August/September 2017
This is not a movie set. It's Petra!

A Note from the Director

Dear Reader, 

I have a really good reason for being tardy in my eNewsletter drafting. I was on vacation in Jordan! I had the opportunity to check off #1 on my bucket list, the iconic World Heritage Site of Petra. It was more incredible than my hyperbolic imagination could have ever possibly conceived. Check out the pictures I posted in an album called "Shumla goes to Petra" on Facebook!


In true Shumla fashion, while I was exploring tombs at Petra, the research team was going gangbusters on the Alexandria Project. Thanks to the Alexandria Project Pilot (funded by National Geographic) and our exhaustive planning, the field work is moving fast and furious and has been very productive. We're posting pictures to the  Shumla Facebook page as we trek.

"Inaccessible" in not in our vocabulary...

But guess what! You don't have to live vicariously through Facebook or eNews. You can join us! You can receive quarterly updates on the progress of the project directly from the Research Director. You can come and experience all the Lower Pecos has to offer at our October 2018 and October 2020 events. You could even take a ride-along with the Alexandria Team! These are all benefits of our Alexandria Project Pledge Drive.


A dollar for dollar match, a
wesome benefits, and n o hassle giving. We're making it easy to support us as we make history saving history. Read on for details. I hope you will join us on this epic journey as an Alexandria Project Pledge Donor. Thank you!

All the very best,
Jessica Lee


 
Alexandria Project Pledge Drive
The best possible way to support Shumla and our mission

Over 300 murals just like this one - decipherable art left by ancient Texans - are degrading and disappearing at an alarming rate. Through the Alexandria Project, Shumla is digitally recording them before they are lost.

Why is Shumla asking for pledges across the four years (2017-2020) of the Alexandria Project?
 
To build a lasting financial foundation for the project and to spend as little money on raising money as possible. Every non-profit must raise funds. Pledge giving allows us to spend the greatest majority of our funds on the Alexandria Project and not on fundraising.
 
How much is Shumla hoping to raise in individual pledges?
 
Our goal is to raise $400,000 in pledge gifts extending over the four years of the project. With the $100,000 match each year this will total $800,000. That's a quarter of our needed $3 Million for the four-year project. With foundation and corporate support we will be set up for success!
 
How much has been raised thus far?
 
We have received pledges totaling $185,000 so far. We are 46% of the way to our goal. Please join us!
 
What are the benefits of pledging?
 
In addition to our undying gratitude, pledge donors receive special benefits. All pledge donors will receive quarterly emails on the progress and discoveries of the Alexandria Project directly from the Research Director and will also be recognized on our up-coming pledge drive web page.
 
Donors at the Sustainer level and above (over $500 per year) will receive discounts on fee-based programming and an invitation for two to Shumla's Mid-Project and End-of-Project Donor Appreciation Events here in Comstock, October 2018 and October 2020. These events will include breathtaking tours, presentations from our researchers, delicious meals and more as we introduce you to the wonders of the ancient world of southwest Texas.
 
See the chart below and the pledge drive website for more details on the benefits.


Will my gift be matched?
 
YES! An anonymous donor has offered to match all individual gifts in 2017 up to $100,000! And I pledge to find a matching donor each year of the pledge drive so your gift will be doubled!
 
Is my gift tax deductible?
 
Absolutely. Shumla is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. All donations to Shumla are tax deductible. Our tax ID is 74-2869788.
 
If my company matches charitable donations, will that count toward my donor level?
 
Yes! For example, if you pledge $2,500 each year and your company offers a 100% match, that's $5,000 per year, making you an Alexandria Project Supporter.
 
I want to pledge! Tell me how.
 
Thank you! You have choices. You may give via: 
  • Check: Send your first year gift by check to Shumla P.O. Box 627, Comstock, TX 78837. Note your annual pledge amount and we will remind you each year of the Alexandria Project when it's time to send your annual gift.
  • Online as a monthly donation: Click here to access our secure online donation portal. Elect a "Monthly Donation" and enter the amount you'd like to give monthly. This amount will be deducted monthly for the four years of the project.
  • Online as an annual donationClick here to access our secure online donation portal. Elect a "One Time Donation." Enter your chosen annual gift and then in the "Designate my Donation" space type the word "Pledge" and we will remind you when it's time to make your annual gift each year.
The research team and interns act out the images in this Red Linear Style panel, shown in the photograph and D-stretch images above.

The Alexandria Project is incredibly unique. No one has attempted to catalog an entire rock art tradition this way before. We are racing against time to preserve the information in this "library" of murals, but this project is much more than that. We are collecting data that people all over the world and far into the future will be able to use to answer globally significant questions about the development of human belief systems in pre-agricultural time, the migration of language families and mythologies across North America, human use of art in survival and so much more. 

Your gift makes this possible. Please pledge today!
 
 
Spotlight on Charles Koenig  and Amanda Casta ñ eda

Reunited (with Shumla)...and it feels so good.

Charles and Amanda are no strangers to Shumla. In fact, this adorable couple (yes, they got married just last year!), met at Shumla in 2009. Charles was an intern with Shumla after having graduated in May from the University of Colorado with a B.A. in Anthropology. Amanda was an undergraduate in Anthropology at Texas State University and came to Shumla for a field school. 

Both ended up coming to work for Shumla but left in August of 2013 so that Amanda could begin her M.A. degree at Texas State University and Charles, who had completed his M.A., could take a job with the Ancient Southwest Texas Project, directed by Dr. Steve Black.  We bid them farewell with heavy hearts, but kept in close contact, particularly as they completed excavations in Eagle Cave just a few miles west of Shumla HQ. 

Ancient Southwest Texas Project Crew (Charles on far right and Amanda seated)

In 2016, planning for the Alexandria Project began in earnest. We knew that the only way we could document over 300 sites such a short time frame would be to add two more archaeologists to our team. Our choice was obvious - the dynamic duo - who a part from their vibrant personalities, are excellent archaeologists and project managers. We were overjoyed when they said they would return - Charles as Project Archaeologist and Amanda as Asst. Project Archaeologist on the Alexandria Project. Together with Karen, Vicky and Jerod, Shumla now employs an archaeological DREAM TEAM.


Charles and Amanda we could not be happier to have you back at Shumla again!

Make Us Smile!

Wanna do some good with every Amazon purchase you make? Designate Shumla as your charity on  Amazon Smile . We'll receive .5% of every purchase you make at no additional cost to you. 

Want to send Shumla a present? Check out our Amazon Wish List!

Thank you!
Visit Del Rio!

Come for the rock art, stay for the atmosphere! The rock art of the Lower Pecos could not be situated in a more beautiful setting. The desert is vast here, with huge skies and rolling hills that meet the crystal blue waters of the Amistad Reservoir. After you've visited the rock art, you can bird watch, water ski, bass fish, and then go camping for the night. Or you might like to visit the quaint shops of Del Rio's old town and drink wine at the Val Verde winery. In Del Rio there are lots of comfy places to stay and yummy places to eat. And you'll always find a warm welcome. Come and see!

Shumla's "Visit" webpage offers more information about how to enjoy a trip to the Lower Pecos Canyonlands. Check it out!


Shumla Archaeological Research & Education Center 
P.O. Box 627, Comstock, TX 78837 USA
info@shumla.org    432-292-4848     www.shumla.org 
 
Shumla eNews is a free eNewsletter published by Shumla. 
Copyright © 2017 by Shumla. All Rights Reserved.
Questions and comments can be sent to:  jlee@shumla.org