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CFR 60.4 establishes the measure of significance that is critical to the determination of a <br />site's NRHP eligibility, which is used to assess a site's research potential: <br />The quality of significance in American history, architecture, archaeology, and culture <br />is present in districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects of State and local <br />importance that possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, <br />feeling, and association, and a) that are associated with events that have made a <br />significant contribution to the broad patterns of history; or b) that are associated with <br />the lives of persons significant in our past; or c) that embody the distinctive <br />characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the work <br />of a master, or that possess high artistic values, or that represent a significant and <br />distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction; or d) that <br />have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history. <br />Field Methods <br />A 100 percent, intensive (Class III) cultural resource survey of the study area, which <br />encompassed a 40 -acre block, was conducted by two archaeologists walking parallel transects <br />spaced at 15 meter intervals. Crew members worked from USGS 7.5 minute series maps. <br />Roughly half of the inventory area has been previously disturbed by historic dredge mining <br />but was included in the survey since the mine itself is a cultural resource. There were no <br />limitations to the pedestrian inspection. <br />Cultural resources were sought as surface exposures and were characterized as sites or <br />isolated finds. A site is the locus of previous (50 year minimum) human activity at which the <br />preponderance of the evidence suggests either one time diagnostically interpretable use or <br />repeated use over time, or multiple classes of activities. For example: a) Isolated thermal <br />features such as hearths are to be designated as sites, even though they may represent a single <br />event, due to the interpretable function of such utilization and the potential for chronometric <br />and economic data recovery; b) Single rock art panels are to be designated as sites due to the <br />interpretable nature of such an event and the potential diagnostic value of the motif; c) <br />Isolated human burials; or d) Loci exhibiting ground stone and flaked stone in association. <br />An isolate refers to one or more culturally modified objects not found in the context <br />of a site as defined above. Note that this definition makes no reference to an absolute <br />quantitative standard for the site isolate distinction. For example: a) A discrete concentration <br />of flakes from the same material regardless of the number of artifacts present likely <br />represents a single, random event and is properly designated as an isolate; or b) A ceramic <br />pot bust is to be recorded as an isolate, regardless of the number of sherds that remain. <br />All cultural resources that qualify as sites, such as prehistoric open camps, lithic <br />scatters, occupied overhangs /rock shelters, and evidence of historic occupation, were <br />13 <br />