This document is a Section 110 report that examines the impact of wind and water erosion to substantial portions of the archaeological site CA-SBA-646 on Point Arguello on Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB). Important archaeological data has been lost, and continues to be lost from this midden deposit. Pursuant to Section 110 responsibilities, VAFB conducted archaeological investigations at the site to recover data and evaluate its eligibility for National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) listing. During two periods of occupation, SBA-646 functioned as a short-term residential site used during seasonal rounds in conjunction with a village located elsewhere. Site inhabitants appear to have been drawn to Point Arguello by birds such as cormorants and auklets that nest in the spring. All seasonality indicators point to occupations during March, April, and/or May. Both analytical units contain more than 30% (by weight) of bird bones, compared with very few regional sites containing more than 3%. While birds may have been the attraction, shellfish (particularly mussels) provided, by far, the bulk of the dietary protein during both periods of occupation. Analysis of mussel sizes indicates that site occupants were stripping mussel beds rather than managing the beds by plucking only the larger individuals.
Lebow et al. (Fri,) studied this question.