CASSP Annual Report for 2011 (download the report as a two-page PDF)
1. Organization and administration
The California Archaeological Site Stewardship Program (CASSP) is a network of concerned people who are committed to protecting California’s rich cultural heritage. Under CASSP, trained volunteers from the public regularly visit assigned archaeological and historical sites located on public lands and record their condition. The volunteers are supervised by the local archaeologists who are working for the agencies responsible for those lands.
CASSP is part of the Society for California Archaeology (SCA). It receives direction and support from SCA members, SCA Executive Board, and the CASSP Committee. The SCA reviews CASSP policies, procedures, and accomplishments, and it helps shape future goals. The CASSP Committee meets during the SCA annual meeting.
2. Highlights from 2010
As in previous years, the most important highlights of CASSP activities are the enthusiasm, dedication, and skill of CASSP volunteers who work to preserve historical and archaeological resources. In 2011, we estimate that volunteer site stewards contributed over 10,000 hours. We can’t thank them enough for their continued concern, interest, and commitment to help protect archaeological sites on public lands.
Almost 50 people attended the CASSP Committee meeting at the 2011 SCA Annual Meeting in Rohnert Park. Also at the Annual Meeting, Gina Griffith and Travis Mason presented a poster about the volunteer site stewardship activities at the San Bernardino National Forest.
Beth Padon presented a paper about CASSP at the 2011 SAA Annual Meeting in Sacramento. A larger version of this paper appears in the AIA web site (http://www.archaeological.org/news/hca/7783).
California State Parks archaeologist Kelly Long wrote an article about the CASSP workshop at Hollister Hills SVRA for the Parks newsroom web page (http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=27017).
Site stewards Dorothy DeGennaro and Tom Haworth represented CASSP at the Archaeopalooza event in Yucca Valley. This event was organized by John Hale, who also is a site steward.
Beth Padon spoke about CASSP in August at the San Diego Archaeological Center for the Cleveland National Forest Heritage Program, and in October at the Calico Early Man Site. She wrote an article about CASSP for the September 2011 issue of the Desert Report.
Through the efforts of Immediate Past President of the SCA, Glenn Gmoser, the CASSP MOU was signed by all of our partners.
Volunteer training workshops.
Nine volunteer training workshops and one advanced training workshops were offered during 2011. They attracted 133 participants. (In 2010, 105 people attended CASSP workshops.)
Partnerships with public agencies.
In the Spring of 2011, the Pacific Southwest Region of the US Forest Service submitted a grant proposal to the OHMVR Division of California State Parks to fund additional CASSP activities for 2012. It was approved by the OHMVR Commission in July, 2011. This grant, administered by the US Forest Service, specifically names the SCA and CASSP as partners, and draws upon in-kind contributions from USFS, BLM, and CASSP volunteers.
CASSP web site and listserv.
Updates and minor improvements were made to the CASSP web site, <www.cassp.org>. In 2011, the moderators sent six announcements through the CASSP listserv, <cassp-events-subscribe@yahoogroups.com>.
3. Budget
CASSP expenditures from January, 2011, through December, 2011, were $54,999 (compared to $50,999 in 2010). Ninety percent of the expenditures ($49,999) were spent on providing training workshops. Almost three-quarters of the funding ($40,000) were provided by the California State Office of the BLM, through a grant from the OHMVR Division of California State Parks. One-quarter of the funding was obtained through specific workshop contracts between the SCA and the agencies that hosted the workshops. Approximately $200,000 of volunteer time was provided by members of the public and professional archaeologists for site stewardship activities.
4. Plans for 2012
In 2012, CASSP will offer training workshops for new volunteers, and advanced workshops for existing volunteers. An advanced workshop, about archaeological site sketch maps, was conducted earlier this year at the San Bernardino National Forest. Another advanced workshop, about historical buildings and site records, is scheduled for June 2-3 at the Sequoia National Forest. Four new volunteer training workshops are scheduled (see <www.cassp.org> for more information):
- April 14-15, Mendocino National Forest,
- May 5-6, Plumas National Forest,
- August 11-12, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, and
- September 15-16, Six Rivers National Forest.
Anyone who is seriously interested in protecting archaeological and historical sites is invited to attend.
Record keeping.
In the Fall of 2011, at the request of the SCA Board, we conducted an informal internal audit on the number of hours that volunteer site stewards had worked. People from almost every team of site stewards across the State responded, and we are very thankful to all of you. Because of this year’s grant requirements, we will maintain more detailed records of volunteer time through at least two channels--agency archaeologists and a new e-mail address created just for reporting hours.
Submitted by Beth and Chris Padon, CASSP Committee, March 30, 2012.
(A second page consists of photos of CASSP activities. To view them, please download the Annual report 2011.pdf)