Join SCAS on December 8, 2016, for “Golden Landscapes: Cultural Resources Management at Empire Mine State Historic Park,” a talk by Steven M. Hilton, Supervisor, Cultural Resources Program California State Parks. The talk will be held at 7:30 pm at the Santa Cruz Live Oak Grange Hall at 1900 17th Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95062 (click here for Google Maps directions).

Managing well over 2,000 cultural resources associated with mining at Empire Mine State Historic Park proved to be very difficult during recent toxic remediation activities. The historical mining resources provided an opportunity for California State Parks to approach the resources as a historical mining landscape. In this manner all of the resources were evaluated as a continuum or evolution of mining in California. This presentation discusses cultural landscape theory, global influences on California mining and the on-going toxic remediation at Empire Mine State Historic Park.

Steve Hilton was introduced to archaeology at Palomar Junior College in 1991 while working as a part-time landscaper. A professor suggested since he was digging trenches and holes three days a week anyway, Steve should take his Archaeology Field Methods class so Steve could recognize something cultural if he found it. In 1996, Steve graduated from Humboldt State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology. After twenty years of conducting cultural resources management throughout California, Steve decided to go back to school. Steve sought and obtained a Master of Arts degree in Cultural Resources Management from Sonoma State University in 2013. Steve has worked at California State Parks for the last 9 years. His interests in archaeology focus on historical mining, cultural landscapes, and prehistoric stone tools.