Population density continues to increase and communities need to develop and expand to meet the needs of their citizens. Applied EarthWorks provides services to cities, counties, and private developers to facilitate growth that is sensitive to cultural resources. As part of the planning process, the company has assisted in the preparation of general plans, conducted historic building surveys, and performed studies in support of Environmental Impact Reports. In addition, Applied EarthWorks has completed numerous investigations in support of upgrades to water and sewer systems, airport facilities, communications systems, hospitals, and other community infrastructure.
Representative Projects
City of Albany Cultural resource services
City of Albany
Linn and Benton Counties, Oregon
Since 2005, Æ has provided the City of Albany with cultural resource services, under both stand-alone contracts and under a Master Services Agreement in place since 2009. Multiple studies that span the spectrum of cultural resource services have been completed under this contract, which totals more than $260,000. Æ’s responsive, well-qualified staff; thorough understanding of federal, state, and local regulations, and cost-effective stewardship of project funds has facilitated on-time completion of critical-path support studies supporting City projects.
Among the studies completed to date are surface surveys for waterlines and sewer lines; buried site testing for two waterlines; monitoring for a fish enhancement project along the Calapooia River; and several projects testing site NRHP eligibility. In addition, after the unanticipated discovery of an archaeological site during monitoring of a sewer line installation, Æ quickly mobilized to complete the requisite NRHP eligibility testing, minimizing construction delay and meeting regulatory requirements. All projects included background research at the Oregon SHPO, fieldwork, and preparation of reports of findings. NRHP eligibility testing projects conducted on behalf of the City of Albany also included Native American consultation as part of state archaeological permit applications; laboratory sorting; technical analyses; and collection curation. Most of these efforts were done in compliance with NHPA Section 106, for which the US Army Corps of Engineers was the lead federal agency.
Key Services
Archaeological Field Surveys
Testing and Evaluation for National Register Eligibility
Construction Monitoring and Emergency Archaeology
Laboratory Processing and Data Analysis
Native American Consultation and Coordination
Cultural Resources Overviews
Archival and Historical Research
Geomorphology and Geoarchaeology
Collections Management
Santa Barbara Municipal airport expansion
City of Santa Barbara Airport
Santa Barbara, California
Æ has provided cultural resource services to the City of Santa Barbara Airport since 1999, completing more than a dozen projects spanning the spectrum of management tasks and totaling more than $380,000. Among these projects are Phase 1 and Extended Phase 1 studies; testing to refine site boundaries and assess site significance (for the Las Vegas Creek Restoration and Airfield Safety projects); data recovery for the Fairview Overcrossing, Las Vegas Creek Restoration, and Infrastructure Improvement projects; and reworking the master Airport Phase 1 study to update background information, create GIS layers as planning tools, and reformulate earlier recommendations into a programmatic approach—consistent with the City’s Master Environmental Assessment—for managing Airport archaeological resources.
For the Infrastructure Improvement project near the edge of the Goleta Slough, an important, 3,500-year-old archaeological site was identified within the proposed disturbance zone. Æ worked closely with the Airport to craft a cost-effective, schedule-saving strategy satisfying both regulatory requirements and professional standards. Anticipating that intact cultural deposits would be present under existing roadways, Æ developed a detailed monitoring and treatment plan specifying archaeological requirements for various types of deposit. Monitoring identified areas for subsequent data recovery, minimizing construction delays. The investigation revealed two periods of site use: an earlier deposit abandoned abruptly at the time of a major environmental shift, and a more recent hunting camp deposit used during a period of significant cultural change.
Key Services
Archaeological Field Surveys
Testing and Evaluation for National Register Eligibility
Data-Recovery Excavation and Mitigation
Construction Monitoring and Emergency Archaeology
Laboratory Processing and Data Analysis
Historic Properties Treatment Plan
Native American Consultation and Coordination
Cultural Resources Overviews
Archival and Historical Research
Geomorphology and Geoarchaeology
Collections Management
Jet Propulsion Laboratory Cultural Resources management PROJECTS
Tetra Tech
Los Angeles County, California
Æ completed cultural resource management services for several projects at NASA's (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) between 2013 to 2015. Cultural services included archaeological monitoring of the West Arroyo Parking Structure and Atomic Clock Antenna and Equipment Pad projects, and a historic building survey of the Space Flight Operations Facility (SFOF; Building 230). Due to the facility’s proximity to the Arroyo Seco, the Project was considered highly sensitive for archaeological resources and archaeological monitoring was conducted during construction of a parking structure.
Following archaeological monitoring, the Space Flight Operations Facility, which was was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985, was subject to a Historic American Building Survey/Historic American Engineering Record Level II documentation, prior to a remodel of the third floor. Æ prepared HAER Level II documentation in support of this project. Large format photographs were taken of all significant interior spaces and as-built drawings were reproduced to document the construction history of the building.
The Space Flight Operations Facility was constructed as the focal point of the Deep Space Network. The SFOF is significant because it is the hub of the vast communications network through which NASA controls its unmanned spacecraft operating in deep space. Commands that control spacecraft flying millions of miles from Earth are sent from the Network Control Center in the SFOF. Scientific and engineering data generated by unmanned spacecraft are transmitted to the SFOF. Inasmuch as the JPL is NASA’s primary center for the unmanned exploration of the planets, the SFOF is the center of JPL. JPL is owned by NASA, but is administered by the California Institute of Technology.
KEY SERVICES
Archaeological Field Surveys
HAER Level II Documentation
Construction Monitoring
Native American Consultation and Coordination
Archival and Historical Research