Clients - Transportation

Along with providing consultant services to a variety of city and county transportation authorities, Far Western has successfully completed 18 multi-year State- and District-wide “on-call” cultural resources procurements for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). Through our multiple Transportation Enhancement Act (TEA) procurements, we are transforming the Caltrans paper site record files into a state-of the-art GIS database. Our outstanding track record in transportation studies for Caltrans is reflected in Far Western’s 2007 Governor’s Historic Preservation Award.

Far Western is unique in their ability to effectively conduct cultural resources management and to make the information that they derive from the project related undertakings meaningful to both the archaeological community and the public.  Their staff has an expansive knowledge of local, county, state, and federal laws and regulations, as well as the skills to implement these mandates within the constraints of a variety of agencies and challenging settings. Over the past 30 years, Far Western has successfully developed and executed individual projects and large-scale, long-term programs that have significantly changed how we approach archaeological methods (i.e. geoarchaeology, archaeobotany).  This expanded toolkit has greatly improved the range of information that we collect and our ability to interpret the archaeological record.  As a cultural resources manager, this aptitude has assisted with both identifying and evaluating resources more efficiently and economically.  As a member of the California archaeological community, I have continued to benefit from working with the most professional, ethical, resourceful, knowledgeable, and considerable group of researchers that have always collaborated with the greater community to achieve new insights on prehistory and ethnohistory.

Terry Joslin, Caltrans