Stafford Fire Salvage and Restoration Project Heritage Report. South Fork Management Unit Shasta-Trinity National Forest

Transcription

1 Stafford Fire Salvage and Restoration Project Heritage Report South Fork Management Unit Shasta-Trinity National Forest Legal Location: The project area is located within the South Fork Management Unit Township 31 North, Range 11 West, Sections, 8-11, 14-17, and 20-22, Mt. Diablo Meridian. Mark Arnold Trinity Archaeologist June 20, 2013 Date South Fork Management Unit Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 1

2 Introduction: Under section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) a Federal Agency proposing an undertaking must take into account the effect of the undertaking on any district, site, building, structure, or object that is included in or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. The Shasta-Trinity National Forest and South Fork Management Unit in proposing the Stafford Fire Salvage and Restoration Project must identify any of the above Heritage resources that maybe affected by this undertaking. The identification and reporting process for Heritage resources will follow the Programmatic Agreement (PA) with the US Forest Service Southwest Region (Region5) and the California State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP). This PA prescribes the manner in which Region 5 and the SHPO shall cooperatively implement this PA in California and portions of Nevada. It is intended to ensure that Region 5 organizes its programs to operate efficiently and effectively in accordance with the intent and requirements of the NHPA and that Region 5 integrates its historic preservation planning and management decisions with other policy and program requirements. The PA streamlines the NHPA Section 106 (Section 106) process by eliminating case-by-case consultation with the SHPO on undertakings for which there is no or little potential to affect historic properties and for undertakings that either culminate in no historic properties affected or no historic properties adversely affected with approved Standard Protection Measures (36 CFR 800.4(d) (1) and 800.5(d)(1)). Because the Stafford Fire Salvage and Restoration Project has ground disturbing actions, that have the potential to adversely affect various types of cultural resources, the Forest must carry out archaeological identification work. These efforts will conform to the stipulations in the PA in accordance with the Section 106 process. Please refer to the Environmental Analysis (EA) for a listing of resource needs to be addressed by this undertaking, that were identified in the Upper Hayfork Creek and Middle Hayfork Creek/Salt Creek Watershed Analysis, the Land and Resource Management Plan for the Shasta-Trinity National Forests (1995) and post fire assessment. South Fork Management Unit Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 2

3 Proposed Action: Please refer to the proposed action descriptions in the environmental analysis. Affected Environment: The affected resource area is what we call the Area of Potential Effect (APE). For Heritage resource management analysis the APE is essentially the proposed project actions and area these actions will take place within. The APE has a total of 12 historic sites; five were previously recorded and seven are new sites near proposed management units for this undertaking. The seven near or adjacent to proposed units will be flagged and avoided following the protective measures outlined in the Region 5 Section 106 Programmatic Agreement. These are the sites within and adjacent to the APE that was previously recorded: Pioneer Graves Mort s Morgan Gulch Cabin/Mine McCovey Gulch Shivers Coonrod Gulch Mine Site Layman Mine The seven new sites recorded for this project are listed below. Site Number Name Site Type O-47 Crash Site WWII Military Plane Crash Site Hayfork Creek Mine #1 Historic Mining Happy Horse Historic Mining Hayfork Mine #2 Historic Mining Cope & Johnson Mine Historic Mining Juan s Cobbles Prehistoric Juan s Unnamed Cobbles Prehistoric The first site recorded for this project is a World War II Army Air Force airplane crash site found during the fire. The next four sites are hard rock mining sites dating from the 1920 s up through the 1930 s. These sites are related to the increase in gold mining during the Great Depression. The next two sites are prehistoric and are related to acorn gathering and processing. South Fork Management Unit Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 3

4 All of the sites recorded for this project and those previously recorded are accepting for the Cope & Johnson Mine is near but outside of proposed management units. The Cope & Johnson Mine borders one proposed unit, but is not within it. Environmental Consequences: Heritage Cumulative Effects: This Heritage resource analysis has been completed in accordance with the CEQ memorandum of June 24, 2005, regarding guidance on the consideration of past actions in cumulative effects analysis. In addition, this analysis incorporates guidance identified in the R5 white paper titled Analysis of Cumulative Effects in NEPA dated 8/4/2005. Effects Analysis: To analyze the cumulative effect(s) on archaeological resource sites, the unit of measure used to quantify this is based on a linear scale that measures potential adverse effect. This method developed from my professional experience has observed that the relative proximity of archaeological resources to some type of ground disturbing activity (GDA) increases the likelihood of direct and indirect effects. GDA could be a linear travel route like a road or harvest unit in a timber sale. Although this method is based on inference, I feel it captures the potential for a site to be affected by inadvertent actions (dispersed recreation) or direct actions (artifact looting). I have observed that most sites beyond 100 meters from some manner of GDA suffer far less chance for adverse effects. Sites within 100 meters or less generally suffer a greater potential for adverse effects. The table below illustrates this concept: Site Distance From GDA Location of Ground Disturbing Activity (GDA) Site Distance From GDA 100m m 70-30m 30m-0-30m 30-70m m 100m+ Low to No Effect Low Medium High Medium Low Low to No Effect Level of Potential Effect Bounding the Effects: An archaeological site is a concentration of cultural material and features. The extent of this concentration as mapped in the field is the geographic unit for analyzing direct and indirect effects. Site area is calculated from this map in square feet or meters, but for consistency with other resources area will be stated in acres. Analysis of cumulative effects to recorded sites will encompass the entire project area or Area of Potential Effect (APE). Time Frame: For this discussion, time frame for direct and indirect effects will be the extent of the undertaking and subsequent management actions. Cumulative effects will take into account past actions, present, and foreseeable actions. This analysis will also factor in disbursed recreation events. South Fork Management Unit Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 4

5 Foreseeable actions noted in cumulative effects information sheet will also undergo analysis of their potential effects to recorded archaeological properties. Actions Considered: Table below shows the potential for direct and indirect impacts of each action alternative considered along with other management actions affecting Heritage Resources. These were the only sites recorded within the APE (project area) for the Stafford Fire Salvage and Restoration Project. Level of Potential Effect of Proposed Action Alternative Without Protection Measures Recorded Archaeological Sites High Medium Low Low to No Effect Pioneer Graves Mort s Morgan Gulch Cabin/Mine McCovey Gulch Shivers Coonrod Gulch Mine Site Layman Mine O-47 Crash Site Hayfork Mine #1 Happy Horse Hayfork Mine #2 Cope and Johnson Mine Juan s Cobbles Juan s Unnamed Cobbles However, if Standard Protection Measures stipulated in the PA are applied to each site the various proposed actions will have low to no effect to the identified archaeological properties. Further, with protection measures in place this undertaking will not add to the cumulative effects due to normal public recreation use and natural disturbance factors on the recorded archaeological sites. The no action alternative will have no effect simply because silvicultural and fuel treatment actions will not occur. Heritage Resource Protection All identified properties will be protected following the Approved Standard Protection Measures under the Programmatic Agreement among the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Pacific South Fork Management Unit Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 5

6 Southwest Region (Region 5), California State Historic Preservation officer, Nevada State Historic Preservation Officer, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation regarding the processes for compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act for Management of Historic Properties by the National Forests of the Pacific Southwest Region. The Protection Measures found under Appendix E of the Programmatic Agreement stipulate the following: Proposed undertakings shall avoid historic properties. Avoidance means that no activities associated with undertakings that may affect historic properties, unless specifically identified in this Programmatic Agreement, shall occur within historic property boundaries, including any defined buffer zones (see clause 1.1(a), below). Portions of undertakings may need to be modified, redesigned, or eliminated to properly avoid historic properties. All recorded historic properties within the project area shall be delineated with coded flagging and/or other effective marking. In addition, historic property location and boundary marking information shall be conveyed to appropriate Forest Service administrators or employees responsible for project implementation so that pertinent information can be incorporated into planning and implementation documents, contracts, and permits (e.g., clauses or stipulations in permits or contracts as needed). Project administrators will insure these protective measures are followed. Consequently, if these procedures are carried out the selected alternative will have no direct or indirect effect on the recorded properties. Utilization of these protection measures will protect the recorded archaeological sites and will have no adverse effect to them. The two other action alternatives that are analyzed in detail, Community Protection Alternative and Timber Salvage Alternative, will also have no effect on the identified archaeological sites. If one of these alternatives is chosen the same protection and administrative actions will be applied resulting in no effect to recorded archaeological sites. South Fork Management Unit Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 6

7 Chapter 4: Consultation and Coordination Under the Region PA, section 7.5 Consultation with Indian Tribes and Native American Traditional Practitioners is an important component of identification and evaluation activities conducted to meet the Forest s Section 106 responsibilities. The Forest Supervisor shall ensure that consultation with Indian tribes and Native American Traditional Practitioners begins at the earliest stages of planning for an undertaking and continues throughout the process as appropriate. The Forest Supervisor shall ensure that consultation provides an Indian tribe a reasonable opportunity to identify its concerns about historic properties; advise on the identification and evaluation of historic properties, including those of traditional religious and cultural importance to them; identify Native American Traditional Practitioners who should be consulted; provide its views on the undertaking s effects on such properties; and participate in the resolution of adverse effects. The Forest Supervisor shall be prepared to continue consultation throughout the planning and implementation stages of an undertaking. Policy and guidance for consultation is provided in FSM Consultation letters to federally recognized tribes were sent to the Wintu Redding Rancheria. In addition, interested party letters were also sent to the non-federally recognized Nor-Rel-Muk Wintu, Trinity County Historical Society, and two Nor-Rel-Muk Wintu elders. No comment has been received from this tribe or interested parties concerning any potential adverse effects to recorded archaeological sites. No response has also been received expressing concern how this project may effect areas of spiritual or traditional use. Under the PA the Forest will also not need to consult with SHPO if the Forest follows the stipulations for site protection, which result in no adverse impacts, and approved archaeological survey methods. South Fork Management Unit Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 7