A Class III Reconnaissance of Improvements to U12P Portal at Rainier Mesa, Nevada Test Site, Nye County, Nevada. Shrot Report

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DESERT RESEARCH INSTITUTE CULTURAL RESOURCES RECONNAISSANCE PROJECT: Class III Reconnaissance of Improvements to U12p Portal at Rainier Mesa, Nevada Test Site, Nye County, Nevada. GEOGRAPHIC AND NTS AREA EXAMINED: Rainier Mesa, Area 12. MAP REFERENCES: U.S.G.S. Rainier Mesa 7.5' Topographic Quad, Nye DATES OF FIELD RECONNAISSANCE: October 24 and 26, 1983 and PERSONNEL: Gregory Henton, Brantley Jackson, Steven James, Vera Morgan, The Department of Energy proposes to improve the portal facilities at and access road to U12p Portal. The improvements include the following: 1) widening the portal landing, 2) realigning and widening the access road, 3) filling a narrow valley with fill from the tunnel construction, 4) constructing an electrical power line to the site, and 5) building a field office. The widening of the landing involves both cutting into the existing hillside and filling around the existing landing. The road improvements involve widening and realigning the road within a 100 foot wide right-of-way. Some of the sharper curves will be straightened. The valley below the portal will be used to deposit tunnel debris. Power will be brought to the site via a high voltage pole line located for the most part in the 100 foot road right-of-way. A short segment of power line right-of-way diverges from the road right-of-way near the portal (see Map 1). Finally, the field office or communication center will be constructed on the opposite side of the small valley from the portal in a cut in the BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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BEST AVAILABLE COPY Ul2p Portal Improvement Facitities Project USGS Rainer Mesa, Nev. 7V Quadrangle 1961 BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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BEST AVAILABLE COPY hillside. The approximate area of ground disturbance is 1100 ares. The road right-of-way is approximately 2.3 km long and the power line rightPREVIOUS CULTURAL RESOURCE STUDIES IN THE AREA: During the ISSO's, Margret Long (1950) made several trips into the Yucca Flat area, just south of Rainier Mesa, in search of the routes followed by the famous Forty-niner parties (Pippin and Zerga 1980:51-54). Similarly, S.M. Wheeler (1940) visited Whiterock Spring, Oak Spring Butte, and Captain Jack Cave during one of his many field trips through southern Nevada and provided general descriptions of the cultural resources at those locations. Beginning in the early 1960's, Frederick Worman began working in the area. In 1962, he excavated two rock shelters on Rainier Mesa, and in 1964, he and Charles Rozair examined the "old shore line" of Yucca Lake (Worman 1966: 13). It was not until the Desert Research Institute (DRI), at the request of the Nevada Test Site Support Office (NTSSO), initiated preconstruction surveys in 1982 was this area again examined for cultural resources. Three of these preconstruction surveys are pertinent to this project. Two of these surveys were conducted on the top of Rainier Mesa by Ronald Reno in 1982. These surveys indicated that relatively complex sites, often including the remains of aboriginal structures, are found on the mesa top. This contrasts sharply with the archeological remains found immediately in Yucca Flat to the south, which often consists of isolated artifacts, or large low density lithic scatters (Reno n.d., Reno 1982a, Reno 1982b). The final preconstruction survey involved the inspection of BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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BEST AVAILABLE COPY a communications line from Area 12 Camp to U12t Portal in December of 1983. Two relatively complex but low density sites were found along the communication alignment which is located near and is similar to the pro U12p Portal is located in a relatively narrow canyon well below the rim of Rainier Mesa. The ground slope in the project area ranges from about 5 degrees to about 40 degrees. The colluvial and alluvial substrate is a combination of sand silt and tuff cobbles of various sizes. The access road runs down this canyon to a small alluvial fan at the mouth. Plants observed at the portal vicinity were characteristic of a sagebrush vegetation community (Beatley 1976:58) and included. Artemisia tridentata, Juniperus osteosperma and Pinus monophy11a. Vegetation at the fan was transitional between a sagebrush community and a blackbrush community. Plants observed here included Artemisia tridentata, Atriplex Canescens, Coleogyne ramosissima, Chry sothamnus sp., Ephedra ne vad ensis, Stipa sp. and Bromus tectorum. The nearest permanent water source occurs at Whiterock Springs, approximately 3.5 km south-south-east of the portal. Elevation ranges from 5200 feet to 5700 feet and exposure is generally to BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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BEST AVAILABLE COPY All areas which were likely to be disturbed by the various proposed activities were inspected for archaeological sites. The construction sites and fill areas were inspected using transects approximately 10 to 15 meters apart. The 100 foot road right-of-way was inspected by walking a transect parallel to the existing road and spaced 15 meters from the edge on either side of the road. The power line right-of-way was inspected where it diverged from the road right-of-way by walking two transects parallel to the center line 7 meters to either side. The reconnaissance was limited to a surface inspection only, and the ground visibility for the reconnaissance was good. IDENTIFIED CULTURAL RESOURCES: Four prehistoric archeological sites were recorded during the these sites were isolated artifacts. Site 26Ny3926 was a modified flake or preform made of yellowish chert. Site 26Ny3927 was a white chert core or core tool. Site S011784RR1 was an obsidian flake and Site S011784RR2 was a white chert core reduction flake (Map 2). All of these isolates were collected at the time they were recorded in keeping with State of Nevada-BLM policy (BLM 1982). SITE EVALUATION AND STATEMENTS OF SIGNIFICANCE: Since all of the recorded sites were collected, they no longer possess integrity of setting and are therefore not significant under 36 BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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BEST AVAILABLE COPY USGS Rainier Mesa, Nev. ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE LOCATIONS BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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BEST AVAILABLE COPY ASSESSMENTS OF IMPACTS: Since the sites have been collected, the proposed activities will have no adverse effects on them. . RECOMMENDED PROCEDURES FOR THE PROTECTION OF CULTURAL RESOURCES: In view of the above, no recommendations are necessary. 1976 Vascular Plants of the Nevada Test Site and Central-Southern Nevada: Ecologic and Geographic Distributions. U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration, Technical Information Bureau of Land Management 1982 Cultural Resources Survey: General Guidelines. Reno, Nevada. 1983 Class II Reconnaissance of Portions of the Direct Bury Optic Fiber Communications Line in Yucca Flat. Desert Research Institute Cultural Resource Reconnaissance Short Report 1950 The Shadow of the Arrow. Caxton Printers, Ltd., Caldwell. 1981 Cultural Resources Overview for the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations, Nevada Test Site, Nye County, Nevada. Desert Research Institute, Social Sciences Center Publication No. 24. 1982a LANL Ground Motion Study. Desert Research Institute Cultural Resources Reconnaissance Short Report 072782-1. . 1982b Class III Cultural Reconnaissance and Partial Mitigation of Drill Pad GZ04, a Barrow Pit and Access Road above U12T Tunnel. Desert Research Institute Cultural Resources Reconnaissance n.d. An Archaeological Reconnaissance of Yucca Flat, Nye County, Nevada. In preparation. BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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BEST AVAILABLE COPY 1940 Preliminary Report of Reconnaissance in the Forty-Mile Canyon Area. Unpublished ms. on file, Nevada State Museum, Carson 1966 The Current Status of Archeology at the Nevada Test Site and Nuclear Rocket Development Station. Los Alamos Scientific Prepared by: Approved by: BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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DESERT RESEARCH INSTITUTE Site Inventory Form BEST AVAILABLE COPY 9. Access/Location 12-01 road north to end at Ul2p Portal___________________________ bifacial thinning flake ; Description Bifacially modified tan opalite 13. Nature of Boundaries, n/a__________________ 14. Disturbance None______________ 15. Artifact Assemblage (a) Sample Method and Size transects at 30 meter intervals foiiowec by haphazard wandering in vicinity (b) Description Bifacially modifier; t-*n side largely unmodified. Bulb of force is present. 16. Collected Materials one flake described above 17. Vegetation See vegetation sheet 20. Slope of Site 14 21. Exposure Direction 260<> 22. Substrate and Bedrock Large and small welded tuff cobbles 23. Nearest Water Whiterock Spring 3.6'km SE 152°___________ 24. Observed Resources Rinyon, juniper, other edible plants, rabbit and deer scat 25. Owner Department of Energy___________ 26. Address Mercury, NV 28. Recorded by Henton, Morgan 29. Date October 24, 1983 30. Attachments/References Vegetation sheet, location mapj / Reported in SR102683-1 reference number log / BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE CONTINUATION SHEET, VEGETATION BEST AVAILABLE COPY P-G Bromus tectorum abundant along road c Chrysothamnus nauseosis increases in C-A Cowania mexicana abundant in drainage BEST AVAILAPI^J^KbatT increases in drainages

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BEST AVAILABLE COPY REFERENCE NUMBER LOG 1 Surface GH&VM 10/24/83 modified flake BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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Site Inventory Form BEST AVAILABLE COPY 7. Map Rainer Mesa, Nev. 7%' USGS Quad. 1961 9. Access/Locat*} on 12-01 road north -to end at Ul2p Portal 10. Site Type Isoiate ; Description white opalite core bulldozed area nearby 15. Artifact Assemblage'(a) Sample Method and Size 30 meter intervals followed by hap hazard wandering in vicinity______ (b) Description White opalite bifacial core r with step fracture terminations at faults 16. Collected Materials core 17. Vegetation see vegetation sheet 22. Substrate and Bedrodc welded tuff cobbles and boulders on alluvium 2A. Observed Resources Pinyon, juniper, other edible plants, rabbit and deer scat 25. Owner Department of Energy____ 26. Address Mercury, NV______________ 23. Rfecorded by Morgan, Jackson, Henton, James 29-. Date October 26, 1983 30. Attachments/References vegetation sheet, location map. / Reported in SR102683-1 BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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BEST AVAILABLE COPY c Atripi ex canescens A Bromus tagtaraa triniii linearifolius Hymenoclea salsola SPP.Calphabetic order): sagebrush, cheatorass, ephedra many dada pinyon and juniper' ---------- BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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BEST AVAILABLE COPY DESERT RESEARCH INSTITUTE Sire Invenrory Form 1. Project r?i?n 2. Permanent Site No. _______________ 3. State _______ 4. County mvp__________ 5. Temporary Site No. gmiTRawB? From Area 12 Camp', proceed east 6500* on Rainier Mesa Road to 9. Access/Location the North Rainier Mesa Road turn off.__ Turn north, and PiQCSefl 8500* to the 12-01 road turn off. Proceed north 3000’. The site is on the west side of the road at a distance of 10!.----------------------------------------------------- 10. Site Type Isolate_______________ ; Description One white chert core reduction--- 13. Nature of Boundaries. m/a 14. Disturbance mad 15. Artifact Assemblage (a) Sample Method and Size m/a 16. Collected Materials i uhjta rn^rt finkp 28. Recorded by Reno and Henton 29. Date 1/17/84 30. Attachments/References Veaetation Sheet, Location Mao _______________________ BEST AVAILABLE COPY

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DESERT RESEARCH INSTITUTE Site Inventory Form BEST AVAILABLE COPY 7. Map Rainier Mesa 7.5’ Quad 8. Elevation 5420* 9. AcceSS/LocatlOn From Area 12 Cann, proceed east 6500' on Rainier Mesa Road to the North Rainier Mesa Road turn off. Turn north and proceed 8500' to the 12-01 Road turn off. Proceed north on this road 7500'. The site is located in a relatively steep drainage 200 feet to the west. 10. Site Type Isolate________________ ; Description l Obsidian Primary flak.e of black and red obsidian. 15. Artifact Assemblage (a) Sample Method and Size n/a_________________ 16. Collected Materials i obsidian flake 18. Landform On small terrace above a narrow drainage in canvon on edge or Rainier Mesa. 22. Substrate and Bedrock _ Alluvium 23. Nearest Water White Rock spring, 3.5 km 150°T___________________________________ 25. Owner DOE 26. Address Mercury Nevada 28. Recorded by Henton and Reno 29. Date 1/17/34_________________ BEST available Copy