Cultural and Paleontological ResourcesCULTURAL RESOURCES
Program Objectives
Definition
Laws
Prehistoric Record
Historic Record
Ethnographic Record PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES
Program Objectives
Definition
Laws
Fossil Record HERITAGE RESOURCE RESPECT & PROTECTION VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES 
CULTURAL RESOURCES Program Objectives BLM's Cultural Resource Management Program is designed as a comprehensive system to… …RESPOND in a legally and professionally adequate manner to the statutory authorities concerning historic preservation and cultural resource protection, and the principles of multiple use and ecosystem management; …RECOGNIZE the potential public and scientific uses of, and the values attributed to, cultural resources on the public lands and manage both the lands and cultural resources so that these uses and values are not diminished, but rather are maintained and enhanced; …CONTRIBUTE to land use planning and the multiple use management of the public lands in ways that make optimum use of the thousands of years of land use history inherent in cultural resource information, and that opportunities for attaining appropriate uses of cultural resources are safeguarded; …PROTECT and preserve in place representative examples of the full array of cultural resources on public lands for the benefit of scientific and public use by present and future generations; and …ENSURE that proposed land uses, initiated or authorized by the BLM, avoid inadvertent damage to Federal and non?Federal cultural resources. Definition The term ‘Cultural Resources’ can apply to “those parts of the physical environment – natural and built – that have cultural value of some kind to some sociocultural group.” This can include, spiritual places, historic resources, archaeological resources, Native American cultural items, historical objects, religious practices, cultural uses of the natural environment, community values, or historical documents (from Cultural Resource Laws & Practice: An Introductory Guide, King 1998:7,9). Laws The authority and directives for cultural resource management within the BLM come from an integral set of laws: Antiquities Act (1906), Historic Sites Act (1935), National Historic Preservation Act (1966), National Environmental Policy Act (1969), Federal Land Policy and Management Act (1976), American Indian Religious Freedom Act (1978), Archeological Resources Protection Act (1979), Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (1990), and Executive Orders 11593, 13007 and 13175. Prehistoric Record The prehistoric archaeological record refers to the material remains associated with human activities prior to European contact with Native Americans. The majority of the public lands managed by the Hollister Field Office are the least studied and understood relative to California's archeological record. Nevertheless, there is ample evidence that various prehistoric peoples occupied portions of the Central Coast Diablo Mountain Range for hundreds and even thousands of years. Early professional archaeological research completed in the Hollister Field Office area was done in AD 1960s. Large dam projects led by the State of California Department of Water Resources and Department of Parks and Recreation located numerous seasonally occupied village sites, which were excavated prior to the construction of the dams and spillways. These excavations provided researchers and the interested public with a basic regional cultural chronology that is used to date other archaeological sites in the Diablo Range to this day. It is thought that the area has been occupied for at least five thousand years, and many of those locations were inhabited up to the time Spanish began actively exploring and colonizing California in AD 1700s. Hundreds of years ago, one of the primary food staples within the region were acorns harvested from oak trees. Acorns were utilized by almost every other Native Californian group as well. The mature nuts were gathered by families in the fall using large, conical baskets carried by women. Women also processed the acorns by grounding them into meal within bedrock mortars or oak log mortars. The acorn meal was then leached of its bitter and poisonous tannin by placing the meal into a leaf?lined or sand?lined basin and pouring water over it until the water ran clear through the meal. The meal would be baked into cakes or a broth, sometimes seasoned with manzanita berries. Throughout the state and the Hollister Field Office area, there are numerous rock outcroppings that contain bedrock mortars. Look carefully while hiking or hunting and you may see a creek side boulder containing one or more of these cylindrical holes on top of the rock. Some of the most impressive examples of bedrock mortar sites are in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Historic Record The historic archeological record refers to the material remains associated with human activities that occurred after European contact with Native Americans. In California, the Indian people along the coast were first affected by the Spanish explorers as early as the 1500's AD. However, the Central Coast area was not really explored in detail or settled by the Europeans until the 1700's AD with the advent of the Mission system. European contact meant that the Native Californian way(s) of life would be drastically changed. The positive effects of this change were few for the Indians and economically profitable to the Europeans. The Spanish Missions grew grain crops, herded cattle for food, leather, and tallow (for candles), and used the Indian population of California as holy labor. Indians lived at the Missions (usually against their own will) and learned about Christianity from the padres while tending to the livestock, fields, and mission grounds. By the mid-1800's AD, the Spanish ceded California to the Mexican government and the Mission system as it was known came to an end. After gold was discovered in 1848 AD, American interests flooded California and took the state from the Mexican government as part of the growing United States of America. The Indians, Spanish, Mexican, and American families began to create the California that we live in today. 
Early homestead building in eastern San Benito County. Ethnographic Record The Native Californians left behind a cultural legacy which is only partially reflected in the archeological record. There is information about their cultures and traditions that has been written down by anthropologists as well as handed down orally generation to generation. This kind of information is called "ethnographic." California had (and still has) the distinction of having an incredibly diverse array of peoples, languages, and customs. The area managed by the Hollister Field Office was populated by several different Native groups, including the Yokuts, the Salinan, the Esselen, and the Ohlone (or Costanoan). The descendants of the Native Californians still live in and around their traditional tribal areas. They are keenly aware of their cultural heritage and some still practice traditional activities. Go Back to Top of Page PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES Program Objectives BLM's Paleontology Program objectives are… …LOCATE, evaluate, manage, and protect paleontological resources; …FACILITATE the appropriate scientific, educational, and recreational uses of paleontological resources, such as research and interpretation; …ENSURE proposed land uses do not destroy or damage paleontological resources; and …FOSTER public awareness and appreciation of paleontological resources. Definition Paleontology is the study of fossils; what fossils tell us about the ecologies of the past, about evolution, and about our place, as humans, in the world. Paleontology informs us about interrelationships between the biological and geological components of ecosystems over time. The BLM considers paleontological data as "constituting a fragile and nonrenewable scientific record of the history of life on earth, and so represent an important and critical component of America's natural heritage." This attitude towards paleontological resources is important because once these resources are "damaged, destroyed or improperly collected, their scientific and educational value may be greatly reduced or lost forever." Laws The major laws protecting fossils on BLM lands are the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (1976), the National Environmental Policy Act (1969), and various sections of Part 43 of the Code of Federal Regulations. There is no commercial collection of fossils on Federal lands. Permits for collection are issued by the BLM, primarily for vertebrate fossil specimens (animals with a backbone). Usually no permit is needed for the small?scale collection of invertebrate specimens (animals without a backbone) as long as you are not collecting in a special use area ? like a Wilderness Study Area (WSA) or Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), and you are collecting for personal use. Check with the BLM office nearest you for permitting regulations and the locations of special use areas. These offices might also be able to direct you to known and approved fossil collection areas. Please be aware that the Panoche/Coalinga ACEC managed by the Hollister Field Office covers a large portion of the foothills along the western San Joaquin Valley. Fossil Record Significant fossil bearing deposits within the Hollister Field Office area occur in the Diablo Range of the Coast Mountain Ranges, primarily along the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. Sixty?five million years ago (in what is now the eastern portion of the Field Office area) the San Joaquin Valley was part of the Pacific Ocean, and the Coast Mountain ranges were a series of islands that isolated whole groups of organisms. These island residents included many rare and unique animals of the Cretaceous Period and of the Oligocene and Miocene Epochs of the Tertiary Period. Some of the fossils recovered from and/or documented in the Hollister Field Office area include: mollusks, sharks, bony fish, turtles, sea lions, coral, deer, oysters, horses, weasels, whales, rhinoceros, sponges, camels, bears, and dinosaurs. Recent research involving fossil discoveries from the Path 15 power line project have also contributed to our better understanding of the fossil resources in the San Joaquin Valley Temblor Formation. Prior to discovery of the bonebed under a power line tower, the only site producing terrestrial vertebrate fossils from the Temblor Formation was discovered near Coalinga sometime before AD 1915. Notable aspects of this newly discovered bonebed include the first amphibians, tortoises, birds, rabbits, terrestrial snails, and freshwater snails ever found in the Temblor Formation. Also, a new genus and species of a badger/wolverine-like mustelid was recovered. Most of the fossils recovered at the new site were primarily terrestrial mammals and freshwater snails that date to the late part of the Middle Miocene Period, approximately 15-16 mya(million years ago). The fossils collected from the Path 15 project are the first terrestrial vertebrate fossils collected from the Temblor Formation in nearly 70 years. These are the first amphibian, lizard, tortoise, bird, terrestrial snail, and freshwater snail fossils from the Temblor Formation. The most complete shell of a Middle Miocene tortoise ever found in California was recovered from this new site. The avian fauna was also very important; as there is no other non-marine avian fauna of this age in California and the grebe and songbird fossils are some of the earliest known in North America. Other paleontological research also involves non?fossil finds, such as evidence for the K?T boundary. The K?T boundary is the geological separation of the Cretaceous Period and Tertiary Epoch. It is represented by a thin lens of the element Iridium, clayey particles, and shocked quartz. Researchers believe this boundary represents the catastrophic geologic event that generated an Extinction Level Event (E.L.E.) which accelerated the extinction of the dinosaurs. Fortunately, there is a way for you to see some of the specimens collected by research professionals from the public lands managed by the Hollister Field Office. Paleontologists for California State University, Fresno (CSUF) and the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) have been studying these resources for many years. Most of the fossils recovered are stored at the UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology, with some of the fossils displayed in the museum's exhibits. CSU Fresno Department of Biology also has their own exhibits on the natural history of the San Joaquin Valley highlighting fossil resources. Go Back to Top of Page HERITAGE RESOURCE RESPECT & PROTECTION Please respect both prehistoric and historic archaeological sites. Do not remove any artifacts or deface any features. Be especially mindful of what those sites may mean to Native Americans; some of these places are regarded as sacred. Help to protect our cultural and paleontological heritage by observing the following guidelines: Treat all rock art sites, historic structures and buildings, and archaeological sites with respect;
Do not damage historic structures or archaeological sites. Avoid moving things around, touching adobe or plaster walls, or climbing on the roof or walls of any prehistoric or historic site, building, or structure;
Enjoy rock art features by viewing, sketching, or taking a photograph of them...never chalk, trace, or touch the rock art;
Do not make camp or build fires in, on, or near an archaeological site;
If you discover an artifact or fossil, leave it in place for others to enjoy and report your find to the BLM. Collecting without a permit is illegal.
Many prehistoric cultural sites are of ancestral importance to Native Americans...treat any such archaeological site with respect. Report any known or suspected looting or vandalism of archaeological or paleontological sites to the BLM or other local law enforcement authority. Thank you in advance for your cooperation, and explore your nation's history! Go Back to Top of Page VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Interested in becoming an archaeological site steward? What is a site steward? These questions can be answered by participating in the California Archaeological Site Stewardship Program (CASSP). California Archaeological Site Stewards are caretakers and monitors for sensitive archaeological sites on public lands that are determined to be “at risk” or just need some “TLC.” Site Stewards do more that just monitor sites, they also can do original archaeological or historical research and contribute to more intensive projects, like site excavation and laboratory analysis. Another program known as Passport in Time (PIT) is managed by the USDA Forest Service in order to place volunteers into archaeologically-based research projects on public lands. Dozens of projects involving hundred of volunteers are funded annually across the United States; some volunteers take their entire summer vacation traveling from project to project working at archeological sites getting their ‘passports' stamped. If you are interested in this program, please contact Ken Wilson of the BLM California State Office at ken_wilson@ca.blm.gov. To volunteer with the BLM Hollister Field Office, please contact us at (831) 630?5000. To volunteer with the BLM Hollister Field Office, please contact us at the telephone number of address listed on our Home page. Go Back to Top of Page | 
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