Project Grant 2317361

This $268,585 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (CFDA 47.075) supports long-term research examining human-environment interactions along the Pacific Coast. The research team from the University of Nevada, Reno will conduct archaeological surveys and excavations, radiocarbon dating, and stable isotope analysis of marine shells and fish remains to develop a chronology of coastal occupation and paleoenvironmental change over millennia. The project objectives are to determine the geographic and chronological distribution of coastal archaeological sites, reconstruct patterns of mobility and resource use, track human adaptations to natural and anthropogenic changes in resource availability, and reconstruct aspects of nearshore paleoenvironments and ecology. This research will generate critical biological, ecological, and subsistence data to inform understanding of coastal adaptation and marine resource sustainability during periods of global environmental change. The project involves collaboration with researchers from California State University, Los Angeles, who will assist with fieldwork, lab analyses, and student training and mentoring.