MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST WORK

I WORKED ON THE MENDOCINO FOREST FOR ABOUT 6 YEARS SUPERVISING A CREW THROUGHOUT THREE DISTRICTS. WE HAD PROJECTS INVOLVING SURVEYING OVER 6000 AC PER PROJECT. IN ORDER TO ACOMPLISH THIS I HAD TO DO PREFIELD PLANNING AS TO DETRERMINE THE POSSIBLE LOCATIONS OF WHERE SITES WOULD BE LOCATED. WE DID LIBRARY RESEARCH, AERIAL PHOTO INTERPRETATION, AND INTERVIEWS WITH SENIORS BOTH ON OUR TEAM AND IN THE NEIGHBORING TOWNS.

WE PREPARED MAPS WITH LOW, MEDIUM, AND HIGH SENSITIVITY AREAS FOR LOCATING BOTH HISTORIC AND PREHISTORIC SITES. AS IT TURNED OUT WE WERE HIRED AFTER A 18,000 ACRE FIRE AND WE COULD SEE THE GROUND VERY WELL FOR PREHISTORIC ARTIFACTS. UNBELIEVABLY WE FOUND MORE PREHISTORIC SITES THAN WE HAD PREDICTED. WE FOUND A NUMBER OF CHERT QUARRIES. SINCE THERE WAS LITTLE TREE COVER IT WAS A DEFINITELY HOT SUMMER AND FALL. WE HAD TO DRAW MAPS OF THE SITES, PHOTOGRAPH THEM, NOTE THE VEGETATION IN THE AREA, AND DESCRIBE WHAT TYPE OF SITE IT WAS. WE DREW ANY TYPES OF PROJECTILE POINTS AND OTHER GROUND STONE TOOLS. WE DID NOT COLLECT ITEMS, BUT KEPT THEM BURIED. SO THAT THE TIMBER CREWS COULD AVOID THE AREA, WE FLAGGED THE ENTIRE SITE.

FOR HISTORIC SITES WE DID THE SAME AND DID MORE INTERVIEWING WITH INDIVIDUALS IN ORDER TO DETERMINE THE AGE OF THE SITES. WE FOUND OLD CABINS, RESTORING A LOOKOUT ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER, AND OTHER OLD BUILDINGS. MANY OF THEM HAD BURNED DURING PAST FIRES.

IT WAS AN INTERESTING PLACE AND I CONTACTED A LOCAL GROUP OF POMO TO COME PRESENT THEIR TECHNIQUES OF BASKET MAKING AS WELL AS THEIR KNOWLEGE OF THEIR CULTURE. WHEN WE RESTORED AN AREA WITH TREES I INVITED THE UPPER LAKE POMO AND CHILDREN TO HELP US PLANT TREES AND THEY DID A BLESSING AFTER WE PLANTED OUR TREES,