GeomorphIS Team to Conduct Encroachment Survey for USFS North Dakota

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Intermountain Region, has tasked GeomorphIS to conduct a Class I and Class III Cultural Resources Inventory and Damage Assessment in support of possible land encroachment in the Little Missouri National Grassland, McKenzie County, North Dakota. The team includes GeomorphIS, Hope Archaeology Inc. (HAI), and U.S. West Research (USWR). The team is tasked with identifying any cultural resources within the extent of the possible land encroachment on USFS managed lands; identifying the full extent of the possible encroachment; documenting the current conditions of any previously recorded or newly identified cultural resources and producing, or updating, relevant North Dakota Cultural Resources Survey Site Forms; documenting disturbance (impacts) to any cultural resources resulting from the possible encroachment; recommending determinations of eligibility for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places for cultural resources (to the extent possible); and producing an archaeological damage assessment.

WAPA-DSW Issues GeomorphIS a BPA Task Order for Cultural Survey in Arizona

The Western Area Power Administration (WAPA), Desert Southwest Region (DSW), issued GeomorphIS a task order, under our 5-year Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA), for a GeomorphIS-Harris Environmental Group team to conduct up to 7 types of cultural services in support of Evaluating Cultural Sites within WAPA’s ROW and access roads along the Sandario Pump to Del Bac (DLB) 115-kV Transmission Line in Pima County, Arizona. There is approximately 6.2 miles of intersecting access roads, 23.8 miles of transmission line, 21.3 miles of access road outside of the ROW, and 10 known sites that are eligible/considered eligible/not evaluated for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

GeomorphIS Team Conducts Cultural Survey on Lassen National Forest, California

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Lassen National Forest, has tasked a GeomorphIS-G2 Archaeology team to conduct background research, field survey, cultural resource identification and documentation, and report preparation for the Harvey Mountain Forest Resiliency Project, Lassen County California. This cultural resources study will be prepared in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (16 USC 470 et seq.), as amended and its implementing regulations at Title 36 Code of Federal Regulations Part 800 (36 CFR 800). The study will address the identification and treatment of any discovered cultural resources within the Harvey Central Project Area of Potential Effect (APE). As defined by Section 106, cultural resources can include historic or prehistoric sites, structures, buildings, districts, and objects, each of which is evaluated for its eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The Section 106 process mandates that foreseeable significant impacts to resources eligible for the NRHP must be mitigated. Cultural resources which have yet to receive a determination of eligibility are assumed and treated as eligible historic properties.

USFS Eldorado NF Contracts GeomorphIS to Conduct Caldor Fire Weed Survey

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Eldorado National Forest (ENF), contracted with a GeomorphIS/PBC team to conduct one season of invasive plant surveys and manual treatments for target species including ENF invasive species and state-listed Noxious Weeds within and adjacent to the Caldor Fire area along fire-suppression disturbances (e.g. fire lines, staging areas, spike camps, drop zones, etc.). The Caldor Fire BAER Invasive Plants Project Area includes approximately 140 miles of dozer constructed fire line, 94 miles of roadside fire line and fuel breaks, and 69 point locations (staging area, drop point, etc.). Total area for fireline surveys and treatment are ~1,981 acres and total area for point locations are ~36 acres. The project area consists of a mosaic of habitats, (on all aspects) including mostly ponderosa pine, sierran mixed conifer, montane hardwood, and chaparral. The Caldor Fire started August 14, 2021, and burned approximately 255,000 acres, of which approximately 216,000 acres occur on Eldorado National Forest lands within the Amador, Pacific, and Placerville Ranger Districts. This Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Early Detection Rapid Response (EDRR) Invasive Plant Survey and Treatment project facilitates the implementation of the Caldor Fire BAER Project, which includes surveys of fire suppression disturbances for new invasive plant infestations and manual treatment of small infestations. The results of these efforts will assist land managers in reducing the spread of invasive plants within and adjacent to the Caldor Fire area.

GeomorphIS Awarded Slickspot Peppergrass Survey Task by BLM-ID

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Jarbidge Field Office in Twin Falls, Idaho, tasked the GeomorphIS-Elliott Environmental Consulting team to conduct Special Status Plant (SSP) inventories for Lepidium papilliferum (slickspot peppergrass). The conservation of slickspot peppergrass, a federally listed Threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), is a high priority for the BLM-ID, Department of Fish and Game (IDFG), US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Idaho Army National Guard (IDARNG), and others. Slickspot peppergrass occurs in southwestern Idaho in sagebrush steppe habitats, which are also the focus of widespread conservation concern. Data collected about slickspot peppergrass and its habitats are critical for conservation and adaptive management of the species.