Mitigation of Chaining Impacts to Archaeological Sites

Abstract

Current strategies for protecting archaeological sites during implementation of brush management practices such as chaining are frequently inadequate. Potentially significant prehistoric remains are sometimes dealt with in a fashion conducive to their destruction. This conflict can be alleviated by developing a chaining program in which there is planned avoidance of cultural resources. This is accomplished through an intensive archaeological, soil, range, and visual assessment of project areas prior to chaining. The development of a chaining design by an interdisciplinary planning team and the "buffering" of sites during implementation of the range improvement can enhance all resources. Through careful planning, secondary impacts such as vandalism to prehistoric sites can be reduced as well.