the current location of Bluff. They also moved further north to found Blanding. One of our field trips will visit part of the trail created by these early settlers just outside of Bluff. Bluff hasn't grown much since that time. The 2020 census shows a population of 240 people. (Source: Wikipedia)

This symposium will follow our usual format: Thursday workshops, Friday and Monday field trips, and speakers, banquet, awards, and auction on Saturday and Sunday. A detailed agenda and speaker abstracts are available here. Please download the detailed agenda so you are aware of the variety of events, timing, and location of the many events. 

Our banquet will allow for a choice of marinated grilled chicken breast, marinated beef brisket, or a soy meat substitute cooked with flavorful sauces high protein and fiber. All main course choices will also include potatoes, side vegetable, salad bar, homemade roll, dessert, and drink.

Food choices are a bit limited in Bluff so arrangements have been made for sandwiches to be available for field trips. There will be two choices: Smoked turkey or Veggie hummus. We will also provide sandwiches at no additional cost for the Saturday and Sunday presentations. 

URARA is offering a new opportunity for members who can't attend the symposium in-person. We will have an online option to watch the Saturday and Sunday presentations. 

Of course no symposium would be complete without a commemorative T-Shirt. The organizing committee has some exciting choices with a range of colors, designs, and sizes. The front of the t-shirt will have the symposium logo in either a black or white design to contrast with the color of the shirt. The back of the shirt will have a choice of large graphics also in black or white. Men's tshirts will be black, tan (buff), or blue. Women have a choice of offwhite (heather), orange (fiesta) or light gray (heather). The designs on the back can be either Cloud Chiefs or Thunder Heads in either black or white as appropriate to contrast with the shirt.

Men's Colors

Women's Colors

Choices for back designs are either Cloud Chiefs or Thunder Heads. These will be done in black or white to contrast with the T-shirt color. 

                       Cloud Chiefs                                Thunder Heads