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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAppendix E - Cultural Resource SurveyWest Ming Specific Plan - Draft EIR Michael Brandman Associates H:\Client (PN-JN)\0216\02160029\DEIR 9-1\02160029_Appendices.doc Appendix E: Cultural Resources Survey CULTURAL RESOURCE SURVEY OF WEST MING SPECIFIC PLAN A 2,181.46 ACRE DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTHWEST BAKERSFIELD, KERN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Submitted to: McIntosh & Associates Land Surveying Bakersfield, California Submitted by: Archaeological Associates of Kern County (AAKC) Robert A. Schiffman, M.A. Alan P. Gold, Ph.C. Keywords: Stevens 7.5’ USGS Topographic Quadrangle, James Canal, Southern San Joaquin Valley, Kern River, Southern Valley Yokuts, Kern County Authors: Robert A. Schiffman, M.A. Alan P. Gold, Ph.C. April 2005 1 MANAGEMENT SUMMARY/ ABSTRACT The following report documents the archaeological field survey for Buena Vista (West Ming) Ranch, a 2,181.46 acre residential development, located in the southwestern portion of the city of Bakersfield, Kern County, California. The study area of the proposed development consists of approximately 3.4 sections of farm land situated northwest of the intersection of Pacheco and Buena Vista Roads. The purpose of this investigation was threefold: 1. locate and evaluate any archaeological or historical resources present within the study area, 2. assess their potential to yield significant cultural information, and 3. develop guidelines to reduce impacts to any such remains that are present within the area. Most of the current study area was previously examined for archaeological remains almost a decade ago (Parr 1994). As a result of that prior study, a number of archaeological sites (10) and isolated artifacts (26) were found within the area currently under investigation. These cultural remains were either sites consisting of a surface scatter of artifacts (CA-KER-3958, -3960, -3965, -3966, - 3972, -3973, -3974, -3975, -3976, -3977H) or simply isolated artifacts. The aboriginal sites were composed largely of fire-affected quartzite rocks, with a slight additional compliment of some milling tools (3 items), freshwater Mussel shell (1 fragment), burnt bone (5 items) and 15 pieces of unmodified chipping waste. 2 Previous recommendations from the prior study were made in order to mitigate the adverse effects of potential construction projects on these potentially significant cultural remains. Parr directed that future researchers should draft an appropriate research design, the sites mapped, test excavated, the cultural materials analyzed, and the sites evaluated as to their significance in light of the guidelines set forth by the California State Historic Preservation Office. Unfortunately, these fragile and limited cultural resources that were documented over a decade ago have not fared well in the interim. Due to the effects of continuous agricultural activities the materials were either, deeply buried and/or moved from their original discovery locations, and perhaps collected. These actions have greatly limited if not entirely destroyed any scientific value that these remains may have contained. The present study attempted to relocate and evaluate the previously recorded resources. Unfortunately, significant alterations to the property have taken place during the interim. Extensive grading, land leveling, disking, and the systematic collection of all stone artifacts, have obliterated any traces of any of the previously identified resources. Since this was the case none of the sites could be relocated. The original locations for the sites and isolates were intensively examined by three professional archaeologists. Yet, no remains of those sites or materials were found. It is no longer possible to precisely relocate the finds since they were not described in enough details and were not precisely placed with the aid of Geographic Information Systems. Land leveling has reduced the terrain to a featureless plain. 3 Small sites such as those that were previously identified by Parr (1994) are common in the Southern San Joaquin Valley and were typically associated with slight rises in land sufficient to be elevated above the waterways of the Kern River, various streams, sloughs, marshes, and lakes. There were no problems affecting the results of the survey. No significant cultural resources exist at present. This may be due to the fact that land leveling completely altered the terrain and prior topography about five to six years ago. The discussion below provides further details regarding the reason for the complete destruction and obliteration of all evidence of the sites and isolates that were previously recorded. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that archaeological clearance be granted to the Buena Vista Ranch development project. However we also recommend that a professional archaeologist and Native American Monitor be employed during construction. This activity should be restricted to the general locations and in the vicinity of the previous site locations and individual isolates in order to assure that no late discoveries take place. These monitoring activities should insure that all significant cultural resources are avoided, and that no subsurface cultural materials or deposits are identified. If prehistoric or historic remains are unearthed during construction, then work in the discovery area should be stopped until the finds can be evaluated. If necessary, data recovery operations shall be conducted before project construction resumes. When historic or prehistoric resources are discovered they are to be formally evaluated and if necessary recorded. A vrained cultural 4 resources professional shall be given sufficient time to evaluate those resources before resuming construction. If deemed significant these resources shall be collected, further evaluated, and properly curated in a local academic facility such as California State University, Bakersfield or the Kern County Museum. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The following project description was provided by Castle & Cooke and details the nature of the proposed undertaking in greater detail: “The project is an amendment to the Land Use Element and the Circulation Element of the Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan and a concurrent Zone Change. The proposed Land Use and Circulation Element and the Zone Change will consist of low density residential (4,207 units), low medium density residential (606 units), high medium density residential (1537 units), high density residential (238 units), commercial (74.41 acres), light industrial (217.18 acres), schools (68.36 acres), parks and lakes (205.17 acres), public facility (Canal 20.38 acres), and the West Beltway and streets. The gross area is 2181.46± acres and is located in the northeast corner of Section 10, the northeast corner of Section 15, Section 11, Section 13, and Section 14, in southwest metropolitan Bakersfield.” “The project includes annexation of ±1736.36 acres to The City of Bakersfield and amendment to the “Sphere of Influence”. The Circulation Element amendment includes a realignment of White Lane, deletion of Renfro Road, as an arterial, and realignment of numerous collectors within the project 5 area. The project lies south of Ming Avenue, north of the Asphalto Branch Railroad, west of Buena Vista Road in Section 13, west of Allen Road in Section 11 and east of the West Beltway in Sections 10, 15 and 14. The project site is currently under agricultural production and some oil extraction facilities are located within the project area, specifically in the southerly portion of the site. “ UNDERTAKING The study area is located within southwest Bakersfield and consists of approximately 3.4 square miles (2181.46 acres) of farm land. Personal communication with Royce Fast of R & G Farms confirmed that the land investigated for this study had been leveled five or six years ago and has been farmed relatively continuously for the last 25 years. The leveling served to disturb and destroy all natural topographic features within the area. Additionally, Mr. Fast informed us that during disking and field preparation, all noticeable rocks and other foreign objects were picked up and removed in order to avoid damaging farm equipment and crops. The result of all this activity was the destruction and removal of all aboriginal and historic materials from those previously recorded archaeological sites and isolates. The primary crops grown in the study site are carrots, potatoes, garlic, and corn in rotation. The location for the Buena Vista (West Ming) Ranch project consists of approximately 3.4 square miles of farm land situated northwest of the intersection Pacheco and Buena Vista Roads. The northwest corner of the property borders the Kern River flood plain. The entire area, save for the Kern flood plain, has 6 been subjected to farming for the last 25 years, with no portions of the study area being undisturbed. It has been argued that most areas of California have the potential to contain cultural resource materials. Archaeological remains are routinely found throughout the Central Valley. A records search at the local archaeological information center indicated that several archaeological sites and isolated artifacts had been recorded within and near to the proposed development. Due to the presence of known resources within the project boundaries, and according to provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) guidelines, a cultural resources investigation was required. The 2,181.46 acres of land for the proposed development of Buena Vista Ranch are located in most of the east ½ of Section 10, all of sections 11, 13 and 14 and a portion of the northeast ¼ of Section 15, within Township 30S., Range 26E., Mount Diablo Base Meridian (M.D.B.M.), as depicted on the Stevens 7.5' U.S.G.S. Topographic Quadrangle. The areas investigated by this study are identified in Appendix 3, Map 1. The study area was examined and this report prepared by Robert. A. Schiffman, consulting archaeologist and professor of anthropology at Bakersfield College; and, Alan P. Gold consulting archaeologist with Archaeological Associates of Kern County (AAKC). Assisting with the survey was Kish LaPierre, graduate student in archaeology at California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB). Brief resumes for all individuals can be found in Appendix 1. The fieldwork was completed in October and November of 2003 and January of 2004. 7 NATURAL SETTING The study area is located on agricultural parcels of land within the southern San Joaquin Valley and also within the flood plain of the Kern River. It is further situated in the southern portion of the city of Bakersfield, in Kern County, at an elevation averaging 350 feet above mean sea level (a.m.s.l.). The study area is devoid of natural vegetation, save for the areas located within the overflow deposits of the Kern. Within the project area were noted naturally occurring native plant species, including: coyote melons (Curcubita sp.), tobacco (Nicotiana sp.), mesquite (Prosopis sp.), cottonwoods (Populus fremontii), and willows (Salix spp.). The soil was a sandy, light-colored, very fine-grained, Quaternary alluvium. Other historic features that exist in the study area include the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks and James Canal. Overall ground visibility was excellent, as the land had recently been disked and cleared. CULTURAL SETTING Prior to the field survey, a literature search was conducted at the Southern San Joaquin Valley Information Center, a component of the California Historical Resources Information System. This Information Center is the repository for the archaeological reports and site records located in Kern County. According to this archive, there have been six previous cultural resource investigations that examined areas that included portions of the current project area. These include studies for pipelines, road development and maintenance, and residential 8 development. The most significant and recent study, with respect to the present inquiry, was conducted for a 4,525-acre study that included much of the present study area. That survey (Parr 1994) examined all of sections 11, 13, 14, 15 and a portion of section 10. The Parr Report replicated or incorporated by reference information from the other five surveys. No conflicting information relevant to this project occurred between the six reports. The current project includes the surface archaeological survey of lands covering sections 11, 13, 14, and portions of sections 10 and 15. Therefore, most of the present study area has already been surveyed for cultural resources. As a result of that prior study, 21 archaeological sites and 29 isolated artifacts were previously identified and formally recorded. Of those that were identified, ten (10) archaeological sites and 19 isolates were located within the boundaries of the present study area. Two (2) sites were recorded within section 13 and eight (8) were found in section 14. These sites were described as follows: CA-KER-3958 - 25 quartzite cobble fragments, 10 of which were fire- affected. A possible hammer stone and three fragments of milling equipment were also identified. CA-KER-3960 - 15 quartzite cobble fragments and ten (10) fire-affected rocks. A mano fragment of red quartzite and two flakes were also recorded. CA- KER-3965 - 30 cobbles of fire-affected rock, five (5) chalcedony flakes, five (5) pieces of burned bone and a fragment of freshwater shell (Anodonta sp.) 9 CA-KER-3966 - 15 cobbles of fire-affected rock, six (6) flakes of various materials CA-KER-3972 - two (2) cobbles of fire-affected rock, two (2) basalt flakes and a midsection of a Grimes Canyon fused shale projectile point, ten (10) pieces of freshwater shell (Anodonta sp.) CA-KER-3973 - 30 cobbles of fire-affected rock, 20 flakes of various materials, one basal core, burned and unburned bone, several pieces of freshwater shell (Anodonta sp.) CA-KER-3974 - 15 cobbles, ten (10) flakes of various material, about five (5) pieces of burned and unburned bone CA-KER-3975 - ten (10) cobbles, one chert core and six (6) flakes of various materials CA-KER-3976 – two (2) cobbles and one (1) basalt flake CA-KER-3977H - scatter of 15 pieces of stoneware and ten (10) pieces of glass that dates to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The ceramics are of Chinese ethnic affiliation. This material was located on the Stevens siding of the Buttonwillow spur line of the Southern Pacific Railroad. The isolates were recorded in three groups. Two were individual isolates and one was a grouping of 26 separate isolates scattered throughout sections 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15. Of those 28 isolated items, 24 were within the confines of the study area. 10 The following isolates were found within the boundaries of the present study area: CCISOL Grouping of isolates- Within the study boundaries were found individual isolates identified as 15 flakes, one (1) biface fragment, two (2) cores, a mano fragment, a bowl mortar fragment, and an unmodified quartzite slab. This isolate record covers a variety of individual artifacts spread over a five (5) square mile sections. No great detail is provided in the brief isolate record and some of these materials were not collected but were rather left in place and others were collected. IF-KER-947 (CC(2) Isolate 1- An isolated shouldered and contracting stem projectile point comparing favorable to previously identified points in nearby contexts including Buena Vista Lake (Wedel 1941:Plate 39. Figure L) and also similar points identified by Gifford and Schenk (1926:80, Figure 1). The point appeared to have been reworked and was manufactured from obsidian. Based on the sketch, the item is a dart point (rather than an arrow), and as such it would be older than the use of the bow and arrow which is though to have been introduced about A.D. 300-600. Similar points in eastern Kern County have been identified and are roughly contemporaneous with dates for Gypsum contracting- stem points dating from 2000 B.C. to A.D. 600 and contemporaneous with the Elko series in the Great Basin. The isolate record indicated that the item was collected and is stored at the Cultural Resource Facility, California State University, Bakersfield. 11 IF-KER-948 (C&C Isolates 1-14) - Three (3) fragments from a disc- shaped Pismo clam (Tivela stultorum) ornament were discovered. The ornament was conically drilled from one side and also had a rectilinear design etched on its edge. The isolate record indicated that the item was collected and is stored at the Cultural Resource Facility, California State University, Bakersfield. Recommendations for additional work were tendered in the Parr report. The prior study suggested certain actions in order to mitigate the adverse effects of potential construction projects on these potentially significant cultural remains. Parr directed that future researchers should draft an appropriate research design, the sites should be mapped, test excavated, the cultural materials analyzed, reports prepared and the sites evaluated as to their significance in light of the guidelines set forth by the California State Historic Preservation Office. Unfortunately no follow-up studies, as those suggested, were ever undertaken. Almost a decade has passed since that initial study. During this time these fragile cultural materials have not fared well. They have been subjected to numerous episodes of destructive activities that appear to have eliminated any trace of these materials. Grading and agricultural activity is partly to blame, but it seems also that leveling of the area, including the removal of any topographic features or small ridges, mounds and hills served to completely eradicate any evidence of these prior materials and even the landscape features that they were previously associated with. Careful examination of the areas where these materials were identified, during several field visits, by three trained observers, failed to uncover any 12 remnants of the sites or isolates. To reiterate all of the resources referenced in the Parr report (1992) could not be relocated during our site visits. POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT HISTORICAL RESOURCES Located within the general project area are the Kern River Canal and an occasional remnant of oil field equipment. Neither of these resources should be considered a significant historical resource. The Canal and the equipment have been drastically altered from their original form, shape and character. The Canal has been modified many times over. It is barely recognizable as to its original morphology and as such is not a good indicator of the historical period in which it was originally constructed (see below criteria). As well the oil field equipment is neither unique nor significant. The criterion upon which the designation of "unique" or "significant" is made is based on Appendix K, of CEQA (Checklist Question 5A §15064.5). This document indicates that the importance or "uniqueness" of a historical resource is based on whether that resource: 1. Is associated with a person or event recognized as significant in Californian or American History, or of recognized scientific importance in prehistory. 2. Can provide information useful in answering scientifically consequential and reasonable research questions, which are of demonstrable public interest. 3. Has a special quality such as oldest, best example or largest of its type. 13 4. Is at least 100 years old and possesses substantial integrity. 5. Involves important research questions that can be answered only through scientific studies. If it is determined that a historical resource is unique, then efforts are required to protect and preserve that resource. If the resource does not meet the above criteria, that is, it is a "non-unique historic resource", as such it requires no further consideration. ENVIRONMENTAL BACKGROUND This southern part of the Great Interior Central Valley of California is a roughly flat-surfaced, structural trough (geosyncline) trending northwest- southeast and bounded by the Coast Range to the west, the Transverse Range (San Emigdio Mountains) to the south and the Tehachapi and Sierra Nevada Mountains to the east. A maximum of 50,000 feet of marine Tertiary sediments overlies the pre-Tertiary crystalline rocks, covered by a relatively thin Quaternary alluvium. Significantly, prehistoric archaeological sites that occur within this area are often buried by many meters of sediment, built up from the more recent deposition of alluvium. It is estimated that the valley receives from 1 to 1.5 meters of alluvium each millennium (Riddell 2002). This arid area occupies a large portion of western and central Kern County and commonly contains alluvial fan surfaces with intervening basins of the playa type. Floristically the study area currently falls within the Buena Vista-Tulare drainage system – a broad treeless plain characterized by a scant 4 to 6 inches 14 of rainfall in a year. The only perennial shrub in the area is saltbush (Atriplex polycarpa). Munz and Keck (1968) note that, prior to Euroamerican intrusion and disturbances, the area was perennial grassland, and also contained extensive marshes, sloughs and playas. Aboriginal peoples found these large interconnected water systems resource-rich locations for hunting and fishing and the gathering of economic plants critical to their subsistence base. The watercourses were generally shallow, only a few feet in depth, yet elsewhere the waterways were up to 25 to 50 feet in depth. In 1868 this inland sea occupied an area of approximately 1200 square miles. In 1938, a particularly wet year, Frank F. Latta initiated and carried out an interesting experiment where he and several youngsters piloted a 16-foot boat from downtown Bakersfield to Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay, up the Central Valley waterways. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND One of the last publications issued from an archaeological pioneer, Francis Riddell, recently chronicled the status of the archaeology of the San Joaquin Valley (Riddell 2002). He suggested that up to 90% of all the archaeological sites - including most of the significant and important village sites - have been largely destroyed. Nevertheless, a huge body of literature exists covering the archaeology of the southern San Joaquin. Much of the recent material, encompassing hundreds of reports, has not been synthesized and is formally unpublished. This “gray literature” has been completed for compliance with State and Federal historic preservation law. 15 Published literature on the area began with a survey conducted by a University of California expedition in 1899 (Gifford and Schenk 1926). Following this study, important research was completed at Buena Vista Lake by Waldo Wedel for the WPA during the Great Depression of the 1930’s (Wedel 1941). That early research was later augmented by the studies of Fredrickson and Grossman (1977) and Hartzell (1992). Walker revisited a Yokuts cemetery at Buena Vista Lake, providing some general material (Walker and Woodward 1947). Riddell (1951) gleaned information from private collections and reported on his studies and the voluminous Paleo-Indian remains, found at Tulare Lake, were highlighted by Riddell and Olson (1969). Moratto (1984) has also surveyed and reviewed a number of studies of historic and proto-historic cemeteries for the area. In 1965 William Wallace and Francis Riddell created an informal consortium of researchers known as the Tulare Lake Archaeological Research Group which spawned a newsletter and two monographs (Wallace and Riddell 1991, 1993). Over the last few decades California State University, Bakersfield, Bakersfield College and the Kern County Archaeological Society have sponsored a variety of archaeological and historical studies in the area. Notably all three organizations have had ongoing formal publications that have disseminated the results of their efforts (i.e. Dieckman 1977; Estep 1993; Fenenga 1994; Schiffman and Garfinkel 1981; Siefkin et al. 1996; and many others). The archaeological sites and materials identified over the years can be subsumed into the traditional tripartite cultural sequence developed early on for 16 the Central Valley (Lillard et al. 1939) and revised through subsequent detailed seriation of burial lots and grave offerings (Bennyhoff and Hughes 1987). The sequence spans a period of some 5000 to 7000 years. Earlier material is associated with the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene assemblages around the lakeshores of Buena Vista and Tulare Lakes (Fredrickson and Grossman 1977; Hartzell 1992). ETHNOGRAPHIC BACKGROUND Anthropologists generally agree that the aboriginal population who occupied the region of the study area were the Southern Valley Yokuts (Gayton 1948; Kroeber 1925; Latta 1977; Powers 1877; Wallace 1978). The following brief background is abstracted from several ethnographic overviews characterizing these tribal populations (see Wallace 1978; Osborne 1992; Schiffman and Garfinkel 1981). The Yokuts spoke a Penutian language found throughout the Central Valley and they were organized into true named tribes (or tribelets) and were separated into land-holding territorial units, based on dialectical differences. The Spanish called the Yokuts, Tularenos, or people of the Tules, because of the preponderance of bulrushes or tule reeds in their environs. The number of Yokuts living in the villages in the area at the time of European contact has been variously estimated from 3,150 to 9,500 persons (Cook 1955; Kroeber 1925; Latta 1977). 17 The abundant resources in the southern Valley allowed the Yokuts to maintain villages year round. These were commonly situated on small creeks flowing into a river or at the confluence of two creeks where there was a patch of level land immune from flooding. A central chief ruled each tribe and was assisted by one or more aides. Tribes were divided into two groups or moieties and identified with totemic animals. Each moiety contained a number of clans. Marriage was always outside of the moiety. Yokuts were normally peaceful although intertribal skirmishes were known. Shamans served as priests and the most important religious ceremonies were the annual mourning ceremony for the dead, a Jimson weed (Datura metaloides) puberty ceremony for both boys and girls, and the rattlesnake ceremony aimed at protecting tribal members from being bitten during the ensuing year. Subsistence resources included large game animals as well as smaller species. Large gamed included: deer (Odocoileus hemionus), tule elk (Cervus elaphus), and pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana), and smaller game include 2 species of rabbits (Lepus californicus and Sylvilagus audobonii). Waterfowl was a major dietary focus, as the lakes and sloughs provided abundant migratory birds including: mallard (Anas platyrnchos), wood ducks (Alix sponsa) and Canadian geese (Branta candensis). The staple aboriginal plant resource throughout California was the acorn. However, this was less the case for the Yokuts. Yokuts did trade for this important resource but their emphasis was on the ubiquitous tules (Scirpus 18 actus) - as an acorn substitute. The huge roots of this plant and other related rushes and cattails were harvested in great numbers, eaten raw or dried and pounded into flour and made into a mush. Watercraft made of tules were constructed of reeds and served to navigate the local waterways. The tule “balsa” provided useful transportation and an added means for hunting prey animals and gathering economic plants. RESEARCH STRATEGY One of the principal goals of cultural resource investigations is the determination of significance for any archaeological or historical resources found within a study area. The criterion upon which the designation of "unique" or "significant" is made is based on Appendix K, of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). This document indicates that the importance or "uniqueness" of an archaeological resource is based on whether that historic or prehistoric site: 1. Is associated with a person or event recognized as significant in Californian or American History, or of recognized scientific importance in prehistory. 2. Can provide information useful in answering scientifically consequential and reasonable research questions, which are of demonstrable public interest. 3. Has a special quality such as oldest, best example or largest of its type. 19 4. Is at least 100 years old and possesses substantial stratigraphic integrity. 5. Involves important research questions that can be answered only through archaeological methods. If it is determined that an archaeological resource is unique, then efforts are required to protect and preserve that resource. If the remains or sites do not meet the above criteria, that is, "non-unique historic or archaeological resources", they require no further consideration. The primary objective of this survey was to re-survey the appropriate portions within sections 10, 11, 13, 14, and 15 covered by the prior Parr (1994) study, and to examine the un-surveyed portion of section 10, in order to identify any cultural resources present. Included in this objective was to relocate and evaluate the ten archaeological sites and 25 isolate artifacts previously recorded, as per CEQA guidelines. FIELD METHODOLOGY The on-site field survey was conducted by three persons, who walked transects through the property. These transects were spaced approximately 20 meters apart, providing a thorough coverage of the study area. Several field visits were made in November and December of 2003 and again in January 2004. During the initial visits a cursory examination of those areas under active cultivation were made, surveying their peripheries and between the rows that 20 were planted in carrots. Since the carrots were immature much of the ground surface could still be discerned without much difficulty. For many of those areas examined, the land had been recently cleared and leveled. Therefore, there were few problems affecting the results of the survey, as ground visibility was good to excellent. RESULTS OF FIELD INVESTIGATION In October and November 2003, and again in January of 2004 a ground reconnaissance and field survey of the proposed, 2,181.46 acre Buena Vista Ranch development was completed. As a result of this survey, no new archaeological sites were found. As for those cultural remains previously identified within the project area, it appears from previous records and discussions with local tenants, who engage in agricultural activities within the parcels that cultural materials did exist in the past but have been either collected or were completely destroyed. If artifacts including any rocks, stone bowls, milling equipment or other aboriginal or historic materials were previously discovered during mechanical plowing of the grounds, these were collected to avoid harming the equipment and also because of the interest in such materials from the proprietors and lessees. These materials are likely in private hands within the collections of private individuals. Often stone bowls, milling slabs and hand stones are used to decorate the perimeters of personal residences in the area. These materials do 21 not normally make their way into the curational facilities at the local universities nor are they given proper provenience and their scientific value is frequently lost. Additionally, cultivation serves to move surface rocks deeper into the soil and as such any surface cultural materials might become more deeply buried. Leveling of mounds, hills, ridges and any other topographic features has aided in the cultivation of the parcels but has not spared cultural materials. This activity would serve to destroy their proper provenience, and in all instances within the present study area, has also served to obliterate any trace of prior aboriginal use and even earlier historic occupations. As such the proposed project will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of an archaeological or historic resource pursuant to §15064.5. MITIGATION MEASURES, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND CONCLUSIONS While an on-site field survey allows researchers to draw conclusions about site presence or absence, there is always the possibility that buried remains could be found during construction or earth disturbing activities. These areas have a very low probability of significant cultural resources being present. This is based on the fact that most of these areas were previously surveyed in 1992, and further that all of these areas have been systematically leveled, cleared of rocks and debris, and intensively farmed for many years. Nevertheless, it is always possible for cultural resources to be uncovered during ground disturbing activities. This is particularly true in the areas identified as archaeological sites or the locations of the isolated artifacts in the Parr study 22 (1992). Therefore, it is recommended that a cultural resources and Native American monitor be on site during grading and associated construction activities in the locations of the 10 cultural sites and the 26 isolates that were previously recorded. In addition, it is standard practice, that should subsurface archaeological remains be unearthed during any ground disturbing activities or construction at those site locales or within the entire project area, that work in the area of the discovery should be stopped until the finds can be evaluated, and if necessary, data recovery operations conducted before the resumption of project construction. When historic resources are discovered during construction they are to be formally recorded. Trained cultural resource professional shall be contacted when these discoveries are made and they shall be given sufficient time to evaluate those resource before resuming construction in those areas where these resources were discovered. Cultural resource professionals shall document photographically any historic resources discovered during construction. These resources shall also be collected if considered significant. These items shall be curated in a local academic facility such as California State University, Bakersfield or the Kern County Museum. Based on the results of this investigation, it is concluded that no significant cultural resources are known to be present within the study area boundaries. It is further understood that this study could not implement any of the recommendations of the Parr Report since no resources were discovered. Further given the absence of cultural resources, no consequences result from not 23 having fulfilled those recommendations. Hence, barring the discovery of significant resources during ground disturbing activities, the proposed project will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of any historic or archaeological resources pursuant to §15064.5. Therefore, as long as monitoring takes place and consideration is given to any resources may be unearthed during construction activity, it is recommended that archaeological clearance be given to the Buena Vista Ranch (West Ming Ranch) project. Upon acceptance of this report, a copy will be sent to the Southern San Joaquin Valley Information Center, California State University, Bakersfield. 24 REFERENCES Bennyhoff, J. A. and R. E. Hughes 1984 Shell Bead and Ornament Exchange Networks Between California and the Western Great Basin. Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History 64(2). New York. Cook, S. F. 1955 The Aboriginal Population of the San Joaquin Valley. University of California Anthropological Records 16(2). Dieckman, J. J. 1977 Buena Vista Village: Tulamniu?. Kern County Archaeological Society Journal 1:49-53. Estep, H. A. (edited and annotated by M. Q. Sutton) 1993 The Indians of Pelican Island. Kern County Archaeological society Journal 4:2-30. Fenenga, G. L. 1994 Alternative Interpretations of Late Pleistocene Paleoecology in the Tulare Lake Basin, San Joaquin Valley, California. Kern County Archaeological Society Journal 5:105-117. Fredrickson, D. A. and J. Grossman 1977 A San Dieguito Component at Buena Vista Lake, California. The Journal of California Anthropology 4(2):173-190. Gayton, A. H. 1948 Yokuts and Western Mono Ethnography. University of California Anthropological Records 10(1-2). Gifford, E. W. and W. E. Schenk 1926 Archaeology of the Southern San Joaquin Valley. University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology 23(1). Hartzell, L. L. 1992 Hunter-Gatherer Adaptive Strategies and Lacustrine Environments in the Buena Vista Lake Basin, Kern County, California. Ph.D. Dissertation. Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis. 25 Kroeber, A.L. 1925 Handbook of the Indians of California. Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 78. Washington, D.C. Latta, F. F. 1977 Handbook of Yokuts Indians. Santa Cruz: Bear State Books. Lillard, J. B., R. F. Heizer, and F. Fenenga 1939 An Introduction to the Archaeology of Central California. Department of Anthropology Bulletin No. 2. Sacramento Junior College, Sacramento. Moratto, M. J. 1984 California Archaeology. New York: Academic Press. Munz, P. A. and D. A. Keck 1968 A California Flora. University of California Press. Osborne, R. H. 1992 An Ethnographic Overview of the Southern Valley Yokuts. Kern County Archaeological Society Journal 3:36-65. Parr, Robert E. 1994 Archaeological Assessment of 4,525.45 Acres of Land West of Bakersfield, Kern County, California. On file Southern San Joaquin Valley Information Center. Powers, S. 1877 Tribes of California. Contributions to North American Ethnology 3. United States Geographical and Geological Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region, Washington. Riddell, F. A. 1951 The Archaeology of Site Ker-74. University of California Archaeological Survey Reports 10:1-28. Berkeley. 2002 The Status of San Joaquin Valley Archaeology. In Essays in California Archaeology: A Memorial to Franklin Fenenga edited by William J. Wallace and Francis A. Riddell, pp. 55-61. University of California Archaeological Research Facility, Contribution Number 60. Berkeley. Riddell, F. A. and W. H. Olson 1969 An Early Man Site in the San Joaquin Valley, California. American Antiquity 4(2):121-130. 26 Siefkin , N., G. L. Fenenga and J. C. von Werlhof 1996 Early Salvage Archaeology in Kern County: Investigations at the Buena Vista Golf Course Site (CA-Ker-240), California. Kern County Archaeological Society Journal 7:15-35. Schiffman, R. A. and A. P. Garfinkel 1981 Prehistory of Kern County: An Overview. Bakersfield College Publications in Archaeology, Number 1. Walker, E. F. and A. Woodward 1947 Excavation of a Yokuts Indian Cemetery. Kern County Historical Society Publication. Bakersfield. Wallace, W. 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Washington, D.C. 27 APPENDICES Appendix 1: Qualifications of Personnel Appendix 2: Records Search Appendix 3: Project Location Map Appendix 4: Project Map Indicating Newly and Previously Surveyed Lands Appendix 5: Updated Archaeological Site and Isolate Records (Bound Separately) 28 Appendix 1:- Qualifications of Personnel Principal Archaeologist:- Robert A. Schiffman. B.A. 1969, CSU Northridge; M.A. 1971, UC Santa Barbara. Professor of Anthropology, Bakersfield College, 1972- present. Has 33 years field experience in Kern, Los Angeles, Ventura and Tulare Counties and has prepared over 390 environmental reports and has several publications. Co: Principal Archaeologist:- Alan P. Gold (formerly Garfinkel). B.A. 1974 CSU Northridge; MA 1977, UC Davis, Ph.D. 2005, UC Davis. Current position, Associate Environmental Planner, Archaeologist, Central California Heritage Resources Branch, California Department of Transportation, Fresno, California. Has 18 years field experience in Kern County. Has authored over 150 environmental reports, scientific papers and professional publications. Field Assistant:- Kish LaPierre. B.A. 2003 CSU Fresno; M.A. in progress at CSU Bakersfield. Current position: Archaeological Technician at the Center for Archaeological Research, CSU Fresno. Has participated in several archaeological field projects and environmental studies.