PTC - Kittitas Valley Event Center - Franchise F488501KVE1

Home Browse Search

Page 12 of 16 Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail Franchise # F488501KVE1 o Old abandoned industrial materials from farming, logging, railways, lighthouses, and military installations. • Activity Area/Cultural Features- While excavating trench lines look for evidence of buried activity areas/cultural features such as old campfire hearths or buried artifacts. o An area of charcoal or very dark stained soil with artifacts or burned rocks may be a fire hearth. o A concentration of shell with or without artifacts may be shell midden deposits. o Modified or stripped trees, often cedar or aspen, or other modified natural features, such as rock drawings or carvings • Historic building foundation/structural remains- During excavation, buried historic structures (e.g., privies, building foundations) that are more than 50 years old may be found. • Bone- Complete or broken pieces of bone may be discovered exposed in trench walls or in back dirt piles. Bone can come from either animal remains or human remains and requires a trained professional to identify. If you find bone, notify the WSPRC archaeologist immediately and follow their directions. Steps to Take If a Cultural Resource Is Found During Construction 1. Stop if a cultural resource(s) is observed or suspected, all work within the immediate area of the discovery must stop. 2. Protect the area from further disturbance. Do not touch, move, or further disturb the exposed materials/artifacts. Create a protected area with temporary fencing, flagging, stakes, or other clear markings that is large enough (30 feet or larger) to protect the discovery location area. The WSPRC archaeologist can help determine the size of the protected area. Do not permit vehicles, equipment, or unauthorized personnel to traverse the discovery site. 3. Notify the WSPRC archaeologist. If the area needs to be secured, notify the Park Ranger or Park staff as well. 4. If requested by the WSPRC archaeologist, take photographs with a scale (e.g., pen, coin, etc.) and collect geospatial information of the discovery site to document the initial finds. What Not to Do If a Cultural Resource Is Found During Construction • Do not remove any artifacts from the site of the discovery. • Do not dig out objects protruding from any trench walls as this may cause further damage to artifacts and/or destroy important contextual information. • Do not share any information about the find, including on social media, except as necessary to implement the IDP. What Happens Next? 1. The find will be assessed by a professional archaeologist (may be a WSPRC archaeologist or an archaeology consultant). a. If the find is not a cultural resource, construction work may resume. b. If the find is a cultural resource, the WSPRC archaeologist will contact the DAHP and affected Tribes, as appropriate, to develop a suitable treatment plan for the resource.