Hendrys Creek Property, Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve

Appendix C Archaeological Survey Report Archaeological Survey Report Hendrys Creek Property, Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve. Santa Clara County, California. Negative Findings Report Prepared for Ascent Environmental, Inc. on behalf of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Mark Hylkema MA, RPA Archaeologist with Dan Cearley, MA Archaeologist Past Lifeways Archaeological Studies 225 Eureka Court Sunnyvale, CA. 94085 November 2014 Note: This document is not for public distribution. Contents Summary Statement. 1 Project Description and Study Area. 3 Environmental Setting. 3 Cultural Setting. 6 Prehistory. 6 Partacsi Tribal Ethnohistory. 7 Spanish Period. 9 Mexican Period. 10 American Period. 10 Results of Literature Review. 13 Results of Field Review. 13 Conclusions. 15 References. 15 Map 1: Project Location. 2 Figure 1: Vicinity Map. 4 Figure 2: Proposed Infrastructural Improvements and Study Area Boundary. 5 Figure 3: Distribution of Native American Tribes in Project Vicinity (Milliken 1993). 9 Figure 4: Henry Property (the Study Area) as shown in 1876. 11 Figure 5: 1916 Topographic Map of Study Area. 12 Figure 6: Extent of previously disturbed surfaces with the project ADI. 14 Appendix A: Project Photographs. 20 ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY REPORT Hendrys Creek Property, Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve. Summary Statement: This archaeological survey report (ASR) has been prepared for Ascent Environmental, Inc. on behalf of the the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD) and serves as an “initial study” for proposed improvements to the 117 acre Hendrys Creek Property (referred to as the Study Area). The study area is located within the Santa Cruz Mountains near the southern extent of Lexington Reservoir in Santa Clara County, and is incorporated into MROSD’s Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve (see Map 1). The study area encompasses the proposed project site which extends along the Hendrys Creek stream profile and is part of a larger multi-agency effort that has adopted a Long Term Management Plan that proposes to preserve, protect and improve the ecological conditions of Hendrys Creek. The agencies involved include the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD), Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) and the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST). To meet the Long Term Management goals within the study area, the current project proposes to enhance the existing riparian corridor by removing historic, man-made barriers in the stream along with demolition of several stream crossings, road alignments, drainages and culverts, as well as existing road grade and stream embankment contouring. These proposed actions have invoked the need for compliance with environmental regulations, including the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). CEQA requires an initial study and evaluation of actions determined to be “undertakings” and Public Resources Code, Sect. 5024 mandates that public land holding agencies maintain an inventory of cultural resources within their properties. Therefore, the purpose of this ASR is to identify archaeological resources within the study area and develop measures that can support an appropriate cultural resources management plan. CEQA requires that government and other public agencies identify potentially significant impacts to cultural resources prior to initiating an action that might adversely affect the resource. Further, the lead agency responsible for initiating the action must either avoid impacts to significant cultural resources or mitigate adverse effects to a level of insignificance. The significance of a given archaeological site is established in regards to the sites potential to contain information that can address research questions of importance to California’s history and/or prehistory. Also, sites known to contain Native American human remains, or those sites identified as having other important cultural value to Native American descendants are considered to be significant. This ASR has concluded that no significant archaeological resources exist within the study area, and that further evaluation is not necessary. Therefore, this survey establishes a Negative Finding for archaeological resources. MROSD Hendrys Creek Property ASR Page 2 Map 1: Project Location. MROSD Hendrys Creek Property ASR Page 3 Project Description and Study Area: The study area is located in western Santa Clara County, at the southwestern extent of Lexington Reservoir in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and consists of a perennial stream corridor flowing between steeply sloped hills covered with chaparral shrubs, grasses and mixed hardwood trees. The Hendry Property is an approximately 117 acre land acquisition that has been incorporated into the larger 19,000 acre Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve (see Figure 1). The property was acquired through a collaborative agreement between the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) and the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST). The Hendrys Creek Property has recently come under permanent ownership by MROSD, with a conservation easement held by SCVWD with intent to preserve and protect the Property’s conservation values while also allowing opportunities for public access. The approximately 117-acre Hendrys Creek Property is located in the western edge of the Sierra Azul Preserve, east of Lexington Reservoir in the upper and middle portion of the Hendrys Creek watershed at 20610 Aldercroft Heights Road, Los Gatos in unincorporated Santa Clara County, California (Santa Clara County Assessor’s Parcel Numbers 558-27-007, 558-27-008, and 558-51- 005). The Property is bounded by the Cathedral Oaks area of Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve to the north, south and east. Private properties border the Property to the west and along its southeastern corner. The Property is accessible from a deeded access road which runs along Hendrys Creek through the private property to the west via Aldercroft Heights Road. The study area is accessed from a dirt driveway along an access easement from Aldercroft Heights Road. The Property’s system of unpaved roads and grades parallels the main stem of Hendry’s Creek for approximately two-thirds of the length of the Property (as shown on Figure 2) and the remediation of these roads crossings is a principal focus of the current project. MROSD and the neighboring agencies have entered into a Long Term Management Plan- the details of this plan are on file with the MROSD and can be referenced accordingly. However, for purposes of this ASR, the boundaries of the project (which encompasses the various proposed improvements) constitute the Study Area for archaeological resources (see Figure 2). Environmental Setting: In order to understand the potential range of cultural resources that might be present within the study parcel, an examination of environmental conditions and local historic events has been done. A brief summary of useful references is presented at the end of the report and can be consulted for greater archaeological context if desired. The region is located around and includes the San Andreas Rift Zone, resulting in highly fractured rock formations with a mix of geologic types. Uplift along the nearby San Andreas and associated faults are responsible for the high, rugged topography of the Sierra Azul uplands. The terrain is characterized as steep and prone to landslides, resulting in thin soils with little capacity to hold water. Rainfall mainly occurs in the winter months from November to April with the majority (typically up to 75 %) occurring between January and March. Intense rainfall, thin soils, and steep MROSD Hendrys Creek Property ASR Page 4 Figure 1: Vicinity Map (courtesy of MROSD). MROSD Hendrys Creek Property ASR Page 5 Figure 2: Proposed Stream Crossing Rehabilitation project Sites and Study Area Boundary. (courtesy of MROSD). topography combine to produce a runoff response that can be characterized as quick, dramatic and sporadic. An average of 60 inches of rain falls annually on the peaks and ridges of the region, while an average of approximately 47 inches falls in the stream and creek valleys. Creek hydrology appears to be driven by seasonal surface runoff, as well as an extensive network of groundwater seeps and springs. The Property is characterized by steep north and south facing forested side slopes, several tributaries, drainages and springs, all of which flow into Hendrys Creek canyon. Hendrys Creek and an unpaved road bisect the Property in an east to west direction. The Property’s northern and southern hillsides are very steep, with the northern hillside having a maximum elevation of about 1,000 feet and the southern hillside with a maximum elevation of about 1,600 feet at the southeastern corner. The lowest elevation is about 720 feet adjacent to Hendrys Creek on the western side of the Property. MROSD Hendrys Creek Property ASR Page 6 Cultural Setting: Ultimately, localized environmental conditions within the vicinity of the study area influenced patterns of prehistoric and historic land use, which span the millennia during which the ancestral Ohlone Indians developed, and then on through the early years of Spanish colonization, subsequent Mexican rule, and finally up to contemporary American occupation and the eventual establishment of Lexington Reservoir. Prehistory For many thousands of years the ancestral Ohlone people of the Santa Clara Valley lived in a landscape that offered a great range of ecological diversity. They were surrounded by an environment that brought

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