A Tale of Two Projects: Geoarchaeological Investigations along the Shores of Pleistocene Lake Waring in Elko County, Nevada, and the Importance of Early Planning and Collaboration between Public Land Managers, Project Proponents, and Stakeholders

Summary

This is an abstract from the "A Further Discussion on the Role of Archaeology in Resource and Public Land Management" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Archaeological investigations conducted between 2015 and 2021 along the margins of a Great Basin pluvial lake applied multidisciplinary methods that resulted in the identification of significant deeply stratified sites. A geoarchaeological approach that entailed detailed mapping and modeling of the geomorphic settings for hundreds of cultural resource sites was employed to address questions regarding site location patterns, archaeological sensitivities, and human use of a changing landscape. This approach led to a critical examination of previous lake history models, and a reevaluation of the National Register eligibility of previously recorded resources. It engendered revised significance determinations for sites in geomorphic settings not conducive to the preservation of important archaeological data. It provides a framework for future collaboration between federal agencies and proponents during project development that can lead to more effective baseline studies, permit planning, mitigation measures, and stakeholder input. To realize such collaborative efforts, a geoarchaeological baseline must be initiated before cultural resource inventories are conducted and before National Register assessment. By establishing such baselines for undertakings in other pluvial lake basins under relevant historical contexts, real research questions can be posed and answered, less money will be spent, and Public Land Managers will achieve better heritage resource outcomes.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• A Further Discussion on the Role of Archaeology in Resource and Public Land Management   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36398.0