Join SCAS for “Prehistoric and Historical Archaeology in the City of Santa Cruz: Implications for Past Occupation and Land Use – When and Why?,” a talk by Ryan Brady and Sarah Brewer, from environmental consulting firm Dudek. The talk will be held on December 13, 2018, 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).

Dudek recently completed a cultural resources sensitivity study for the City of Santa Cruz. In addition to compiling information for all archaeological reports and recorded sites within the City limits, we developed a sensitivity model for predicting the locations of past activities. The sensitivity model considered variables such as distance to water, slope, and soil type and provided some surprising results when compared with the existing record. This study has implications for understanding prehistoric and historic land use in the Santa Cruz area and can also be used to interpret or predict more regional trends along California’s Central Coast.

Ryan Brady, M.A., Registered Professional Archaeologist, is an archaeologist with 19 years’ experience in California and Great Basin archaeology. He completed his undergraduate work at UC Davis, and received a Master’s degree from CSU Sacramento. Brady’s research interests relate to prehistoric settlement and subsistence strategies as well as technological transitions. In the coastal context, he is interested in past peoples’ use of coastal and interior environments.

Sarah Brewer is an archaeologist with 18 years’ professional experience in cultural resource management. She received her BA in Anthropology at Sonoma State in 1999 and is currently pursuing her MA in Applied Anthropology at Humboldt State. Her interests lie in the prehistory and history of California, with an emphasis on the Monterey Bay, specifically.