Cassidy DeBaker is Principal Investigator, Historical Archaeologist & Tribal Liaison. She graduated from University of Oregon in 2001 with a degree in Archaeology and Environmental Studies. She received her Master’s in Cultural Resources Management from Sonoma State University in 2012. Her thesis focused on the archaeology of Mission San Rafael Archangel and examined the history of indigenous and Mission-period archaeological sites in California; she is also on the board of directors for the California Missions Foundation.
Cassidy has been working in CRM for more than eighteen years as a professional archaeologist, with research, fieldwork, and analysis focused in Northern and Central California and the Pacific Islands. Her project management and compliance work with federal, state and local governments, utilities, private developers, and Native American tribes encompass a broad range of cultural resources investigations, including cultural landscape reports, archaeological sensitivity assessments, Section 106 and CEQA inventory and evaluation reports, and historic research designs. Her regulatory expertise in compliance with Section 106 of the NHPA, NEPA, and CEQA applies to both large- and small-scale projects, specifically Caltrans Standard Environmental Regulations Vol. 2 and the 2014 Programmatic Agreement, and Local Assistance programs, San Francisco Planning Department, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, California State Parks and National Parks. Cassidy has built long-standing relationships through collaboration and consultation with local Native American tribes and Native Hawaiians for nearly two decades and serves as one of the Tribal Liaisons at Far Western.
Cassidy’s past research has focused on the archaeology of islands and coastal regions, particularly in Palau (western Micronesia) and Hawaii. At Far Western she is responsible for overseeing cultural resources projects to ensure that compliance and technical investigations meet the highest standards, including contracting, budgeting, field study, research, analysis, report production, and staff training.
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Cassidy’s Professional Presentations:
DeBaker, Cassidy
2017
Assembly Bill 52 and Native American Tribal Cultural Resources. Presented at the Marin County Meeting of Mayors and Town Council Members. Ross, CA.
2017
The Rediscovery of Mission San Rafael Arcangel: The Archaeology of the 20th California Mission. Paper presented at the 200th Anniversary of Mission San Rafael Lecture Series, San Rafael, CA.
DeBaker, Cassidy, Josh McWaters, and Chris Kimsey
2017
Recreation and Stewardship on Mount Tamalpais: Documenting the Alice Eastwood Campsites, Van Wyck Campsites, and Pantoll Refuse Dump, Mount Tamalpais State Park, Marin County. Poster presented at the Society of California Archaeology. Yosemite, CA.
McWaters, Josh, Cassidy DeBaker, and Chris Kimsey
2017
The Household Archaeology of a Portuguese Dairy Ranch in Muir Woods, Mount Tamalpais State Park, Marin County. Paper presented at the Society of California Archaeology. Yosemite, CA.
DeBaker, Cassidy
2012
Mission San Rafael Arcangel: An Archaeological Snapshot of the 20th California Mission. Paper presented at the California Mission Studies Association Conference, San Rafael, CA and the Society for California Archaeology Northern Data Sharing Conference, Pt. Reyes, CA.
DeBaker, Cassidy, and Adrian Praetzellis
2011
Rediscovering Mission San Rafael Arcangel. Paper presented at the Mission San Rafael Arcangel Lecture Series, San Rafael, CA.
Board Member for the California Mission Foundation