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PHASE I CULTURAL RESOURCE ASSESSMENT FOR THE MENIFEE TRACT 37400 PROJECT CITY OF MENIFEE, CALIFORNIA (ROMOLAND U.S.G.S. 7.5-minute quadrangle, Township 5 South / Range 3 West Section 16 SBBM) Assssor’s Parcel Numbers 331-080-005-7, 331-080-009-12, 331-080-018-21, 331-080-024, 331-080-025, 331-080-027, and 331-080-028 Prepared on Behalf of: The Garrett Group, LLC, Miriam Rodriguez Two Betterworld Circle, Suite 200 Temecula, CA 92590 951-801-1857 Prepared for: The City of Menifee Planning Department 29714 Haun Road Menifee, CA 92586 Prepared by: Sue A. Wade Heritage Resources P.O. Box 8 Ramona, CA 92065 760-445-3502 September 12, 2018 (Field Survey 12/27/2017) Heritage Resources Project Number 17010 Keywords: 46.9 Acres, Negative Results MANAGEMENT SUMMARY This report documents the methods and results of a Phase I Cultural Resources Survey for the Menifee Tract 37400 property. The project property consists of 46.9 acres located in Perris Valley, southeast of the community of Romoland and north of the community of Sun City, in the City of Menifee. The project is a Tentative Tract Map (No. 37400) proposal to the City of Menifee for residential development. The proposal is by The Garrett Group, Two Better World Circle, Suite 200, Temecula, CA 92590. Proposed site improvements will include 174 single-family residential buildings, a 1.23-acre centrally located park, a water quality basin, and associated surface improvements. Development of the project will most likely include minimal cuts and fills of up to a few feet based on existing topography of the site (GeoTek 2018). The proposed project is required to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (Section 21083.2 and 15064.5 of the Guidelines) and the City of Menifee General Plan (Open Space and Conservation Element OSC5: Paleontological and Cultural Resources). The research and fieldwork undertaken and this report follow the survey standard scope of work and report outline guidelines required by the City of Menifee. The Phase I cultural resource survey tasks consisted of archival research, a 1-mile radius record search with the Eastern Information Center (EIC), a field survey, a Sacred Lands File search with the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), and preparation of this report documenting the negative survey findings. The record search revealed that portions of the property had been previously surveyed and no cultural resources were located. The field survey was completed on December 27, 2017 by Sue Wade of Heritage Resources and encountered no archaeological resources. As a result of the Sacred Lands File search, the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) noted negative results for the project property/APE (Area of Potential Effects) but noted that the absence of specific site information in the Sacred Lands File does not indicate the absence of Native American cultural resources in any APE. The NAHC also provided a list of Tribes culturally affiliated to the project area, with suggestion to contact the 36 Cahuilla, Luiseño, Cahuilla/Luiseño, Cahuilla/Serrano, Cupeño/Luiseño, and Kumeyaay contacts on the provided list. As the City of Menifee has indicated that they will complete Tribal Consultation for this project, the NAHC information is provided in this report as Confidential Attachment 2. Based on the negative results of the archival and field surveys, no impacts to archaeological resources are anticipated from development of the proposed project. No further measures related to archaeological resources are recommended. However, in the event previously undocumented archaeological resources are identified during earthmoving activities, further work in the area should be halted until the nature and significance of the find can be assessed by a qualified archaeologist. Unanticipated discovery of human remains: If human remains are encountered unexpectedly during implementation of the project, State Health and Safety Code Section 7050.5 requires that no further disturbance shall occur until the County Coroner has made the necessary findings as to origin and disposition pursuant to PRC Section 5097.98. If the remains are determined to be of Native American -page i- affiliation, the coroner has 24 hours to notify the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC). The NAHC shall then identify the person(s) thought to be the Most Likely Descendent (MLD). The MLD may, with the permission of the landowner, or his or her authorized representative, inspect the site of the discovery of the Native American remains and may recommend to the owner of the person responsible for the excavation work means for treating or disposing, with appropriate dignity, the human remains and any associated grave goods. The MLD shall complete their inspection and make their recommendation within 48 hours of being granted access by the landowner to inspect the discovery. -page ii- TABLE OF CONTENTS page MANAGEMENT SUMMARY i I. INTRODUCTION AND SETTING 1 II. PREHISTORIC CONTEXT 4 III. HISTORIC CONTEXT 12 IV. RESEARCH DESIGN 13 V. METHODS 19 VI. RESULTS 20 VII. RECOMMENDED MITIGATION 23 VIII. CERTIFICATION 23 IX. REFERENCES CITED 24 FIGURES 1: Project location: California (south half) U.S.G.S. state map 2 2: Project location: Romoland U.S.G.S. 7.5-minute map 3 PHOTOGRAPH 1: Project property: overview to the southwest 4 TABLE 1: Archaeological sites within 1-mile radius (Eastern Information Center) 20 ATTACHMENTS 1: Personnel Qualifications. 2: Record Search Confirmation Letter CONFIDENTIAL ATTACHMENTS (provided to City of Menifee archaeologist under separate cover) 1: Native American Heritage Commission Sacred Lands File Check letter -page iii- I. INTRODUCTION The Menifee Tract 37400 project property consists of 46.9 acres located in Perris Valley, southeast of the community of Romoland and north of the community of Sun City, in the City of Menifee. The site is located southwest of the intersection of McLaughlin and Evans Roads and is within Section 16 of Township 5 N / Range 3W SBBM. The property consists of Assessors Parcels 331-080-005-7, 331-080- 009-12, 331-080-018-21, 331-080-024, 331-080-025, 331-080-027, and 331-080-028. Figures 1 and 2 depict the project location on the Romoland 7.5-minute U.S.G.S. quadrangle map. The property is entirely flat at an elevation of approximately 1425’ AMSL, appearing to have been in agriculture for many years as well as having been recently ripped or disked. Vegetation consists of very sparse, mostly uprooted, remains of straw or hay plantings. Soils are medium brown sandy-silty loams across most of the property with several spots of reddish brown clayey sand loams where there were likely high spots that were leveled for agriculture. There is very little loose rock on the property and no bedrock exposures. Photograph 1 is an overview of the property the northeast corner to the southwest. The Phase I cultural resource survey tasks consisted of archival research, a 1-mile radius record search with the Eastern Information Center (EIC), a field survey, a Sacred Lands File search with the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), and preparation of this report documenting the negative survey findings. The record search revealed that portions of the property had been previously surveyed and no cultural resources were located. The field survey was completed on December 27, 2017 by Sue Wade of Heritage Resources and encountered no archaeological resources. As a result of the Sacred Lands File search, the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) noted negative results for the project property/APE (Area of Potential Effects) but noted that the absence of specific site information in the Sacred Lands File does not indicate the absence of Native American cultural resources in any APE. The NAHC also provided a list of Tribes culturally affiliated to the project area, with suggestion to contact the 36 Cahuilla, Luiseño, Cahuilla/Luiseño, Cahuilla/Serrano, Cupeño/Luiseño, and Kumeyaay contacts on the provided list. As the City of Menifee has indicated that they will complete Tribal Consultation for this project, the NAHC information is provided in this report as Confidential Attachment 2. The project research, field survey, and this report were prepared by Sue A. Wade, Heritage Resources (resume is included in Attachment 1). -page 1- Project Location FIGURE 1: PROJECT LOCATION SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA U.S.G.S. MAP 0 miles 8.5 N HERITAGE RESOURCES Project Location FIGURE 2: PROJECT LOCATION: PERRIS AND ROMOLAND 0 feet 2000 U.S.G.S. 7.5-MINUTE MAPS N HERITAGE RESOURCES Photograph 1: Project Property: Overview from northeast corner to the southwest II. PREHISTORIC CONTEXT The following information regarding the prehistoric cultural setting provides context for the archaeological studies completed for the project. The cultural context provides a framework within which to evaluate potential cultural materials for significance. The background information was gathered from sources detailed in the Methods section of this report, particularly the Archival Report for Cultural and Paleontological Resources: City of Menifee, Riverside County (Padon 2010). A. Archaeology Archaeological research in Southern California has undergone several changes in focus, reflecting contemporary research assumptions, since its beginnings in the early 1900s. Although a few surveys, part of the University of California at Berkeley salvage ethnography program, were conducted around the turn of the century, systematic archaeological research in Riverside, Imperial, and San Diego counties began in the 1920s with the efforts of Malcolm Rogers, curator of the San Diego Museum of Man and later with the academic research programs in the 1950s and 1960s undertaken by William Wallace (University of Southern California), Claude Warren, and D.L. True (University of California, Los Angeles). The following review of the archeological research conducted in the project region traces the evolution of archaeological thought initiated by these researchers and presents the understandings about the prehistoric past formed primarily out of the culture history and ecological/processual archaeological theoretical approaches that were employed.