Hills are on Fire 2017 - Passport in Time

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California - Angeles NF
Closed! The Hills are on Fire: Archaeological Survey & Site Recording within Recent Burn Areas of the San Gabriel Mountains

2016_sand_fire_burn_area.jpg by Thalia Ryder, U.S. Forest Archaeologist
 
2016 Sand Fire Burn Area


CA-4326
May 22-26, 2017

Must commit to entire session

Join us for another “hike into the past” on the Angeles National Forest! 2016 was a pivotal year in California fire history, with over 500,000 acres burned throughout the state. The Angeles NF experienced several of these large fires, which charred approximately 50,000 acres throughout the San Gabriel Mountains. However, while the year was indeed marked by the devastation of many plant, animal, and even human communities, Nature has demonstrated its true resilience, and the land is steadily recovering from these life-changing events. There is also another silver-lining: as archaeologists, these incidents often open up rare opportunities to survey land once covered by thick and sometimes impenetrable vegetation, offering hope that we might find and identify materials left behind by those who inhabited the mountains during the prehistoric and historic past! So, we head into the heights again this year, where we’ll conduct archaeological surveys to locate, photograph, map, and document historic and prehistoric sites within the recent burn areas. Passport in Time volunteers will gain (or hone) experience in systematic survey methods, map and compass reading, artifact recording, and so much more. Join our team as we explore the hills that are, thankfully, no longer on fire, and you’ll get a chance to learn about the unique cultural history of the San Gabriel Mountains, and witness the beauty of a landscape rising from the ashes!

Number of openings: 6

Special skills: Volunteers must be physically capable of hiking long distances each day over moderate to rough terrain, and in a variety of weather conditions (mainly hot and dry with very little shade); previous archaeological survey, mapping, sketching, GPS, and/or photography experience helpful, but not required

Minimum age: 18 years old

Facilities: Tent and RV camping available at no charge at FS camping in Arcadia; water, vault toilets; no hook-ups; Arcadia, Pasadena, and La Crescenta are full-service communities with hotels/motels, restaurants, and a full range of other amenities; volunteers responsible for own lodging (if opting not to camp), personal camping equipment, food, extra water, and daily transportation to and from Forest Service office in Arcadia (if opting to stay outside of Arcadia); daily transportation between designated meeting place and study area provided by Forest Service

Nearest towns: Project based out of Arcadia; Pasadena, 8 miles; La Crescenta, 16 miles

Applications due: April 17, 2017

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