West Mojave Plan FEIR/S - Desert Managers Group

data does not fully reflect the nature, location, and significance of the resource on the ground.The primary exception to this is the archaeological inventory carried out during preparation ofthe California Desert Conservation Area Plan, beginning in 1969 and continuing until the CDCAPlan was signed in 1980. Each planning unit in the California Desert was subject to systematicsample inventory, stratified by various environmental factors that are thought to influencearchaeological site distribution. The sample was low, ranging from 0.5% to 2% per planningunit and averaging 1% desert wide. Nevertheless, approximately 280 square miles weresystematically inventoried and another 50 square miles were subject to less intensivereconnaissance. A total of 2,903 historic and prehistoric sites were recorded (USDI, BLM 1980,Appendix VII). This effort substantially increased our knowledge of the distribution of historicand prehistoric sites within the California Desert.3.7.1.3 Regional Overview: PrehistoricFor detailed regional overviews of the prehistory, history, and ethnography of the studyarea see Norwood et al., 1980, Stickel et al. 1980, Hall et al. 1981, Garfinkel 1976, Norris andCarrico 1978, and Warren and Roske 1981. These reports were prepared during preparation ofthe CDCA Plan and summarized available data at that time. More recent overviews may befound in W & S Consultants 2000 and Whitley, Whitley and Simon n.d.The California Desert has been inhabited for at least 8,000 to 10,000/12,000 years andperhaps longer, although most of the extant remains date to much later periods. Evidence of theearliest occupations is sparse and difficult to date or interpret. Between 8,000 to 12,000 yearsago settlement was centered on lakes, which are now the dry playas so characteristic of theMojave Desert and Great Basin. These lakes, and especially marsh environments along theiredges, were particularly rich in plant and animal species that provided food, fibers, medicines,tools, clothing, and ritual objects necessary for daily existence. From 8,000 to 6,000 years ago,climatic change caused the lakes to dry, necessitating cultural adaptation to the loss of a primehabitat. One of the adaptations included increased use of upland areas. (There is evidence thatuse of upland areas actually began earlier than this while the lakes were still present.) Around6,000 years ago, food gathering and land use patterns began to appear that continued into thehistoric period. These involved use of a greater variety of habitats and plant and animalresources. Grinding implements such as manos and metates made their appearance. Around2,000 years ago a shift in projectile point types from larger forms (e.g. Elko and Gypsum points)to smaller forms (e.g. Rose Spring and Eastgate Points) may indicate the introduction of the bowand arrow to replace spears and atlatls. The expansion of bow-and-arrow technology is indicatedby the late prehistoric introduction of Desert Side-Notched and Cottonwood Triangular points,which are found throughout the area. These point styles are key indicators of the age ofarchaeological sites in which they occur. By this time, because of the drier climate, primaryhabitation sites were located near reliable water sources such as springs and flowing streams.Secondary habitation sites were established as needed in areas in which particular resources wereseasonally collected. Sites relating to ritual or religious activity, such as rock art sites,sometimes occurred near habitation sites but were also remote from such sites to protect thesacred nature of the sites and the ritual activities. People generally followed a pattern ofexploitation of seasonally available resources by moving through a more-or-less definedhomeland, usually returning to a primary habitation (“village”) for winters. This pattern ofChapter 3 3-280