An Ethnographic Resource Inventory of Culturally Significant Landscapes, Joshua Tree National Park

Project ID: P24AC01523

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Partner Institution: Portland State University

Fiscal Year: 2024

Initial Funding: $128,263

Total Funding: $128,263

Project Type: Research

National Park: Joshua Tree National Park

Principal Investigator: Deur, Doug

Agreement Technical Representative: Spoo, Melanie

Abstract:

Performance Goals – This is a collaborative undertaking to complete an inventory of ethnographic resources (ER), documenting places and resources of unique significance to park-associated tribes. This inventory will focus on multiple places within Joshua Tree National Park that are a) believed to hold special significance and/or contain resources of special significance to Native American communities, and b) are potentially affected by rock-climbing and other recreational activities by park visitors. This research will involve assembling existing information through literature review as well as extensive communications with park-associated tribes. The research team will analyze data recovered in these investigations to identify major themes and patterns, and the recipient will develop products that will help the NPS and Native American tribes better understand the importance of these places and the potential effects of rock climbing on each one. The work will help the park meet Section 110 requirements under the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) as well as a number of other laws, policies, and regulations relating to Native American interests on national park lands. The project is envisioned as a multi-phased effort, with each phase focused on a different part of the park: the Barker Dam area, the Northern Wonderland/Indian Cove area, and others identified in initial scoping with tribes. The present agreement funds Phase 1, focused on the Barker Dam area, as well as the scoping of potential future phases of the study. Each phase will result in the production of a Traditional Cultural Property (TCP) report that also identifies management concerns illuminated by tribal participants. The inventory results are crucial to implementing the park’s upcoming Climbing Management Plan (CMP) in a way that incorporates the values of the indigenous communities and provides a holistic approach to improve protection and preservation of all cultural resources (see Statement of Work, Attachment B).

Project Objectives – PSU researchers and NPS staff will collaborate to accomplish specific project objectives and complete one or more Traditional Cultural Property reports for Joshua Tree National Park. The primary objective of this project is to assemble information and develop documentation of the culturally significant sites and locations to Native American peoples, especially those with traditional rock art, and to assess the potential effects of rock climbing on those sites and places and their enduring cultural roles. The reports will meet the guidelines established in NPS-28 and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s guidance on Traditional Cultural Properties. These reports will identify and document the ethnographic resources and significance of select rock art locations and traditional use areas affected by recreational rock climbing and visitation; they will assess each place’s National Register of Historic Places significance based on TCP criteria; and they will provide NPS managers with information that incorporates traditional use and values of indigenous communities in the stewardship and protection of significant resources and places in the park. The study will also provide park-associated tribes with information regarding the cultural resources and significance of the park, for their own use. Using all information assembled for this project, PSU researchers and NPS staff will collaborate in developing a number of products, including one or more TCP reports that include ethnographic data and management recommendations, and a project digital library for use by the NPS and park-associated tribes. With the guidance of tribes, the work may also result in public dissemination of findings, including one or more presentations to staff, tribes, and/or the public, and possible redacted derivative publications.