Effective management of the nation's cultural resources requires the Bureau of Land Management to be aware of and encourage novel approaches to solving large scale archeological problems as they occur on public land. Effective management also makes it imperative that new methods of data acquisitions and synthesizing complex data into understandable and comprehensive predictive models be developed. Although specifically concerned with factors that influenced aboriginal occupations of the Piceance Basin in northwestern Colorado, this study is just such an approach.
It provides a plausible reconstruction of a life style based on seasonal movement of people to exploit resources whose location is determined by altitude.
Of particular interest in this study is the use of modern environmental data, both floral and fauna!, developed on public lands as a data base. This data coupled with the use of aerial photography means that modern data and technology can successfully be brought to bear on complex archeological problems involving large geographical regions.