Narrative of Project

From the late 1930s to the early 1940s the area between Dome Rock and the South Bluff was used by the Natioanl Guard as a small arms range. The total area is approximately 3 acres. It is not known how often the national guard used the range, however photographs from that time show target frames made of wood and metal and fortifications supporting these targets. No items associated with this previous use are at the site today.

The Department of Defense (DOD) will be sampling the soil in this area for lead contamination. The DOD is proposing to collect ten discrete soil samples of two ounces each in the impact, target and firing line areas plus two random samples for naturally occurring lead. Some lead is expected to be found. If the quantity of lead is found to be significant, the national park service and the DOD will begin discussing options to remove the contaminated soil and have minimal impacts to the landscape. This area has not been inventoried for archeological resources.

The national monument's resource management specialist will be on-site during the sampling period and monitoring for archeological resources. The resource management specialist attended a forty-hour archeological class at the Midwest Archeological Center and is considered a paraprofessional field archeologist.

Please write your comments to this project in letter form and address it Superintendent, Scotts Bluff National Monument, P.O. Box 27, Gering, NE 69341-0023.

Thank you

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