ECORP Expands Presence in Central Valley with Strategic Key Hires
ECORP is excited to announce the expansion of our presence in California’s Central Valley with the establishment of a centrally located service area, positioning the company to better serve clients across the state. This strategic move, supported by a series of key hires in cultural resources and paleontology, allows ECORP to bridge the gap between our well-established offices in Northern and Southern California and allows us to provide more efficient, localized service to clients in both regions. This expanded presence is in addition to the full-service environmental consulting services that we have been providing throughout the state and Western United States since 1987.
Walk Where Mammoths Use to Roam – Paleontology in the Central Valley
Did you know that approximately 2 million years ago, the western part of California was used as an ice-free corridor for the migration of Ice Age fauna from Siberia down through North America, and for fauna to migrate from South America up through North America? This is the reason we have such a diverse assemblage of Ice Age faunal fossil material being discovered within the Central Valley. The La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles may contain some of the youngest Ice Age fossils found (between 50,000 years to present), but the Central Valley is the resting place of fossils much older. The Ice Age fauna from the Fairmead Landfill in Chowchilla (north of Madera) has over 10,000 fossils belonging to over 40 species ranging from large mammoths and ground sloths; to horses and camels; to rodents, birds, snakes, and pond turtles. The fossils at this site date back to approximately 780,000 years ago.
Archaeology in the Central Valley
The archaeology of the Central Valley of California offers a fascinating insight into the region’s ancient past, highlighting the rich cultural heritage of Native American populations that thrived here for thousands of years. This area, once home to diverse ecosystems such as wetlands, rivers, grasslands, and ancient freshwater lakes, supported the development of sophisticated societies with complex social structures, technologies, and trade networks. Archaeological excavations of pre-contact sites have uncovered a wealth of artifacts that shed light on the lifeways of the Miwok, the Yokuts, and other indigenous groups that occupied the Central Valley.
Niranjala Kottachchi is a geologist and paleontologist with over 15 years of experience and heads the Paleontological Program at ECORP. For 16 years, she has worked on numerous projects in the Central Valley in compliance with Society of Vertebrate Paleontology standards, including work for Fresno State University, monitoring and supervising excavation and recovery of Pleistocene vertebrates at the Fairmead Landfill Fossil Site north of Madera. Niranjala has published scientific papers in paleontology and teaches geology part time at two of the local community colleges.
Robert Ramirez is a Registered Professional Archaeologist who joined ECORP as a Senior Archaeologist and Principal Investigator in March 2024. He brings with him extensive experience managing both large and small cultural resources projects throughout California. His project experience includes completing archaeological surveys of varying size and terrain conditions as well as archaeological site excavation and monitoring projects of varying degrees of complexity. His Central Valley experience includes working on the Merced to Fresno Segment of the California High Speed Rail project as a cultural resources oversight specialist and providing cultural resources support services to the Pacific Gas and Electric vegetation management program. Throughout his career, he has worked closely with both private and public sector clients ensuring their projects are completed in compliance with federal and state cultural resource regulatory requirements. At ECORP, Robert works extensively with our northern and southern California offices as a project manager, principal investigator, and subject matter expert.
For more information regarding paleontological resources services in the Central Valley, please contact Niranjala Kottachchi at (916) 708-5330.
For more information regarding cultural resources services in the Central Valley, please contact Robert Ramirez at (559) 368-1978.
