Consultant services for environmental and cultural resources permitting, planning and management. These services also include government and community relations and integrate political, legislative and project funding strategies.
As a U. S. Registered Professional Archaeologist, Ellen is authorized by the U. S. Secretary of the Interior to practice archaeology with a specialty in cultural resources management (CRM). Her qualifications include knowledge of and implementation of the requirements for cultural resources identification, evaluation, and mitigation (Phases I, II and III) under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).
In addition these qualifications cover knowledge of the other primary laws governing cultural resources evaluation and compliance, e.g. the National Environmental Quality Act (NEPA), the Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA), and the U. S. Department of the Interior’s National Park Service’s Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) and the Historic American Landscape Survey (HALS) programs, and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and other local, state and federal laws and regulations mandating related cultural resource evaluations including mitigation.
Her academic, intern and practical experience in CRM since award of a master’s degree in 2008, is in analysis of historic cultural materials and technical report writing; cultural landscape studies; project excavation and survey team member; and cultural resources’ research tasks and surveys.
PROJECTS
Bay Area Council’s Historic 1924 Ferryboat Klamath restoration and mooring at Pier 9, Port of San Francisco (2019-2023), Ellen is the local, state and federal permitting agent for the vessel owner, the non-profit business organization, the Bay Area Council. Ellen is the author of the historic preservation plan following local Port Embarcadero National Register Historic District guidelines, CEQA compliance and federal Section 106 Secretary of the Interior Guidelines. Also assisting with trades’ deliverables, Port third-party structural and engineering special inspections and supervision. San Francisco Fire Department, Public Works, Port of San Francisco Fire Station 35 Project (2017-2021) New floating fireboat station to serve the SFFD Marine Unit at Pier 22.5, San Francisco: Ellen was subconsultant to the Design-Build Joint Venture team, Swinerton-Power JV for environmental permitting including historic resource impact evaluation. Georgia Pacific, Inc., Fort Bragg, CA: 2016-2018 Remedial Investigation Action Plan. Ellen was a subconsultant to Kennedy Jenks Engineering Consultants assisting with the environmental permitting coordination strategy as well as recommendations for the cultural resources’ documentation strategic plan (Sherwood Valley Tribe) Novato School District San Marin and Novato High School Expansion Project: 2017-2018 Ellen was a subconsultant to Grassetti Environmental Consulting and Deborah Holley Consulting performing tasks for the CEQA-required cultural resources documentation and evaluation. This includes confirmation of cultural, historical and archaeological findings in previous records and new research as needed; initiating tribal consultation procedures for the Novato School District and providing content for the Initial Study and mitigation measures as needed. City of Larkspur Sanitation District Remediation Project. December, 2016-2017: As a subconsultant to Kennedy-Jenks/Integral Consulting, Ellen performed tasks for the CEQA-required cultural resources documentation and evaluation. This included confirmation of cultural, historical and archaeological findings in previous records and new research as needed; advised on tribal consultation, and provided content for the Initial Study and mitigation measures. The archaeological site under investigation in the Study area is a midden CA-MRN-255h as well as a few other pre-historic sites including an historic site the Remillard Brick yard. CA-MRN-67 (September-October, 2012): This site in Marin County is one of the 400+ shell middens in San Francisco Bay first identified by archaeologist, Nels Nelson, in 1900. Ellen was an employee on the historic resources’ documentation team of Holman & Associates. Work involved excavation and documentation of the Native American Miwok habitation site under the supervision of the tribe’s descendants, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. Historical American Landscape Survey (HALS) documentation for China Camp Heritage Village, China Camp State Park, San Rafael, CA (2012-present) is the last remaining Chinese shrimp harvesting village in San Francisco Bay and in California. Ellen initiated and led the volunteer project supported by HALS of Northern California (halsncc.org); ASLA; California Department of Parks and Recreation and Friends of China Camp. South San Francisco Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project: South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project (SBSPRP) California, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Alameda counties (2004-2008): The SBSPRP is a 15,100-acre restoration project and is the largest tidal wetland restoration project on the West Coast. SBSPRP was initiated in 2002 with the announcement by the property owner, Cargill, of its intent to the sell the property to the state and federal government for wetland restoration purposes. For the SBSPRP’s cultural resources evaluation tasks (NHPA, NEPA and CEQA compliance), Ellen’s tasks were:
Conducted the Cultural Resources Survey, cultural assessment and mitigation recommendations for the Resource Management Plan with the EDAW team.
Wrote Master’s Thesis: “The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project: A Cultural Landscape Approach to the Resource Management Plan” which is a primary document for the cultural resources inventory, historic context, significance statement and landscape treatment recommendations.
Invited to consult with the USFWS regarding master’s thesis recommendations for the cultural landscape treatment plan which has formed the basis for the USFWS’ submission to the State Historic Preservation Office for determination of eligibility of portions of the 15,100 acres to the National Register of Historic Places.
Compiled the SBSPRP material and interviewee for an historical interpretive audio tour, for the San Francisco Bay Wetland Joint Venture: www.sfbjv.org.
A Cultural Resource Study and Supplemental Recording for CA-LAK 1260 and 286. UC Davis’ McLaughlin Reserve at Lake, Napa and Solano counties, California (2005-06). Ellen was Project Coordinator as a member of the Anthropological Studies Center team at Sonoma State Univ, Rohnert Park, CA for CA-LAK 1260- 286. Surveyed and recorded petroglyphs and other cultural materials now stored and recorded in the SSU Archaeological Studies Center and SHPO’s Northwest Information Center, respectively. Benton District Historic Resources Survey and Inventory in Santa Rosa, CA. (2005-06) Ellen was a member of the survey team led by Diana Painter, Architectural Historian, and Ph.D. Tasks included conducting the Historic District survey plus writing the nomination for Benton District’s eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historic Sites.
PUBLICATIONS 2018. Johnck, Ellen “Port of Oakland Vision 2000 Middle Harbor Basin Projects”, in Guidelines for Applying the Principles of Working with Nature in Navigation Projects”, PIANC, The World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure, PIANC Environmental Commission Working Group #176. Brussels.
2014 Laura A. Watt and Ellen Joslin Johnck, “The Bay Area’s Solar Salt Industry-- An Unintended Conservationist”, In California History, Vol. 91, Number 2, pp. 40-47 ISSN 2327-1485, Regents of the University of California
2008 Johnck, Ellen The South San Francisco Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project: A Cultural Landscape Approach to the Resource Management Plan, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA