Laserfiche WebLink
3 <br />• Test Excavations at Previously Recorded Sites Along the P3 Haul Road <br />Six previously recorded sites along the present alignment of the P3 haul road were <br />recommended to be potentially eligible for the National Register (SLA6968, 7181, 7182, 7196, 7199, <br />7202; McKibbin et al. 1997; Appendix 2 table). Test excavations consisting of shovel probes and <br />test pits were employed at five of these sites (all except SLA7181) to assess their eligibility. Nearly <br />all of the probing was negative, and test pit results (at SLA7196) revealed only very sparse <br />subsurface cultural materials, at shallow depth. The testing did not indicate the presence of <br />significant buried cultural materials at any of the tested sites. The five tested sites are recommended <br />to be not eligible for the National Register. The sixth site, SLA7181, remains unevaluated. The <br />portions of the site that preserve some potential for significant cultural materials aze to the northwest <br />of the proposed P3 haul road, and can be avoided according to mine representatives. Cultural <br />resource clearance is recommended for the P3 haul road at this site, provided avoidance can be <br />confirmed or assured either through inspection of the final construction staking or installation of a <br />protective barrier. <br />Rl/R2 Haul Road <br />The Rl/R2 haul road was inventoried in 1996. Among twelve sites found in this survey <br />corridor, eleven have been recommended to be not eligible for the National Register and one, <br />SLA72008, is recommended to be potentially eligible. SLA7208 was test excavated in 1996 <br />(McKibbin et al. 1997:58). The azea within the site that contains potentially significant data is very <br />limited in extent and avoidable. Mine representatives indicated a preference for avoidance rather <br />than testing at this location. It is therefore recommended that construction disturbance for the <br />proposed Rl/R2 haul road be confined to areas on the southwest side of the existing two-track road <br />at this site, including all activities related to road building, maintenance, and stockpiling of excess <br />fill or topsoil. If all disturbances resulting from road construction, use, maintenance and materials <br />stockpiling aze kept within 200 feet of the existing two-track at this location, all activities will be <br />within the original survey corridor. The road will still cross a portion of the site, but this azea does <br />not contain data that could contribute to its eligibility as has been demonstrated by surface inspection <br />and test excavations (McKibbin et al. 1997:58, 129). Cultural resource clearance is recommended <br />for the RI/R2 haul road, provided the conditions of avoidance of SLA7208 can be met, and <br />confirmed, either through inspection of construction staking or installation of a protective barrier. <br />Test Excavations at the Proposed Load Out Facility <br />A transect of 16 Giddings auger probes was excavated in 1996 in one area of the proposed <br />load out facility (Appendix 1 map). This probe transect is located on the southeast side of the <br />Lorencito Canyon Road on the TI terrace tread of Lorencito Canyon Creek. This terrace preserves <br />up to several meters of alluvium believed to be less than 5000 yeazs old (McKibbin et al. 1997:87). <br />Surface visibility on this terrace has been extremely limited, as is the case in this particular spot. For <br />these reasons, the transect of probes was excavated to examine both the sediments and soils, and to <br />