Grouse Mountain was contracted by the Colorado Department of Natural Resources on behalf of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife to conduct a Class III cultural resource investigation and site re-evaluations for a road closure and maintenance project in the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area within the greater Colorado Plateau. The project area spanned multiple Townships and Sections in southern Mesa County, Colorado, on lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The project involved pedestrian survey of several recreational roads and UTV trail segments totaling 28 miles, or 350 linear acres, over a 10-day field effort.
During the Class III investigation, Grouse Mountain archaeologists re-located and evaluated 35 known prehistoric and historic archaeological sites, as well as identified an additional 53 undocumented cultural resources. Site types ranged from historic corrals, homesteads, and roads to complex prehistoric campsites, rock art, small chipped stone concentrations, and isolated artifacts. Our team was able to identify specific Native American occupations through artifact analysis and a comprehensive background research of the region. This investigation resulted in numerous National Register of Historic Places evaluations and management recommendations for the BLM Grand Junction Field Office.
These images were taken of a newly discovered rock art site containing charcoal drawings on sandstone. The image on the left is what is visible to the naked eye, while the image on the right used iDStretch, a portable enhancement application. Once applied, additional figures can be seen where the enhancement tool highlights and strengthens the visible drawings.
