Document Type

Graduate Project

Date of Degree Completion

Spring 2025

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Committee Chair

Dr. Hackenberger

Second Committee Member

Dr. Walsh

Abstract

This project report has been completed to fulfill requirements of the Master of Applied Science of Cultural and Environmental Resource Management (MAS-CERM) at Central Washington University. The project models the cultural landscapes of the southern Salish Sea. These landscapes include anthropogenic prairies, travel routes (trails and roads), salmon runs, and archaeological sites. This study maps the historic boundaries of prairies and recent data sets for key plant species. The locations of prairies and indicator species are overlaid with ethnohistoric settlements, archaeological site locations, and trail systems. The spatial correlations of these data are used to interpret the prominence of anthropogenic prairies as part of the ethnographic and archaeological landscapes of the south Puget Sound Basin.

Ethnographies are used to compile a list of plants that benefit from fire to help identify possible anthropogenic places. There is no evidence for a natural fire regime (lighting occurrences) at this location significant enough to maintain unique prairies. The study maps prairies using multiple sources and GIS data layers, including the original General Land Office Surveys. A GIS database for historic and archaeological records for sites and settlements is also developed. Analysis compares prairie and oak places with the locations of trails, archaeological sites and ethnographic settlements, travel routes, and salmon runs. The result is a map, or model, of  cultural landscapes.

Results illustrate extensive prairies connected by trail systems. These prairie and travel corridors often occur in proximity to a salmon-bearing stream or near a marine shoreline. The largest prairies are located at the confluence of two or more large rivers or river forks. Some smaller prairies and associated sites are part of a larger “complex” that is bisected by a salmon-bearing river. Some prairies and associated sites are near marine shorelines and inlets with salmon runs. Upland prairie polygons also give context to types of archaeological sites.

Comments

Confidential archaeological information has been redacted.

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