Project: Celebration Community Fellowship

Where: Near Auburn, California

Overview

A small community congregation purchased a piece of land to build a new church. The archeologically sensitive site includes pre-historic, historic and modern artifacts and multiple disturbances—such as looting, road construction and flooding— that mixed the artifacts together over time. In order to begin construction, the client needed to determine what artifacts exist at the site, navigate through state and federal regulatory requirements and develop a monitoring and treatment plan for the construction phase. GeoEngineers’ experience in the area, knowledge of artifact assemblage and familiarity with local Native American groups enabled us to help the congregation move forward with its important project and meet the expectations of local stakeholders.

Approach

Despite the site disturbances, GeoEngineers successfully completed a full survey and excavation plan. The project team accurately assessed the cultural significance and sensitivity of the area by:

• Studying historic maps and learning the property was bordered by homes in the 1800s
• Searching archeological archives for historic activity in the area
• Completing a topographic study to eliminate areas of known disturbance, such as flooding
• Creating a grid and mapping out dig sites

Results

• Uncovered sensitive materials, projectile points (arrowheads), and historic glass beads
• Guided client through difficult permitting process
• Met United States Army Corps of Engineers and the California Environmental Quality Act regulations

Facts

• Construction is scheduled to begin in the Spring 2010
• Lead GeoEngineers office: Sacramento, CA