A Class III Cultural Resources Inventory of Approximately 1,441 Acres in the Bureau of Reclamation Tucson Mitigation Corridor, Avra Valley, Pima County, Arizona

Summary

The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) is seeking to update the survey for cultural resources on BOR lands covering the northern half of the Tucson Mitigation Corridor in Avra Valley, Pima County, Arizona, to satisfy their obligations under Section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (54 USC §306102). At the request of the BOR, Tierra Right of Way Services, Ltd. (Tierra), performed a Class III cultural resources survey of 1,440.94 acres of BOR land to the southeast of the Sandario and Mile Wide Roads intersection. BOR along with the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD), US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Pima County, and several public conservation groups in the Southwest jointly agreed on a specific parcel of land as partial mitigation for Central Arizona Project (CAP) impacts. The United States acquired title to 4.25 square miles (2,514 acres) of land referred to as the Tucson Mitigation Corridor to partially mitigate biological impacts from the construction of Phase B of the Tucson Aqueduct. The primary purpose of the Tucson Mitigation Corridor is to compensate for wildlife movement disruptions by providing an undeveloped wildlife movement corridor to maintain and promote normal gene flow while avoiding genetic isolation of the Tucson Mountains from the Roskruge Mountains, Ironwood Forest National Monument, and other areas west of Avra Valley.

From September 2022 through January 2023, archaeologists Galen McCloskey, M.A.; Joshua Tashoff; Byron Prest; Emily Barrick; and Connor Christiansen of Tierra performed the Class III survey. The goal of the project was to perform a 100% survey, document any new sites, and update four previously recorded sites. Mr. McCloskey acted as lead field director. Dr. Barbara Montgomery acted as Tierra’s principal investigator and project manager.

Over the course of the project, Tierra identified 23 new sites, located three previously recorded sites, and encountered 348 isolated occurrences (IOs). Most of these cultural resources are prehistoric sites and consist of flaked stone scatters. Of the previously recorded sites, all three were prehistoric and located either in the corridor of the CAP canal or near the southwest corner of the project area. One previously recorded site was not re-located and likely was destroyed during the construction of the CAP canal.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Central Arizona Project

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix Area Office

Field Director(s): Galen McCloskey

Principal Investigator(s): Barbara K. Montgomery

Landowner(s): USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix Area Office

Sponsor(s): USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix Area Office

Permitting Agency(s): USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix Area Office

Repository(s): Arizona State Museum

Prepared By(s): Tierra Right of Way Services, Ltd.

Submitted To(s): USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix Area Office

Record Identifiers

Arizona State Museum (ASM) Accession Number(s): 2023-0327

Contract No.(s): R17PA00028/140R3022F0053

File Information

	Name	Size	Creation Date	Date Uploaded	Access
	BOR-TMC-Report-REVISED_6.3.24.pdf	55.52mb	Jun 3, 2024	Jun 17, 2024 3:21:22 PM	Confidential