VAFB-2020-43: Limited Data Recovery Excavations at CA-SBA-972, an Eroding Archaeological Site on North Vandenberg Air Force Base, Supporting Compliance with Section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act, Santa Barbara County, California

This document is a Section 110 report for the excavation of columns into eroding site deposits to recover samples for radiocarbon analysis as well as to recover archaeological constituents such as bone, marine shell, and lithic debris that might be used to characterize the site. The stated purpose is to identify scientific data potentials that might be realized when future funding is available. Although the excavated volume was limited and the recovered assemblage was correspondingly small, sufficient data were recovered to indicate that recovery of larger samples would provide important scientific information. Specifically, data recovered from the site might be used to address important research issues related to prehistoric subsistence patterns. With 12 spatially distinct middens it will be possible to examine how subsistence changed through space and time. Based on the available data, particularly intriguing in this regard is the changing role of fish in the diet and the relative lack of sea mammals during any of the occupations. Larger samples of faunal remains could provide insights into changing paleo environmental conditions when considered in the context of sites on Vandenberg AFB. Given these data potentials it was determined that CA-SBA-972 is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion D.