The Bureau of Land Management and state officials are working together to protect the last remains of a prehistoric culture along the ancient Sevier River - remains that are being destroyed by an onslaught of off-road vehicles drawn to Yuba Reservoir's abundant sand dunes.
"All indications are the dunes were heavily occupied in prehistoric times," said Craig Harmon, an archaeologist for the BLM's Richfield District, "and those remains are now being destroyed by constant pressure from off-road vehicles.""People camp on them, ORVs race through them. And in the process, they scatter artifacts as they go, burying some and uncovering others."
The BLM had initially planned to close a popular dune area on the east shore of Yuba Reservoir to all ORV use, but a last-minute survey of the area revealedthe dunes are on state, not federal land. Harmon has since been working with the state Division of History, which has been extremely cooperative.
"We are looking at two options: A land trade where the BLM can acquire the site and protect it, or a cooperative effort with state lands to interpret and protect the site," Harmon said. "But it's all in the beginning stage."
The site is threatened by the several hundred thousand people who flock to Yuba Reservoir every summer to bask in the sun and play in the soft white sand - the same sand that attracted prehistoric homeowners, perhaps thousands of years ago.
To protect the site, the BLM had intended to close the dune area and a buffer zone on the east shore to all ORV use. It was to be the first step, Harmon said, towards providing public access to the archaeology of the area.
The BLM is still hoping to work with Southern Utah University to excavate portions of the dunes. In addition, the BLM wants to erect interpretive signs and stabilize and protect certain sites for public visitation.
"We see it as part of the overall management plan of the lake," Harmon said.
Not a lot is known about the prehistoric inhabitants of the area around Yuba Reservoir. The dam, started in 1902, was built decades before any laws requiring archaeological mitigation. The highest concentration of sites is undoubtedly under water, Harmon said.
"That enhances the need to protect those few sites we have left," he said. "And this particular site (on the east shore) is one of the neatest sites in the whole area."
A Central Utah Chapter of the Utah Statewide Archaeological Society has been working with Harmon to survey and test the dune area. One test revealed the floor of an archaic period structure about 18 inches below the surface.
The prehistoric use of the dunes appears to reflect extensive but temporary occupations. Most of what remains are milling stones, fire-cracked rocks, the remains of chipped-stone tools and fire hearths. Pottery is rare.
Harmon and society volunteers plan to continue surveying around Yuba Reservoir, looking for additional sites that will piece together a bigger picture of ancient life in Sevier River area.
"We recognize recreation is the primary reason people come here," Harmon said. "But there is also a need to protect these resources. The BLM is looking at archaeology as a way of enhancing the public's overall experience on the lake, not a way to detract from their recreation."