Cultural Resource Survey for the Lower Cow Creek Restoration Project, San Miguel County, New Mexico
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CULTURAL RESOURCE SURVEY FOR THE LOWER COW CREEK RESTORATION PROJECT, SAN MIGUEL COUNTY, NEW MEXICO PREPARED FOR Pathfinder Environmental, LLC PREPARED BY Okun Consulting Solutions AUGUST 2018 Okun Consulting Solutions NMCRIS ACTIVITY NUMBER 141269 CULTURAL RESOURCE SURVEY FOR THE LOWER COW CREEK RESTORATION PROJECT, SAN MIGUEL COUNTY, NEW MEXICO Prepared for Pathfinder Environmental, LLC 1800 Old Pecos Trail, Suite E Santa Fe, NM 87505 Prepared and Submitted by Adam Okun, Principal Investigator Okun Consulting Solutions 441 Morningside Dr. NE Albuquerque, NM 87108 Reviewing Agencies United States Army Corps of Engineers New Mexico Historic Preservation Division Survey Conducted Under New Mexico General Archaeological Investigation Permit Number: NM-18-285-S Okun Consulting Report Number: OCS-2018-24 Okun Consulting Solutions LOWER COW CREEK RESTORATION PROJECT ABSTRACT The Upper Pecos Watershed Association is proposing a riparian restoration project along lower Cow Creek in San Miguel County, New Mexico. The project is approximately 0.75 miles long and is located less than 1 mile northwest of the town of North San Ysidro. Cow Creek is designated as a cold-water fishery, but water quality in the creek is currently impaired by high temperatures. The purpose of the proposed project is to reduce the water temperature in the creek, which is needed to support its designated use and improve riparian habitat. The project is being funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the Surface Water Bureau of the New Mexico Environment Department. It will take place entirely on private lands. A variety of restoration treatments are proposed, which will alleviate stream entrenchment and riverbank erosion and improve riparian habitat. The only cultural resource identified during 100-percent pedestrian survey of the area of potential effects (APE) is a portion of the North San Ysidro acequia system, which was documented as a linear resource and assigned the resource number HCPI 45368. No archaeological sites, buildings, districts, isolated occurrences, or other resources were discovered. HCPI 45368 retains historic significance and integrity and is recommended as eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under Criterion A for its association with locally significant historic events, such as the establishment of dispersed farming communities in the Upper Pecos Watershed. However, the acequia and its laterals only enter the project area in a few locations, and these features will not be impacted by the proposed project. Where the main canal comes closest to Cow Creek, the stream bank will be reinforced to prevent ongoing erosion that is threatening to undercut the acequia, which is on the slope above the stream. However, the acequia itself will be fully avoided, as will the field laterals to the south. Restoration efforts will not alter the setting or detract from the characteristics that qualify the acequia system for listing on the NRHP. As a result, the proposed project will have no effecton HCPI 45368 Subject to agency consultation and comment, the proposed undertaking would have no effect on any historic property listed, or eligible for listing, on the NRHP. However, if buried cultural deposits are discovered during project activities, work shall cease and the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) shall be notified immediately. This cultural resource investigation complies with the provisions of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended through 1992 and any other applicable cultural resource rules or regulations. The project was completed in accordance with §4.10.15 New Mexico Administrative Code: Standards for Survey and Inventory. August 2018 | Pathfinder Environmental, LLC 29 Okun Consulting Solutions LOWER COW CREEK RESTORATION PROJECT TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND PROJECT DESCRIPTION ..............................................................................1 CHAPTER 2: ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING .............................................................................................................7 CHAPTER 3: HISTORIC BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................10 Early Spanish Colonial Period (1598 to 1680) ..............................................................................................................................10 Late Spanish Colonial Period (1680 to 1821) ...............................................................................................................................11 Mexican Colonial Period (AD 1821 to 1848) .................................................................................................................................12 The Territorial Period (1848 to 1912) ...............................................................................................................................................12 The Twentieth Century ........................................................................................................................................................................13 Lower Cow Creek/North San Ysidro ................................................................................................................................................13 CHAPTER 4: METHODS ..........................................................................................................................................15 Pre-Field Investigations .......................................................................................................................................................................15 Survey Methods .....................................................................................................................................................................................15 CHAPTER 5: PREVIOUS RESEARCH ......................................................................................................................17 CHAPTER 6: SURVEY RESULTS ..............................................................................................................................18 HCPI 45368 ...............................................................................................................................................................................................18 Eligibility and Management Recommendations .......................................................................................................................21 CHAPTER 7: MANAGEMENT SUMMARY ..............................................................................................................23 REFERENCES ...........................................................................................................................................................24 APPENDIX A ..........................................................................................................................................................26 August 2018 | Pathfinder Environmental, LLC 30 Okun Consulting Solutions LOWER COW CREEK RESTORATION PROJECT LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Project Location Map ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Figure 2. Project Area Map on USGS Quadrangle (1:24,000 Scale) ............................................................................ 4 Figure 3. Aerial View of the Project Area ....................................................................................................................... 5 Figure 4. Plan of Proposed Restoration Activities ....................................................................................................... 6 Figure 5. HCPI 45368 (San Ysidro Norte Acequia System) Overview Map .............................................................. 19 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Monthly Historical Climate Data for Pecos, New Mexico (1916 to 2016; WRCC 2017) .......................... 8 LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS Photograph 1. Project Overview showing Cow Creek Valley and Adjacent Landforms ....................................... 8 Photograph 2. Gently Sloping Terrain along Cow Creek ............................................................................................ 8 Photograph 3. Wide Section of Cow Creek in Southern Portion of Project Area ................................................... 9 Photograph 4. HCPI 45368 Main Acequia Where it Passes Close to Cow Creek ................................................... 20 Photograph 5. Concrete Diversion Structure and Metal Screw-lift Gate Southwest of Project Area ................ 20 Photograph 6. Log Mill Outside Project Area (Facing North) .................................................................................. 21 Photograph 7. Wooden Vertical Lift Gates along Field Lateral ................................................................................ 22 Photograph 8. Field Lateral Flowing South along Western Edge of Survey Area .................................................. 22 August 2018 | Pathfinder Environmental, LLC 31 Okun Consulting Solutions LOWER COW CREEK RESTORATION PROJECT CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION AND PROJECT DESCRIPTION The Upper Pecos Watershed Association (UPWA) is proposing a riparian restoration project along lower Cow Creek in San Miguel County, New Mexico (Figure 1). The project is approximately 0.75 miles long and is located less than 1 mile northwest of the town