Naval Air Weapons Station – China Lake
The Naval Air Facility in El Centro, California, in consultation with the San Diego NAVFAC contracting unit, has the responsibility of managing the sensitive, nonrenewable cultural resources on the base. To assist with fulfilling this mandate, UltraSystems identified cultural resource sites and isolates on more than 15,000 acres of Target Area 101 and the Superstition Hills. For the project, UltraSystems completed Phase I prehistoric and historic cultural resources surveys (archaeological sites and isolated artifacts) to comply with Section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1998. The field phase of the study began in April 2015, and the draft final report was completed in January 2016. A total of 116 cultural sites and 498 isolates were recorded, including FAR features, flaked stone stations, ceramic scatters, and historic artifact sites. Prior to field work, project maps and notes were stored on shock- and dust-proof, water resistant Apple iPad tablets, which digitally integrated site documentation with GIS software and Microsoft Word versions of the CA DPR 523 series forms. Using this virtual technology, each resource required only a few seconds to catalog and process. Raw data and completed site forms were then remotely transmitted to UltraSystems servers for immediate processing and incorporation into the draft report. The deliverables for the project include a Phase 1 Site Survey Report, archival research on prior site surveys and site records, and an inventory of isolates and cultural sites.
