2023-07-24_PERMIT FILE - C1981019

Home Browse Search

Cultural Resource Re-Visitation Form Resource Number: 5MF.969 Temporary Resource Number: Page 3 of 3 17. Site Description/Update: Site 5MF.969 was originally recorded in 1980 as a prehistoric kill site with artifacts and features by the BLM for a Class II sampling survey for Utah International coal lease. The site originally consisted of two bison bones – a left distal fragment of a humerus and a complete left femur. Damaged portions on the bones are indicative of Paleoindian butchering patterns. No other artifacts were located. Since the original recording, the site has been revisited five additional times. It was revisited in 1981 by the BLM, in 1983 by the BLM and Mariah Associates Inc. for a Class III survey for the Utah International coal lease, in 1995 by the BLM and Metcalf Archaeological Consultants for the Colowyo Coal Company Lease and Exploration Areas: Class III Cultural Resource Inventory project, in 2005 by TRC for the Collom Mine Expansion Class III Inventory project, and in 2015 by Tetra Tech for the Collom Mine Expansion Site Assessment project. The only reported major change was during the 2005 revisit, when groundstone artifacts were observed during wall scraping along the arroyo banks that had not previously been documented. In 2015, Tetra Tech revisited the site as part of the ongoing Collom Mine Expansion Site Assessment project. No major changes in condition were observed at the site. The landscape was unchanged with minor natural erosion occurring along the arroyo walls. The BLM and Mariah Associates’ datums were not found. The 2005 groundstone artifacts were found in a subsurface context and were likely reburied due to continued erosion of the arroyo banks. No other artifacts or features were observed; however, the site has been visited multiple times over the past 30 years and has had multiple surface collections take place. The UTM coordinates for the original datum did not conform to the site form pictures, plan view map, and landform and features descriptions on the site form. A new site boundary was taken to update the locational information for the site. In 2019, Tetra Tech revisited the site as part of the second round of assessments. The site had not been adversely affected by mining activities. No artifacts or features were observed in 2019. The site had been significantly impacted by natural erosion that had impacted site integrity. A significant potential exists that all previously identified cultural material has been either reburied or washed downslope since 2015. The natural impacts had not yet reached the level of an adverse impact. Tetra Tech recommended that mining activities continue to avoid the site until further assessment. In 2023, Tetra Tech revisited the site as part of the third round of assessments. The site has not been adversely affected by mining activities. No artifacts or features were observed in 2023. The site has been previously impacted by natural erosion that has degraded site integrity. A significant potential exists that all previously identified cultural material has been either reburied or washed downslope since 2015. The natural erosion processes at the site do not appear to have been significant since the 2019 visit. Tetra Tech recommends that mining activities continue to avoid the site until further assessment is completed to fully evaluated the site’s NRHP eligibility. 18. Photograph Numbers: 117-8108007:103-0286 Digital files at: Tetra Tech, Salt Lake City 19. Artifact and Field Documentation Storage Location: Tetra Tech, Salt Lake City 20. Report Title: Cultural Resource Site Assessments in 2023 for Colowyo Coal Company’s Collom Project, Moffat County, Colorado 21. Recorder(s): B. Karpinski, E. Shikrallah Date: 5/17/2023 22. Recorder Affiliation: Tetra Tech Phone Number/Email: (801)-364-1065/beth.karpinski@tetratech.com Note: Please attach a sketch map, a photocopy of the USGS quad. map indicating resource location, and photographs. History Colorado – Office of Archaeology & Historic Preservation 1200 Broadway, Denver, CO 80203 303-866-3395