Human Systems Research
Human Systems Research
Human Systems Research
Human Systems Research
Human Systems Research
Human Systems Research
Human Systems Research

HSR staff has conducted reconnaissance and sample surveys in New Mexico and Texas to obtain preliminary data and to collect comparative data for environmental assessments and impact statements. Projects have included a reconnaissance study of the archaeological and related resources of the lower Puerco and Salado drainages in central New Mexico for the Albuquerque District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and an archaeological reconnaissance in selected areas of the northern Pecos plains for the BLM Roswell District.

A series of sample inventory surveys were conducted in the Northern, Central, and Southern San Andres Mountains on White Sands Missile Range between 1988 and 1995. The surveys were designed and implemented to comply with Section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (as amended). The basic goal was to sample archaeologically undocumented regions in order to begin to understand the nature and extent of cultural properties within the range. The project areas were stratified based on 8 environmental zones. The number of survey units in each zone was determined not by the relative percentage of that zone within the project area but by the percentage of land that each zone covers within White Sands Missile Range. A total of 11,862 acres were surveyed and 140 sites and 267 Isolated Occurrences were recorded. An innovative system to determine site significance in a quantifiable fashion was utilized to evaluate and rank sites. The method utilizes a point system based on the variability of site features, the depth of site deposits, and the associated artifacts.

Between November 1996 and April 1997, HSR conducted a sample inventory of 5,256 acres on portions of White Sands Missile Range. This project was designed to sample all exposed surfaces on which Paleoindian materials might be found within the range. Existing data layers from the Geographic Information System (GIS) developed by the National Range Directorate of Environment and Safety were utilized to develop stratified sample. Data on Paleoindian behavior from known sites on WSMR and elsewhere enhanced the sample selection. Additionally, specific areas were targeted for inventory that represents Pleistocene lake shorelines and ancient drainages.

A major component of this undertaking was to synthesize existing Paleoenvironmental data to produce a geographic representation of the Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene environs of WSMR. These data were then compared with existing Paleoindian data and those collected during this project to evaluate models of Paleoindian occupation in the region. The results of this analysis provide a springboard from which more rigorous testing may be premised to gain a better understanding of Paleoindian adaptations to the region.

• Class I Assessments/Literature Reviews   • Class II Reconnaissance and Sample Surveys   • Class III Intensive Surveys
• Evaluation and National Register Nomination   • Archaeological Testing   • Monitoring   • Data Recovery
• Office and Field Support   • Special Synthetic Projects   • Cultural Resource Documentation, Repair or Preservation   • Oral History

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