Since 1974, ASC has approached prehistoric archaeology with a sensitivity and respect for the concerns that modern indigenous communities have for the places of their ancestral heritage. The ASC staff includes individuals trained in addressing ethnic group concerns with regard to Traditional Cultural Properties. Through hundreds of projects, we have built excellent working relationships with tribal communities, as well as with the Native American Heritage Commission in Sacramento. ASC has served as an advisor on federal grants for several tribes, including the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria (FIGR), the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians of the Stewart’s Point Rancheria, and Yoche Dehe Wintun Nation. Several tribal representatives from FIGR, Yoche Dehe, and Stewart’s Point have participated in ASC archaeological internships over the past decade. ASC also conducts workshops for tribes on archaeology and historic preservation.

ASC has partnered with local tribes on many occasions. In the first such effort, ASC set up and facilitated the Native American Advisory Council as a part of the Corps of Engineers’ Warm Springs Dam–Lake Sonoma Project in the mid-1970s. More recently, ASC developed and organized a training program that enabled members of three tribes to work alongside our staff in the inventory of the Lake Oroville FERC relicensing project area for the California Department of Water Resources. ASC staff members have recently completed collaborative research projects with Caltrans and the Stewart’s Point Rancheria and a climate-change study in cooperation with FIGR and Point Reyes National Seashore.