Overview:

SWCA was retained by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to provide cultural resources services for the motorized vehicle routes of travel covering over 1,200 acres of the Colorado and Mojave Deserts in Imperial, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, California.

Services Provided:

• Assessment of the impacts of motorized vehicle activity and associated activities on the cultural resources of public lands
• Literature searches
• Systematic pedestrian survey of discontiguous areas of potential effects (APEs)
• Draft and final technical report
• Update of the BLM’s GIS geodatabase
• Preparation of site record forms for all newly identified or relocated resources

Results:

A total of 58 archaeological sites and isolated finds were recorded or updated as part of this study. These resources span a broad array of site types from historic-era mines and World War II buildings to prehistoric habitation sites and lithic and ceramic scatters, some of which are recommended for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The results of the study will aid the BLM in future management decisions regarding the impact of public access from motorized routes of travel to known cultural resources within the California Desert District.