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Cordova Park 69-kV Underground Cable Replacement

Ascent assisted SMUD in working with three local tribes to develop measures to either avoid or mitigate for potential impacts to archaeological sites and tribal cultural resources located in portions of Hagan Community Park, the American River Parkway, and two schools that were once part of a large and heavily populated indigenous setting.

Cultural Resources Documentation and Evaluation

Under an on-call contract with UC Davis, Ascent’s cultural resources team has been responsible for the documentation and evaluation of multiple buildings and structures throughout the UC Davis campus. Our work includes the establishment of historic contexts for each functional area, field survey, archival review, and evaluation of educational and residential buildings, agricultural and veterinary facilities, and airport structures for National Register and California Register eligibility. Ascent’s architectural historians have also prepared multiple memos to document how building modifications and seismic upgrades to existing historical resources would be made in compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards to support CEQA exemptions.

Leavesley/Dexter Mountain Ranch at Palassou Ridge Open Space Preserve

The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority’s Leavesley/Dexter Mountain Ranch property was recommended eligible for the National Register of Historic Places as an individual resource. During archival review, it was determined that a thorough historic context, related to early cattle ranches of southern Santa Clara County, needed to be developed. Ascent conducted additional survey and evaluation of the property’s structures and features to help inform the design of the proposed bridge replacement and public parking lot and trailhead in the preserve.

Big Bear Mountain Resort

SE Group prepared the 2020 Master Development Plan (MDP) for the Big Bear Mountain Resort, which includes both the Bear Mountain and Snow Summit ski areas. A key component of the MDP is expansion of the US Forest Service Special Use Permit boundary by approximately 300 acres to connect the Bear Mountain Ski Area and Snow Summit Ski Area locations. In addition, construction of seven new lifts (two new lifts at Bear Mountain, two new interconnect lifts, three new lifts at Snow Summit) and removal of eight existing lifts (two lifts from Bear Mountain, six lifts from Snow Summit) have been identified as part of the MDP.

Last Chance Road and Skylark Ranch Forest Health Projects

The 2020 CZU Lightning Complex fire burned extensive portions of the Santa Cruz Mountains, leaving behind large amounts of dead and dying vegetation. The Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County proposed to implement two vegetation treatment projects to remove dead and dying vegetation and improve habitat conditions and ecological resilience. The Resource Conservation District retained Ascent to complete an archaeological survey report with impact assessment and treatment requirements for the Last Chance Road and the Skylark Ranch Girl Scout Camp forest health project, for a total of 120 acres.

San Quentin State Prison Historic District

Ascent prepared an architectural resource survey and evaluation for San Quentin State Prison in compliance with Public Resources Code Section 5024.5. Our architectural historian evaluated the prison at a district level, which included an inventory of 202 historic-era buildings and structures, using both National Register and California Historical Landmark criteria. The evaluation concluded that the prison appears eligible for listing on the National Register and as a California Historical Landmark, consisting of 22 contributing buildings and structures, including 11 individually eligible buildings.

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