Cultural Resources (Including Native American Values)

Objectives

Protect cultural resource values including information and significant sites for public and/or scientific use by present and future generations.

Continue to fulfill government-to-government and trust responsibilities to American Indian tribes regarding heritage and religious concerns.

Land Use Allocations

Sites with significant values will be protected from management actions and from vandalism to the extent possible. Cultural resource sites are not mapped in this plan or described in detail in this plan due to the sensitivity of resource values.

The Medford District manages three cultural resource sites on the National Register of Historic Places.

Management Actions/Direction

Conduct paleo-environmental, archaeological, anthropological, and historical studies.

Conduct systematic inventories of areas likely to contain cultural resources.

Evaluate archaeological and historical sites to determine their potential for contributing to public and scientific uses.

Support ecosystem-based management by providing information about past ecological conditions, past cultural/natural system interactions, and differences among cultural and social groups regarding ecosystem management values.

Develop project plans to preserve, protect, and enhance archaeological, historical and traditional use sites, and materials under the district's jurisdiction. This would include protection from wildfires.

Increase public awareness and appreciation of cultural resources through development of education and interpretive programs.

Develop methods and gather data to assess social and cultural ecosystem components of the environment for use in landscape-level analysis.

Monitor cultural resources and take appropriate law enforcement action related to unauthorized use.

Continue working with Native Americans to achieve the goals outlined in existing memoranda of understanding. Develop additional memoranda with Native American groups as needs arise.

Acquire significant cultural resource properties for public, cultural heritage, and scientific purposes.