Class III Inventory for the Little Medicine Bow Wind Farm
CRA was contracted to conduct a Class III cultural resources inventory of the Little Medicine Bow wind project in Carbon County, Wyoming, located on lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the State of Wyoming lands administered by the Office of State Lands and Investments. This inventory included more than 350 miles of inventory corridors encompassing more than 36,000 linear acres. The inventory recorded 267 isolated resources, four historic non-sites, and 179 archaeological sites, including 22 previously identified sites and 157 newly identified sites. The sites consisted of 17 historic sites, 131 prehistoric sites, one protohistoric site, and 30 multicomponent sites. The prehistoric sites included 78 stone features, such as rock cairns, rock alignments, and stone circles. Since prehistoric stone features have the potential to be considered sacred or special places to Native American tribes, the existing visual setting was assessed for each site containing prehistoric stone features.
Of the 179 archaeological sites, 139 were recommended as not eligible for inclusion to the National Register of Historic Places. To address potential Native American concerns, prehistoric stone features sites, which may be sacred or special places, were recommended for avoidance regardless of National Register of Historic Places eligibility. Avoidance was also recommended for other eligible sites. On the condition that all prehistoric stone feature sites and National Register of Historic Places eligible sites were avoided, CRA recommended that the project would result in no direct adverse effects. Given potential indirect effects associated with the alteration of the setting, CRA recommended mitigating adverse effects to prehistoric stone feature sites if the setting was determined to be an essential aspect of integrity through Native American consultation.
