Saving the Calico Early Man Site

[Charl]

https://www.latimes.com/california/...lifornia-desert-and-one-mans-fight-to-save-it

YERMO, Calif. —A certified letter arrived April 8 for Fred E. Budinger Jr., from the federal Bureau of Land Management. It read like an eviction notice and came across like a punch.
Dear Mr. Budinger:

The Bureau of Land Management proposes to remediate the remnant archaeological excavation and study features of the Calico Mountains Archaeology District because they pose a significant threat to public safety.

Budinger stopped. Remediate, he thought: Orwell would spit at a word like that. Officials at the federal agency, in his opinion, had treated the Calico Early Man Site as nothing less than a nuisance. Now they were getting rid of it.

This is a destruction project,” he told his wife, Pam.

Pending permits and approvals, the Bureau of Land Management next year will remove vandalized buildings from the site in the central Mojave Desert and fill all but five of the primary excavation pits with dirt and polyurethane foam. Visitors may still tour the site, but for Budinger, the bureau’s decision signaled the end of the most promising chapter in North American archaeology.

 

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[Treasure_Hunter]

Post deleted. Please remember no politics in artifact forum.

 

[ToddsPoint]

I haven't seen the Calico artifacts lately but when I last saw them they all looked natural, like geofacts. Artifacts from the Topper site out east looked the same way to me. I don't remember seeing any fire cracked rock or bifacially reduced pieces. Gary

 

[Huzzah!]

( quote removed )
*The disclaimer is at the bottom of his sig.

TH just wants to keep the train on the tracks so we all don’t jump down the rabbit hole and make this place something that isn’t as educational and interesting as it is, and I can’t blame him. I like coming on to TNet and not seeing all the extracurricular BS that has been going on recently. It’s like fresh air on the internet. I don’t have to get fired up here, thankfully. If I want to get fired up I’ll go listen to The Man Behind the Golden EIB Microphone—God rest his soul and God Bless him for fighting on our behalf so well for so long.

If we do choose to rattle our sabers we can always do so in our sigs and profile pics. God Bless America!

 

[PetesPockets55]

Unfortunately I can't view the article without subscribing to the newspaper.

.... [FONT=Georgia][I][I][I][URL="...and approvals, the Bureau of Land Management next year will remove vandalized buildings from the site in the central Mojave Desert and fill all but five of the primary excavation pits with dirt and polyurethane foam. Visitors may still tour the site, but for Budinger, the bureau?s decision signaled the end of the most promising chapter in North American archaeology.[/I][/I][/I][/FONT] .... [/FONT][/COLOR]

Interesting info and I haven't read it all but in the downloads I read the foam alternative was rejected.

Calico Early Man EA pdf with release date of 7/1/21

(Red highlights are by me to make it easier to discern.)

"2.0 Alternatives
2.1 Introduction
This EA analyzes two alternatives, the Proposed Action, and a No-Action Alternative. Two Alternatives
Considered but Eliminated from Detailed Analysis are:
1) Filling the pits that have been proposed for grate or cupola protection with expanding foam (which
is a reversible treatment) and placing several feet of soil over the foam to protect it from the sun.
This alternative would remove the ability of a viewer to see the pit(s); and, it would prevent access
to entry without removal. This alternative was eliminated from further consideration due to the
need to provide for wildlife access to the pits.
2) Filling the pits that have been proposed for grate or cupola protection with dirt and rock. This
would eliminate the hazard but would remove the ability of a viewer to see the pit(s) and remove
any access for future study without a full excavation. This alternative was eliminated due to the
permanence of the action and the potential damage to the contributing factors of the site for historic
research.
Elimination of these two alternatives arose from the need to protect the internationally recognized cultural
and scientific values of CEMS and any remediation of the site should avoid damage to significant cultural
values. Second, the need of this action is to reopen the site to the general public, the removed alternatives
hamper possible further use and study and thus were rejected. "

There is a long list of other actions that do seem to be on the agenda.

 

[MAMucker]

Talent on loan

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

( quote removed )

*The disclaimer is at the bottom of his sig.

TH just wants to keep the train on the tracks so we all don’t jump down the rabbit hole and make this place something that isn’t as educational and interesting as it is, and I can’t blame him. I like coming on to TNet and not seeing all the extracurricular BS that has been going on recently. It’s like fresh air on the internet. I don’t have to get fired up here, thankfully. If I want to get fired up I’ll go listen to The Man Behind the Golden EIB Microphone—God rest his soul and God Bless him for fighting on our behalf so well for so long.

If we do choose to rattle our sabers we can always do so in our sigs and profile pics. God Bless America!

Huzzah is correct as stated many times avatar and signatures do not fall under the politics and religion rules per owners of the website unless they go way overboard such as porn, violence, racist ect.

We also have rules on attacking moderators and moderation.

From our rules.....

"Respect our moderators. Our moderators are tasked with keeping TreasureNet family friendly, on topic, and civil. Not always an easy task. Insults, and personal attacks against our moderators will not be tolerated and may be grounds for account deletion and banning. If you've posted something, and it disappears, don't make a big deal out of it in another post! (You've probably violated some rule below!)"

"You may not.... Insult moderators, or denigrate the duties they perform."

"Users may disagree with the decisions or actions of the moderators and/or administrators, however, disagreements, criticism and the like are not to be aired within the forums. Please feel free to PM the person directly rather than air your dirty laundry in public."



Justonemore, you could have easily sent me a pm and I could have explained it for you in private per our rules, you didnt need to violate multiple rules in open forum to get clarification.

Again, per admins who own TreasureNet, they have advise moderators that avatars and signatures do not fall under politics and religion rules unless they go way overboard such as porn, violence, racism ect. If you were to check you would see many members whose signatures are political or religious in nature and are allowed..

 

[Seadog72]

Used to ride dirt bikes out there by the “early man site” near Calico ghost town. Once, I observed some mischievous rock hounds throwing chards over the fence, in the direction of the dig. This was back in the early 80s when archeologists were the only ones who could access the site & they were rarely around. I asked the rock hounds where they got their chards - there are “chipping grounds” and old campsites scattered all over that area, along with some pretty awesome petroglyphs north of Irwin & to the west of Calico in the rocks around the dry lake beds. I always wondered if the archeologists ever figured out the joke.

 

[ToddsPoint]

Used to ride dirt bikes out there by the “early man site” near Calico ghost town. Once, I observed some mischievous rock hounds throwing chards over the fence, in the direction of the dig. This was back in the early 80s when archeologists were the only ones who could access the site & they were rarely around. I asked the rock hounds where they got their chards - there are “chipping grounds” and old campsites scattered all over that area, along with some pretty awesome petroglyphs north of Irwin & to the west of Calico in the rocks around the dry lake beds. I always wondered if the archeologists ever figured out the joke.

You first have to have a sense of humor to laugh at a joke. Gary

 

[uniface]

Used to ride dirt bikes out there by the “early man site” near Calico ghost town. Once, I observed some mischievous rock hounds throwing chards over the fence, in the direction of the dig. This was back in the early 80s when archeologists were the only ones who could access the site & they were rarely around. I asked the rock hounds where they got their chards - there are “chipping grounds” and old campsites scattered all over that area, along with some pretty awesome petroglyphs north of Irwin & to the west of Calico in the rocks around the dry lake beds. I always wondered if the archeologists ever figured out the joke.

And the sweet part is that those determined to write the artifacts there off as "eoliths" will swear up and down that their expertise allows them to identify that knapping debitage as not the results of human activity. (Not that surface scatter would be lumped in with excavated stuff. But you know what I mean).

 

[Huzzah!]

Back to Calico, I?ve briefly looked at photos and YouTube vids people have made over the years and can see both sides of the story. From my unbiased perspective, I can see how the alleged artifacts found seem to certainly be Man-made. That said, I?ve also seen from these photos and vids where much of the natural rock/flint found around the area looks to be manipulated by man. I find it hard to be convinced that what has been found hasn?t been done by nature because it seems to be EVERYWHERE out there and in fact there seems to be so much of it that I can easily see how, sure, you are bound to find a few rocks that look like they?ve been touched by man?even a few pieces that really do look like a suggestive tool. Flint of course can easily look like it has been altered by Man when in fact it hasn?t been.

But that?s just from my internet-educated perspective on the matter. Would like to hear others? thoughts.

 

[releventchair]

The L.A. Times link wanted a subscription (?) for me to read.
This site provided the same (?) article.
Gives a lot of background.
https://thescotfree.com/humanity/a-...-one-mans-fight-to-solve-it-and-save-himself/

 

[uniface]

For anyone honestly interested, FWIW

google images search Calico artifacts

search pleistocenecoalition.com + calico

Several hours worth of stuff easily accessed. One PC issue in particular is Vol.5 issue 1 Jan-Feb 2013.

Knock yourselves out.

 

[uniface]

Add

Louis Leakey's Calico, part 1

Louis Leakey's Calico, part 2

 

[Huzzah!]

Thanks for posting Uniface—good reading.

Although I definitely have not read everything or examined each google image photo thus far and was initially rooting for Leakey et al. to really be on to something, I do have to say at this point I can’t help but lean toward Calico being a pipe dream. In such a place where there are tons (literally) of cherts, jaspers, and other rock 25’+ thick I still have to say you are bound to find all shapes and sizes of geofacts...not to mention that I’d expect anything Man made to certainly not be complete (the photos showing complete pieces found 25’ down to me reveal that down there is exactly where they were made because otherwise I really don’t think they would survive considering the soil’s condition). I’d be curious to see how many broken alleged artifacts they’ve found, for if few or none have been recovered then that would further convince me of the geofact theory.

Further, the reference to Figure 4 being identical to recognized blades from other parts of the world is an incredibly weak argument. Just because I may have a dead-ringer look alike in Australia doesn’t mean we are of the same mother or father. These alleged artifacts are simple...so simple it certainly isn’t a stretch to think Mother Nature could do the same once in a few thousand tries.

Also, Leakey’s reference of pebbles being smashed on a beach is another terribly weak argument because as far as I’m aware the stones on the beaches he references are not chert, and since not all lithic material breaks the same way I can’t help but shake my head at his poor attempt to compare apples to oranges. Let’s find a beach full of chert pebbles and stones, and then we’ll compare.

Still reading, but dang if my opinion hasn’t flipped the more I read here.

 

[uniface]

So. You figure the black-&-white artifact photo in post #14 isn't man-made ?

Seriously ?

 

[southfork]

So. You figure the black-&-white artifact photo in post #14 isn't man-made ?

Seriously ?

There's always going to be non believers even if they tripped and cut themselves on the artifacts .

 

[Huzzah!]

I’m not ruling out that possibility, but in an acreage that spans thousands of acres of bashed cherts (25’+ deep) I unquestionably would expect to find specimens that look similar. Without a doubt. I’ve come across enough busted nodules of jasper to know that it’s easy to get tricked—especially in an area the size of a small county. Chert can make a darn good geofact, especially if the finder is dying to find an artifact. It’s like looking for effigies on a giant gravel bar in a river—you’re bound to find SOMETHING that could resemble ANYTHING.

And, again, I’m just now digging into this and have a lot more to read, but I’ve never been one to hand out participation trophies just because someone finds some alleged rudimentary artifacts in a giant chert graveyard.

 

[Tnmountains]

It is all good reading and it makes you think. That is what it is supposed to do.I think as far as figure #14 goes goes is that nature has the odds in billion ways to replicate man with its forces and man has been replicating nature since the the beginning of time. The one unifacial piece in that picture is identical to the one you and I have passed back and forth ( Uni).
I have limestone pieces found on a site that I think were knapped and water worn. But.. no one believes it but yet I refuse to throw them away.
It is good that we do not all nod our heads in unison in this fascinating hobby. If we did we would be dumber for it.

 

[uniface]

If you go to the first Leakey article (so you can enlarge the picture of it), it is self-evident that the orange blade at right was -- and could only have been -- deliberately struck from a prepared bipolar core (i.e., the same way the lamellar blades of the Eastern US paleoindians/fluted point people made theirs). Down to and including the isolated & relieved striking platform from which it was detached from the core. Counting the blade itself there were six detachments produced -- all six of which are along one and the same axis. No others. Attributing this to chance, IMO, can only be an act of faith.

Credo quia absurdum

IOW, the idea is so absurd that since the only two options are to either believe it as something supernatural (transcending reason) or to laugh at it, I choose to believe it.