Osborn Cultural Resources Plan

The intent of this thesis is to produce a cultural resources management plan (CRMP) for the Sonoma State University (SSU) Fairfield Osborn Preserve. A CRMP is an integrated policy and planning document that identifies the cultural resources on a property, contextualizes those resources through research on their natural and cultural environments, addresses impacts, and makes recommendations to best manage them, all within a detailed scope of contemporary cultural resource legislation and best practices.

I began with background research into the environmental, prehistoric, and historic-era qualities of the Osborn Preserve. Afterwards, a record search was conducted at the Northwest Information Center (NWIC) for previously recorded cultural resources on the property, as well as relevant literature and maps. This was followed by the archeological fieldwork portion, which incorporated a nonexclusive, deployed surface survey of the entire property during the summer months of 2013 and 2014. Both previously recorded and newly discovered resources were recorded using California State Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) 523 series forms. All these resources received an initial California Register eligibility assessment.

The record search at the NWIC indicated there were four previously recorded resources on the property. The archeological fieldwork phase identified an additional 11 resources and four isolates. Of the total 15 resources, 12 appear to be eligible for the California Register resulting from the initial eligibility assessment. The types of resources include a prehistoric habitation site, homestead era stone fences, buildings, road cuts, dams and reservoirs.

Based on the research and discoveries, a series of recommendations to FOP managers was established. They include incorporating the newly documented cultural resources into the Preserve database, integrating those resources into interpretive programs, establishing relations with culturally affiliated Native American groups, resurveying the Preserve after any future fires and mass wasting events, and initiating a cultural resources monitoring regimen.

Project Results

Title	Format	Download	Students
A Cultural Resources Inventory and Management Plan for the Fairfield Osborn Preserve (archeological site descriptions are redacted from this version)	report	Rabellino 2014 Rabellino 2014	Kyle Rabellino