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4 • border, Stuart and Gauthier (1981) provide a summary of New Mexican prehistory, divided regionally and including a section on Northeastern New Mexico. Expectations Other projects in the azea indicated good potential for discovery of aboriginal azchaeologi- cal resources. Prehistoric site location seemed to favor locations low on the valley sides of the Picketwire Valley and its major tributaries, but sites have been found in most environmental settings. Sites were expected to be Archaic or younger in age, with a preponderance of Late Prehistoric materials. Structural sites were expected, as were a few sites with prehistoric ceramics. Site..frequency in the uplands was not expected to be high, primarily because of vegetation cover and the general north-facing aspect of the project azea, being located on the south side of the Picketwire Valley. Historic sites were expected to be uncommon, with the possible exception of evidence of ranching. No mining sites were expected. Sites related to the Hispanic settlements of the Picketwire Valley were considered a possibility. PART II PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF A CULTURAL RE- SOURCE INVENTORY OF THE LORENCITO CANYON MINE PROJECT AREA Overview • Field inventory of specific development aeeas within the Lorencito Canyon Mine project area was conducted in the first three weeks of August, 1996, and November 4-13, 1996. Inventory was directed at areas slated for development in the first five yeaz period of mine operation. Areas that will be impacted as soon as the summer of 1997 have been given priority in the investigations. There have been changes in the development plan over the course of field work, so there aze areas that have been surveyed that are now not part of the current development plan, and aeeas that aze new to the development plan that have not yet been surveyed. Other investigations that have been started include a geoazchaeological study of Holocene deposits (LaRamie Soils Service, Laramie, Wyoming), a petrographic analysis of rock samples from SLA6981 (Jim Miller, Laramie, Wyoming), and a short interview with Robert Parsons whose family is a previous owner of the property. Native American consultation is also underway. Inventory Areas A 100% surface inventory for cultural resources has been completed for many of the aeeas slated for disturbance over the course of the first five yeaz plan of development of the Lorencito Canyon Mine. A full report on this inventory, prepared to OAHP guidelines, is in prepazation at this time (see Part III). A list of specific development areas and facilities that have been or will be inventoried follows. A map in Appendix A shows the locations of these aeeas. Where known, the proposed time of development is shown in italics. ' • Surface Mine: The surface mine covers an azea of about 1080 acres and is located at elevations above 7000 feet in the uplands bounded by the Picketwire Valley to the north, Lorencito