R4 Heritage Projects
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- Trail Creek Fire, Aug-Sept 2000
- Forest-Wide Heritage Site Monitoring
- Needs Based on our limited project and site records, the Rankin Fire areas break down into the following probability zones
- Based on field reconnaissance and project and site records, the Morse Fire area breaks down as follows
- Project Name: 14-2001-13 Cultural Resources Inventory and Restoration
- Project Name: 14-2001-14 Cultural Resources Inventory and Restoration
- Project Name: 14-2001-15 Cultural Resources Inventory and Restoration
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RESTORATION PROJECT REVIEW Subject Matter Specialists Project Reference No. (From Restoration Project Fact Sheet in the Notes Discussion Data Base): Intermountain Region Heritage Projects – Boise: Project number 02-2001-16 Salmon-Challis: Project number 13-2001-03N Payette: (not in database, but tenatively assigned number: 12-2001-41) Sawtooth: (not in database, but tenatively assigned numbers:14-2001-13,14,15) Project Name: Various projects dealing with post-fire heritage inventory Questions/ Issues/Recommendations: The attached project descriptions provide the details for those heritage projects that are necessary for the R4 Forests to meet stewardship responsibilities under the National Historic Preservation Act. These projects are of equal importance and cannot be assigned an indicator of relative importance.
The attached project proposals are revised from the initial submissions and have been adjusted to eliminate activities that are not immediately pertinent to restoration and recovery efforts.
Unit costs on each of these projects appear to be reasonable – cost estimates of $6-9.00/acre for inventory work are dependent on site density, location and topography.
R4 Priority Listing of Heritage Projects: Each of the proposed Heritage projects has been restricted to inventory, documentation, assessment, and monitoring tasks. The Forests are requesting work that is of equal importance to each. If it becomes necessary to fund these projects at a reduced level, then the funding should be distributed according to percentages of the total requested funding. In very round numbers totalling $750,000 in requested funds, the percentages work out as shown below: Projects listed under type “20” Boise: …………………$150 …………..20% Salmon-Challis: ………$200 …………..27% Projects that surfaced after initial requests Payette: ………………..$150 ………….20% Sawtooth: ……………...$250 ………….33% In a reduced funding scenario, the first priority would be assigned to assessment of damages to known sites and inventory of affected sites. In out-years, additional funding would be used to complete the remaining tasks in evaluation, consultation and planning. Boise: Project number 02-2001-16 Boise National Forest Post-Fire Resource Inventory Needs: Trail Creek Fire, Aug-Sept 2000Atlanta, IdahoFire and Work Summary: In late August and early September of 2000, a wildland fire burned nearly 33,000 acres in the vicinity of Atlanta, Idaho, a historic mining town established in the 1860s. Although this fire was relatively small given the scale of activity last season, it was particularly devastating to cultural resources. The Atlanta area is host to approximately 10% of the “significant” sites on the Boise National Forest. The Burn Area Emergency Rehabilitation (BAER) team prescribed treatments for areas adjacent to Atlanta with the goal of reducing the potential hazards to life and property. As a result, BAER funded the evaluation of archaeological sites within treatment areas. Unfortunately, this only accounts for a little over 10% of the total area impacted by fire. During the course of locating and evaluating known sites, an additional 38 sites were incidentally discovered and recorded. This fact points to the dire need of additional survey in non-treatment areas. Survey Area and Site Probability: As the goal of mining activity is the recovery of mineral resources, the location of historic mining sites rarely conform to usual and accepted models of archaeological site probability. Factors such as slope and proximity to permanent water are matters of human comfort and convenience, both of which are of small concern compared to the location of high-grade ore. As a result, it is not uncommon to find historic mining sites on slopes in excess of 30˚. Given this fact and the history of mining in the region, the area in need of survey is greatly expanded. Almost 8,000 acres can be designated as high-medium probability for the location of new sites. Past Surveys and Future Needs: Through BAER work and previous projects, a total of approximately 3,000 of the 8,000 acres have been intensively surveyed near the Townsite of Atlanta. As yet, the ratio of discovery is nearly 4 new sites per hundred acres. This ratio probably represents the highest concentration of sites in the area. And, while the numbers would fall off with distance from the historic population center, it is reasonable to assume that there are many more sites to be discovered. Preliminary survey has already extended mining activity beyond the geographic extent of what is historically known. Additionally, the survey will examine a representative sample of 2,000 acres of low site probability area. These numbers amount to roughly 7,000 acres in need of survey, which will generate new sites in need of evaluation and management. In short, the process begins with an inventory and ends with a management plan that provides for the protection of cultural resources in the areas of impact. A breakdown of the steps and associated costs is as follows:
This estimate is based on 7,000 acres of previously unexamined National Forest lands within the burn area of the Trail Creek Fire. Of this ground, approximately 5,000 acres are either “high” or “medium” probability for the location of historic mining sites within a historic mining district. Additionally, a representative sample of “low” probability area will be examined as well. The estimate of cost is based on a rate of $8.00 per acre surveyed. Cost $60,000-Fiscal years 01,02,03 The Boise National Forest (BNF) is planning to conduct the survey through a series of Passport in Time (PIT) projects over the next. PIT is a volunteer program that offers the public opportunities to work with professional archaeologists and historians on historic preservation projects on national forests and grasslands. While the program does offer some dollar savings through volunteer labor, the real benefits come from positive public relations and education opportunities. It is an ideal platform to acquaint the public with agency policies regarding cultural resource, forest and fire management. In turn, these projects will likely generate the need for future PIT projects dealing with site management and the curation of artifacts. The BNF will also take steps toward developing a program of site stewardship to protect these valued cultural resources from perhaps the greatest threat, looting. Such projects never fail to attract media attention that portrays the agency in a positive light.
It is estimated that a minimum of 100 new sites will be located during the comprehensive inventory of the burned area. These sites will go through a process of evaluation to determine their eligibility (significance) for inclusion on the National Register of Historic places. The criteria for the determination of significance are outlined in 36 CFR 800.6 of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Sites evaluated as eligible (significant) for inclusion on the National Register become part of a management concern according to the protection afforded by law (NHPA). As a result, this information goes toward a strategy of monitoring to best determine measures needed to safeguard the integrity of this non-renewable resource. This, in turn, will contribute to comprehensive management plan for the oversight of cultural resources forest wide. This task will also be on a 3-year schedule of implementation with an estimated cost of $10,000 per year. Cost $30,000-Fiscal years 02,03,04
A schedule of site monitoring will be implemented over a period of 4 years. The first year of monitoring would focus on the nearly 50 previously recorded “significant” sites in and adjacent to BAER treatment areas. The concurrent process of inventory and evaluation (outlined in previous sections) would alter the list of sites in need of monitoring by adding new “significant” sites and eliminating known sites reevaluated to be “not-significant”. Costs have been projected given a total of 100 sites to be monitored at $300 per site. Operations would require from $8,000 per year. Cost $32,000-Fiscal years 01,02,03
Establishing Atlanta as a historic district will furnish essential information for historic preservation planning. It serves as a framework to evaluate properties on a comparative basis within a given geographical area. Additionally, it can be used to generate preservation priorities based on historical significance. All of these factors lead to the development of a cultural resources management plan that can be tailored to the specific needs of a historic mining district. This is to the advantage of the agency in that it allows resource managers to deal with many properties as a single entity. As this product is the end result of data recovery, it is scheduled for fiscal year 04. Cost $20,000-Fiscal year 04
Atlanta is one of the far-flung outposts in which the Forest Service has maintained a presence since 1906 when the Boise National Forest was established. As such, it is a significant contributor of history to both the area and the agency. Last season, the ranger station was impacted during the course of fire suppression and BAER activities. Minor repairs to structures are needed to maintain their historic character and its future as a useful facility. Work would include but not be limited to exterior painting and roof repair. Cost $10,000-Fiscal year 01
Salmon-Challis: Project number 13-2001-03N Salmon-Challis National Forest Post-Fire Heritage Resource Inventory Needs: December 2000 Forest-Wide Heritage Site MonitoringHeritage site monitoring and damage assessment for all Salmon-Challis NF fires is necessary to determine if affected sites are still eligible to the National Register of Historic Places for future management purposes and to establish what rehabilitation measures are appropriate for individual sites. Approximately 281 Heritage sites were within the fire perimeter of the FY 2000 Salmon-Challis fires. Eighty-three are prehistoric sites, including pithouse villages, rock shelters, pictographs, peeled trees, and burial sites. One hundred ninety nine are historic sites, including mines, cabins, trails, wagon roads, abandoned lookouts, cemeteries, phone lines, and etc. Site distribution for each of the fires is: Clear Creek Complex has 50 prehistoric and 135 historic sites; Wilderness Complex has 32 prehistoric and 42 historic sites; Rankin Fire has 2 prehistoric and 18 historic sites; and Fenster Fire has three historic sites. Many of these sites are within the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness or other highly inaccessible locations adjacent to the wilderness and will need access by airplane, pack string or boat, leading to high transportation costs. Figuring some sites will be unharmed and others will not need further work, monitoring will decrease through time. An average cost per site of $450.53 is estimated to complete field assessment and office report preparation. This breaks down to 1 GS-7 for 131 days at $13,100 for fieldwork, one GS-9 for 261 days at $52,200 for fieldwork and report preparation, and one GS-11 for 60 days at $15,000 for fieldwork, report preparation and supervision. Total transportation costs for vehicle and wilderness access is $20,980. Overhead at 20 percent is $25,320. Total FY 2001 cost is $126,600. FY 2001 cost per fire based on $450.53 per site is: Clear Creek equals $83,348; Wilderness Complex is $33,322; Rankin Fire is $9,011; and Fenster Fire is $1352. With decreasing inventory needs estimated at 25 percent less per year, FY 2002 cost is $94,950, FY 2003 cost is $63,300, and FY 2004 cost is $31,650. Rankin Fire Heritage Inventory Justification The Rankin Fire occurred within an area that has had both aboriginal and non-aboriginal use for hundreds of years. The Yankee Fork River is historically a Traditional Use Area for the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. It is the watershed central to historical and contemporary use of anadromous fishing of steelhead and salmon by the Tribes. The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes have off-reservation rights to fish the Yankee Fork River, they have cultural and education camps along the Yankee Fork every summer, and they activly participate with the Anadromous Fish Recovery Program. Prehistoric and historic aboriginal sites that are likely linked to modern Shoshone-Bannock Peoples have been identified within and outside the Rankin Fire area. The Tribes have indicated to the Region 4 Tribal Laison that they want to be involved in restoring historic and contemporary camping areas that have been damaged by the Rankin Fire. Historically, .the Rankin Fire was located within the Yankee Fork Gold Mining District. The Yankee Fork Gold Mining District was formed in the late 1870s and gold mining operations have occurred both on National Forest System Lands and on patentented lands from its onset. Within this District are two historic mining towns, National Register Site Custer, and Bonanza City; and an historic Yankee Fork Gold Dredge. All three of these historic sites are very important interpretive sites that are located on the Yankee Fork District of the Salmon-Challis National Forest and jointly operated by the Salmon-Challis National Forest, two volunteer organizations, and the Land of the Yankee Fork State Park. Last year, 23,200 visitors were logged in at the sites before the Rankin Fire started on August 11. Structure protection efforts, plus some moisture towards the end of August saved the interpretive sites from the fire. However, Custer, Bonanza, and the Yankee Fork Dredge are only three of the large number of mostly uninventoried sites located along the Yankee Fork River and its tributaries. In addition, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) were active within the Yankee Fork Mining District, and many CCC-related structures are located within the boundaries of the Rankin Fire. Despite knowledge about the aboriginal and non-aboriginal use and settlement within the boundaries of the Rankin Fire, very little heritage resource inventory has been completed. Given this fact, plus the fact that additional historic sites were reported by fire crews during the Rankin Fire, it is expected that a large number of unrecorded aboriginal sites, unrecorded historic mining sites, and other historic sites relating to the Mining District are located in the burn area. It is imperative that heritage resource surveys be conducted within the Rankin Fire area. NeedsBased on our limited project and site records, the Rankin Fire areas break down into the following probability zones:High Probability acres: 4,564 acres within the vicinity of the historic Lucky Boy and General Custer Mines, and along the bottoms of the Yankee Fork River, Rankin Creek, Crealey Creek, Adair Creek, Ramey Creek, Jerry’s Creek Preacher’s Cove, and their tributaries, containing extensive historic mining sites, cabins and prehistoric sites (lithic scatters, habitation sites, quarries). Requires intensive inventory and site recordation. Medium Probability acres: 1,116 acres along travel routes and on east-west trending ridgelines and mid-elevation benches above the burned-over drainage bottoms and mountain slopes. Areas contain some uninventoried travel routes and mining-related ruins that were reported by fire crews during the Rankin Fire.. Low Probability acres: 1,016 acres along steep mountain slopes, mostly on the western side of the Yankee Fork River characteristic of the majority of the burn area. This area has never been inventoried and few sites were noted by Rankin Fire crews. Most evidence of past mining (prospects, adits) can easily be seen in the black and thus hiked to and recorded. Some sample transects need to be walked through the area to meet INFRA and Section 110 requirements. Request: Funding to complete intensive inventory of all 4,564 (100%) acres of high probability zone, 372 (30%) acres of medium probability zone, and 51 (5%) acres in the low probability zone for a total of 4,987 acres. Based on a rate of $9 per acre (based on current industry rates on the Salmon-Challis National Forest) and the cost for contract administration and overhead*, total funding request is $64,632. This cost includes $44,883 direct costs for survey, $8,977 for direct costs for contract administration, and $10,772 overhead for contract costs, plus administration. The Forest will contract this work. We have a contract ready to go pending funding. The survey work could be staged over 2 years. It is critical that the high probability area in the drainage bottoms and around the Lucky Boy and General Custer Mines be surveyed in 2001 because many mining ruins and some prehistoric sites are now exposed and threatened by erosion, vandalism/looting and various fire rehabilitation/recovery projects. A full inventory in the vicinity of the Lucky Boy Mine and along the Yankee Fork River is particularly critical due to the presence of intact remains of historic sites relating to the Gold Rush-era mining communities of Custer and Bonanza. Morse Fire Heritage Inventory JustificationThe prehistory and history of the area within the confines of the Morse Fire is unknown; less than 5% of the Morse Fire area has been surveyed by archeologists. What little that has been surveyed has been concentrated on small projects located at the western toe of the Lemhi Mountain Range and mostly outside the Morse Fire boundary. The results of preliminary reconnaissance for BAER studies have revealed that, in addition to the prehistoric and historic sites already known from previous inventories, there is a potential for additional sites within the Morse Fire area. Because of the unknowns relating to the Morse Fire, the proposed survey areas are broken down to High, Medium Severity areas, with the High Severity Areas needing the most attention due to the highest potential of loss. Based on field reconnaissance and project and site records, the Morse Fire area breaks down as follows:High Severity acres: 1,285 acres of highly severe fire damage located along the Morse, Tater, and Little Morgan Creek drainages. Medium Severity acres: 797 acres of fire damage of medium severity located within the boundaries of the Morse Fire. Low Severity acres: 803 acres of fire damage of low severity located within the boundaries of the Morse Fire. The survey work could also be staged over 2 years. It is critical that the High Severity burn areas be surveyed in 2001 because of the potential for threat of sites now being exposed to erosion, vandalism/looting and various fire rehabilitation/recovery projects. A full inventory in the vicinity of the Morse, Tater, and Little Morgan Creek drainages is particularly critical due to the presence of historic and prehistoric sites relating to the use of the creek bottoms for transportation and habitation. Request: Funding to complete intensive inventory of 964 (75%) acres of high severity zone, 263 (30%) acres of medium severity zone, and 40 (5%) acres in the low severity zone for a total of 1,267 acres. Based on a rate of $9 per acre (current industry rates on the Salmon-Challis National Forest), total funding request is $16,421. These costs include $11,403 for direct cost for complete survey, $2,281 for direct costs for contract administration, and $2,797 for overhead for contract and administration costs. The Forest will contract this work. We have a contract ready to go pending funding. SummaryIn summary, monitoring and inventory needs translate as follows: Forest-wide Monitoring: 281 sites $126,600 Rankin Fire: 4,564 acres (out of 6,401) $064,632 Morse Fire: 1,600 acres (out of 2,285) $016,421 Total: $207,658* * Based on $9 per acre complete survey plus 20% overhead for contract administration and an additional 20% direct cost for contracting plus administration. Because of the numbers of fires that occurred in Region 4 last summer, contractors will be at a premium next summer and there will be more work available than contractors will be able to handle. As a result, costs were estimated to be approximately $9.00 per acre, rather than the usual $7-$8. Force account (seasonal) workers will cost less but overhead (vehicles etc.) and professional competency needs to be factored into the equation. Payette: (not in database, but tenatively assigned number: 12-2001-41) Payette National Forest Post-Fire Heritage Resource Inventory Needs: Burgdorf Junction Fire Burgdorf Junction Fire (67,000 acres): Based upon the cultural resource inventory predictive model, site atlas maps and previous studies in the area, the Burgdorf Junction wildfire landscape area can be converted into probability zones as follows: High Probability Acres: 12,100 acres along the bottoms of Grouse, Rabbit, California, Warren, Maxwell and Cottontail Creeks and their tributaries and along the south bank of the Salmon River from Huntz Gulch to the South Fork of the Salmon River; large openings and meadows on slopes and ridges in the Salmon River Breaks, including War Eagle and Marshall Mountains, Canada Saddle, Burgdorf Summit, Nelson Point and Cottontail Point. These areas contain extensive historic habitations and mining remains (including structures, adits, shafts, placer ditches, and sluice systems) as well as some prehistoric sites (rock art, habitation sites and lithic scatters). A great deal of the earliest Euroamerican activity in the Forest took place within these areas, and the great majority of this zone has not been inventoried. These will require intensive inventory and recordation. Moderate Probability Acres: 14,700 acres along ridgelines and mid-elevation terraces and benches within the burned area. These areas contain some mining ruins, transportation systems, homesteads, and prehistoric lithic scatters. Parts of these areas have been surveyed and recorded for past projects, but we may need to expand our efforts in this zone based on site discovery, as several new sites were discovered during BAER assessments. Low Probability Acres: 40,200 acres of steep slopes characteristic of the majority of the burn area. Past project inventories have resulted in very few sites located in this zone. The majority of unlocated sites can be easily seen in the black and tend to be single-event camps which are quickly documented. Some transects through this area should satisfy survey requirements. A portion of this area was covered during BAER assessments, and based on results from those and previous studies a minimum coverage should suffice. Request: Funding to complete an intensive (100%) inventory of all 12,100 acres of high probability zone, 7,350 acres (50%) of moderate probability zone, and 2,010 acres (5%) of low probability zone. Based on a rate of $7 per acre (a midway point between force account and current industry rates for central Idaho), total funding request is for $150,220. The Forest will probably contract the majority of this work. We got most of the basic BAER inventory done this fall but were snowed out. This work could also be done over 2 years, but it is critical that the high probability area in the drainages be surveyed in 2001 because many mining sites and some prehistoric activity areas are now exposed and threatened by erosion, vandalism/looting and various fire rehabilitation/recovery projects. A complete inventory in the Warren and California Creek drainages is particularly critical due to the presence of intact 1860’s mining/habitation sites (including Chinese); and along the main Salmon River from Huntz Gulch to the South Fork confluence because of both early mining/habitation sites and the presence of unexcavated and largely intact prehistoric Native American activity areas. WGR NOTE: The following project proposals were submitted to me on Tuesday 01/02/01 and serve only as an alert to the fact that some work needs to be done. I took the FY2001 costs indicated as the base inventory costs, rounded them, and used them for the assessment. I have requested additional information from the Forest Heritage program leader – a preliminary discussion with the Forest Archeologist has confirmed that the work is needed and the numbers are grossly correct indicators of the percieved need. USDA Forest Service Restoration Project Fact Sheet Region 4 National Forest: Sawtooth National Forest Project Name: 14-2001-13 Cultural Resources Inventory and RestorationWest Basin FireRegional Project Priority:Watershed Number: 1704021310, 1704021106 State and Congressional District: Idaho, Congressional District #2 Conduct comprehensive heritage inventories, monitoring of heritage sites, recording and evaluation of newly discovered heritage resources on the 16,392 acres of NFS lands affected by the West Basin Fire. Develop a management plan for significant lithic resource areas affected by the fire. Costs: FY2001 =$131,136, FY2002 =$30,000, FY2003 =$30,000. Project Accountability:
USDA Forest Service Restoration Project Fact Sheet Region 4 National Forest: Sawtooth National Forest Project Name: 14-2001-14 Cultural Resources Inventory and RestorationMonument FireRegional Project Priority:Watershed Number: 1704021004,1704021003, State and Congressional District: Idaho, Congressional District #2 Conduct comprehensive heritage inventories, monitoring of heritage sites, recording and evaluation of newly discovered heritage resources on the 6,867 acres of NFS lands affected by the Monument Fire. Develop a management plan for significant lithic resource areas affected by the fire. Costs: FY2001 =$54,936, FY2002 =$15,000, FY2003 =$15,000. Project Accountability:
Interagency Collaboration/Coordination: USDA Forest Service Restoration Project Fact Sheet Region 4 National Forest: Sawtooth National Forest Project Name: 14-2001-15 Cultural Resources Inventory and RestorationCoal Banks FireRegional Project Priority:Watershed Number: 1704021103 State and Congressional District: Idaho, Congressional District #2 Conduct comprehensive heritage inventories, monitoring of heritage sites, recording and evaluation of newly discovered heritage resources on the 8,480 acres of NFS lands affected by the Coal Banks Fire. Develop a management plan for significant lithic resource areas affected by the fire. Costs: FY2001 =$75,840, FY2002 =$30,000, FY2003 =$30,000. Project Accountability:
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