Você está na página 1de 24

Wildfires and the Protection and

Rehabilitation of Heritage Sites


in Southern California

By Richard Ciolek-Torrello and Michael K. Lerch


Statistical Research, Inc.

Paper Presented at the 12th US/ICOMOS International


Symposium—Preservation in Peril
New Orleans
March 12, 2009
Fire Storm in the San Bernardino Mountains
October 2003
Mojave Desert

Transverse Ranges Major Environmental


Zones and Mountain
Ranges of
Peninsular Southern California
Ranges
Coastal
Plain
Ranching, Logging and Mining
in the San Bernardino Mountains

Holcomb Valley Gold Miners


Federal and State Land
Management Agencies

• San Bernardino National Forest


(SBNF)
• Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
• California Department of Forestry
and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)
Bedrock mortars, Pan Hot Springs

Watch tower, Talgatov Fox Farm


Historic gold mining town of Belleville Pan Hot Springs
(1860-64), Holcomb Valley
Preservation Actions

• Inventory and identification


• Protection prior to the outbreak of fires
• Response to damage by fire and fire-
related activities
– Evaluation of damage to sites
– Stabilization and protection of sites
from erosion and recreation
Pan Hot Springs
Balanced Rock Survey
• Refuse Deposits
• Historic Roads
• Mining-related features
• Habitation sites
• Prehistoric Camps
Bonita Vista and
Garner Valley Fuels
Management Area
Projects

Site Survey and


Recording
Site stabilization following the
Willow Fire
Site Evaluation

Monitoring
BAER Crews
The “Old Fire”
Crosses the Rim
of the World
Highway
Contingency fire-control line bulldozed
through Pan Hot Springs Site
Evaluating damage
at the Pan Hot
Springs Site
Sierra Ancha Fire Analysis
Sierra Ancha Fire Analysis Study
• Prepared regional overview:
– To assess potential for presence of fire sensitive
heritage resources;
– Analyzed records from a total of 798 archaeological
sites and 342 archaeological survey and excavation
projects encompassing an area of almost 194,000
acres;
– Gathered information on hundreds of unrecorded
historical period site locations.
• Conducted pedestrian surveys:
– To determine presence of fire sensitive resources in
targeted areas suggested by overview.
• Conducted GIS-study
– To depict confirmed locations of fire sensitive
resources and possible locations of other resources
Al Rose Cabin, last
surviving structure from the
Pleasant Valley War,
burned down by lightning
strike, August 1998, during
Sierra Ancha Fire Analysis
study.
CALFIRE Archaeology Program
• Identified 166 archaeological sites and 29
historical buildings on properties under
CALFIRE jurisdiction;
• Developed program to manage and protect
these heritage resources;
• Provides archaeological training to CAL FIRE
staff, Registered Professional Foresters, fire-
fighters, and resource professionals working in
the private sector;
• Trains staff and contract archaeologists to work
with fire fighters to protect heritage resources
during fire-fighting activities.
Conclusions
• Collect existing available data to develop detailed
and comprehensive overviews of heritage
resources;
• Identify those that are especially sensitive to fire
damage;
• Develop measures to protect fire sensitive
resources;
• Provide locational maps of heritage resources to
fire-fighting personnel when incidents occur;
• Cross-train fire-fighters to recognize and avoid
archaeological sites;
• When damage cannot be avoided, develop
measures for evaluation and stabilization;
• Also, deal with archaeological sites that might be
impacted by stabilization or rehabilitation efforts.

Você também pode gostar