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Cultural and Historic Resources Assessment and Management Plan Analysis Report (R2018050800003)

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Cultural and Historic Resources Assessment and Management Plan Analysis Report (R2018050800003) 1 Cultural and Historic Resources Assessment and Management Plan Analysis Report (R2018050800003) Black Butte River and Cold Creek Segments Black Butte River Wild and Scenic River Mendocino National Forest November 2017 Purpose The comprehensive Management Plan for the Black Butte and Cold Creek Wild and Scenic River (WSR) establishes programmatic management direction for the WSR corridor. It has been developed to implement the direction of the Wild and Scenic River Act of 1968 as amended in the 2006 Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act (Public Law 109-362) to include 19.5 miles of the Black Butte River and 1.5 miles of Cold Creek. The WSR Act established a system for preserving outstanding free-flowing rivers. A defined section in Section 1(b) of the WSR Act: “certain selected rivers of the Nation which, with their immediate environments, possess outstandingly remarkable scenic, recreations, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural, or other similar values, shall be preserved in free-flowing condition, and that they and their immediate environments shall be protected for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations” (PL 90-542, 1968). The WSR Act requires the Forest Service to develop a comprehensive WSR Management Plan for the Black Butte and Cold Creek to protect and enhance the outstandingly remarkable fish and cultural/historic values. The WSR Management Plan will guide all development, management, and restoration activities within the WSR corridor. It includes standards and guidelines from the Proposed Action Alternative, an Implementation Plan with a list of possible projects, and a Monitoring Plan. The standards and guidelines are a statement of the WSR Management Plan’s management direction; however, the potential projects from the implementation plan are estimates and depend on site-specific NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) analysis and the agency’s budgeting process. WSR Location and Boundary The WSR is located in Mendocino County, less than 10 miles northeast of the town Covelo in portions of: T23N, R11W, sections 27, 28, 34, 35, 36 T22N, R11W, sections 1, 12 T22N, R10W, sections 6, 7, 8, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 26, 27, 35, 36 T21N, R10W, sections 1, 2, 12, 13, 24 T21N, R9W, sections 5, 6, 20, 29 The final boundary approximates a ¼ mile distance on each side of the river. WSR Classifications, Including Segments The WSR is 21 miles long with a corridor averaging 320 acres per mile (Error! Reference source not found.; Error! Reference source not found.). The WSR segments were classified based on an eligibility study approved in the 1995 Mendocino National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan using these criteria from the WSR Act: accessibility, developments along the shoreline, presence or absence of impoundments, and water quality. Results of the eligibility study are summarized in the 2 Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Forest Plan, Appendix L (USDA-FS, 1995). This report contains two sections. Section I presents what is known about the cultural resources within the WSR corridor and the larger watershed. It documents the history and prehistory of the region and pristine nature of those heritage resources as outstandingly remarkable values. Section II of this report identifies current conditions, effects analysis, desired conditions and existing and recommended management strategies to meet 36 CFR 800 regulations under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. I. CULTURAL RESOURCE ASSESSMENT Introduction This report documents the cultural resources within the Black Butte River segments within the Black Butte Wild and Scenic River on the Mendocino National Forest (Figure 1: Vicinity Map). Specifically, the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act (HR233), states that the report shall address the cultural resources within: “a) the 16 miles of Black Butte River, from the Mendocino County Line to its confluence with Jumpoff Creek; b) the 3.5 miles of Black Butte River from its confluence with Jumpoff Creek to its confluence with the Middle Eel River; and c) the 1.5 miles of Cold Creek from the Mendocino County Line to its confluence with Black Butte River” (Figure 2: Location Map). Within the Black Butte Wild and Scenic River corridor there are thirty-eight known cultural resource sites. All of the sites are manifestations of the prehistoric settlement of the area. Thirty-six of these sites contain small to large midden deposits which are indicative of repeated or permanent occupation by a family or families. Two of the sites also have historic period components. All of the sites are historically related to the Yuki Indians of the Round Valley Indian Tribe in Covelo, California. Overall, the Wild and Scenic River contains one of the largest concentrations of prehistoric and ethnographic village sites on the Mendocino National Forest. Due to the high number of sites within the watershed it would qualify, using criteria of the National Register of Historic Places, as a significant archaeological district. The majority of the sites are in excellent condition and have not suffered from development, vandalism, or looting. Thirteen sites have been significantly affected by natural bank erosion and one has been damaged as a result of an illegal cannabis grow. Environmental Description The topography within and adjacent to the Black Butte Wild and Scenic River consists of a series of southwest to northeast running ridges with slopes varying from nearly level to greater than 30%. The soils range from deep to moderately deep well drained sandy or gravelly loam. The parent material is primarily sandstone, metasandstone, and shale. The geology of the area is a Jurassic-Cretaceous marine sedimentary and volcanic rock, consisting mostly of sandstone, graywacke, shale, and chert with small local areas of 3 greenstone, schist, basalt, and related metamorphic rocks. Collectively the rock group is termed the Franciscan Formation. The area enjoys a Mediterranean climate with cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers. Annual precipitation averages between 20 to 60 inches falling as rain or snow during the winter months. Since most of the area is below 5,000 feet in elevation, there are few snow packs. The large, perennial watercourses include the Eel River and Black Butte River. Numerous small intermittent creeks and drainages flow into the Black Butte River and are primarily fed by ephemeral and perennial springs. Vegetation includes chaparral on the south and east facing lower elevations with mixed conifers and hardwoods in a majority of the area. Open glades contain abundant grasses and forbs. The vegetation is a mosaic of Douglas fir and pine (Pseudotsuga menziesii, Pinus ponderosa, P. lambertiana, Quercus chrysolepis, Q. kelloggii) and mixed conifer- pine (Pinus ponderosa, P. lambertiana, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Quercus chrysolepis) forest; canyon live oak (Q. chrysolepis), and black oak-madrone (Q. kelloggii, Arbutus menziesii) woodland; manzanita-shrub oak-chamise chaparral (Arctostaphylos spp., Q. wislezenii var. frutiscens, Q. berberidifolia, Adenostoma fasciculatum), and numerous stands of knobcone pine (P. attenuata). Riparian vegetation consists mainly of willow species with associated alder and cottonwood. Fauna include: black bear, black tail deer, mountain lion, bobcat, coyote, raccoon, grey squirrel, Beechey ground squirrel, golden mantle ground squirrel, chipmunk, jackrabbit, pygmy rabbit, cottontail rabbit, striped skunk, red fox, and numerous other rodents. Reptiles include various lizards and snakes. Amphibians include several species of frogs, salamanders, and newts. Raptors in the area include several owl species, including the northern spotted owl; the numerous species of hawks include red tail hawk, northern harrier, northern goshawk, and peregrine falcon; both golden eagle, and bald eagle finish the list of raptors. There are numerous birds, both permanent residents, and migratory. Historic accounts indicate the presence of grizzly bear, tule elk, and Roosevelt elk in the historic period. No fossil data is available to reconstruct the history of terrestrial and aquatic animal populations. Euro-American use of the area began shortly after the Gold Rush period in the early 1850’s. The introduction of cattle, sheep, goats, and hogs and resultant overgrazing, clearing for homesteads, road construction, and timber harvest within and around the project area modified the landscape. Overgrazing, burning practices, clearing brush, and introduction of exotic species of grass and other plants altered the forest and grassland ecosystems, degrading riparian areas and water resources, and increasing soil erosion. These trends began to be reversed with the creation of the Stony Creek Forest Reserve in 1907. Under Forest Service management, grazing levels were reduced and fires were suppressed, but timber harvest and road construction expanded during the 1920s and especially after World War II. Fire suppression further modified natural fire regimes. 4 Figure 1 – Vicinity Map 5 Figure 2 – Location Map 6 Prehistoric Period The North Coast Range is the home of numerous tribal groups. The Clear Lake Basin, to the southeast of the Black Butte Wild and Scenic River area, and its reliable resource base, made the area an important center of prehistoric activity. In 1938, research was restricted to the Paleo-Indian Period associated with the Borax Lake Site (CA-LAK-36). Early research was limited to pre- and proto-historic uses of the Borax Lake Site,
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