On Friday, October 23, Jeff Thelen, who oversees monitoring of Native American rock art sites in western Nevada for the Bureau of Land Management, will give a public presentation. He will share images of ancient petroglyphs and discuss the subject “Rock Art of Western Nevada, from Archaic to Contact, a Site Steward’s View.” From the ancient archaic time to native contact with white settlers spans thousands of years. The Free event, which is sponsored by Friends of Sierra Rock Art, takes place at Nevada City’s Madelyn Helling Library on Maidu Avenue at 7pm.
Thelen has extensive experience with archaeology, beginning in the 1960s with archaeological field work in Guatemala. In the early 2000s he joined the Nevada Rock Art Foundation and recorded rock art sites throughout Nevada. He also helped start the first site steward program in the state in order to protect native petroglyph sites. In 2006 he became a site steward for Friends of Sierra Rock Art. Since 2014 he has been the Regional Coordinator for Site Stewards for the BLM.
Bill Drake, president of FSRA, stated, “We are fortunate to have such an experienced presenter share his perspective along with wonderful photographs of Nevada’s interesting and unique rock art.”
Friends of Sierra Rock Art works with the Tahoe National Forest, other agencies, and Native Americans to protect cultural resources. It is the first non-professional organization to have received the Society for California Archaeology’s prestigious Helen C. Smith award for contributions to California archaeology. It is also the recipient of the American Rock Art Research Association’s 2025 national conservation award.
For more information go to www.friendsofsierrarockart.org or contact Bill Drake at billdrake2@gmail.com.