Clearlake Highlands Vegetation Management/Controlled Burn Project

Location: Lake County, California
Client: Bureau of Land Management

DZC Consulting partnered with Pacific Watershed Associates Inc. (PWA), a natural resources consulting firm, to conduct an archaeological investigation in support of the Clearlake Highlands Vegetation Management/Controlled Burn Project. The archaeological resources team was drawn from DZC consulting as well as employees of PWA, and consists of several archaeological investigators and data management specialists from northern California and Nevada. The Principal Investigator (PI) for the project, Dimitra Zalarvis-Chase, an SOI qualified Registered Professional Archaeologist was qualified with respect to the Cultural Resource Use Permit (CRUP) requirements of this project.

The team’s approach was to research, investigate, and document the historic and pre-contact resources in the project area using methods in alignment with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archaeology and Historic Preservation and California SHPO/BLM protocols. Aside from the defined APE, DZC is utilizing GIS analysis to identify additional areas of sensitivity and will engage approximately 10% of the remaining project area. The total project will entail survey of approximately 500 acres and the re-recording of approximately eight known resources, including a magnetite mine. Analysis of LIDAR imaging is being used to pre-define the extent of the mine, which is well overgrown with impenetrable chaparral and scrub.  The project is demanding as roughly 50% of the APE is in wilderness with no vehicle access. Planning for safety and budgeting was critical to the success of this project