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Draft Final Traditional Cultural Properties and Cultural Landscape

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Draft Final Traditional Cultural Properties and Cultural Landscape Draft Final Confidential STATEMENT OF CONFIDENTIALITY: Due to the sensitive nature of cultural resources described herein, this report is confidential and should be withheld from public distribution, in accordance with Code of Federal Regulations Part 43, Section 7.18[a][1] and Section 304 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Traditional Cultural Properties and Cultural Landscape Assessment, Santa Susana Field Laboratory, NASA Ventura County, California Prepared for National Aeronautics and Space Administration November 2013 This page intentionally left blank. Traditional Cultural Properties and Cultural Landscape Review, Santa Susana Field Laboratory, Ventura County, California Report Prepared For: National Aeronautics and Space Administration George C. Marshall Space Flight Center Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812 Prepared by: Natalie Lawson, M.A., RPA CH2M HILL 6 Hutton Centre Drive, Suite 700 Santa Ana, CA 92707 November 2013 National Archaeological Database (NADB) Type of Study: Traditional Cultural Properties Assessment and Cultural Landscape Review Sites Updated: CA‐VEN‐1072, Burro Flats Painted Cave; Alfa, Bravo, and Coca Test Area Historic Districts USGS Quadrangle: Calabasas, CA; Level of Investigation: NEPA and Section 106 Key Words: Simi Valley, NASA, Alfa Test Area, Bravo Test Area, Coca Test Area, Historic Districts, Burro Flats, NEPA, prehistoric site, historic district, Ventureño Chumash, Gabrieleño, Tataviam, astronomy, winter solstice, summer solstice, rocket testing, nuclear testing, Cold War, cultural landscape, traditional cultural property STATEMENT OF CONFIDENTIALITY: Due to the sensitive nature of cultural resources described herein, this report is confidential and should be withheld from public distribution, in accordance with Code of Federal Regulations Part 43, Section 7.18[a][1] and Section 304 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Astronomy compels the soul to look upward, and leads us from this world to another. — Plato, ‘The Republic,’ 342 B.C. There can be no thought of finishing for ‘aiming for the stars.’ Both figuratively and literally, it is a task to occupy the generations. And no matter how much progress one makes, there is always the thrill of just beginning. - Robert H. Goddard, successfully launched the world’s first liquid-filled rocket in 1926 1 Executive Summary 2 The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) proposes to conduct demolition activity and 3 remediation of groundwater and soil on the NASA-administered property at Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) 4 (Proposed Action). The purpose of the Proposed Action is to remediate the environment to a level that meets 5 NASA’s cleanup responsibilities and to perform demolition actions necessary to support both remediation and 6 property disposition of the NASA-administered portion of SSFL. The Proposed Action evaluated in the draft 7 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) (NASA, 2013) is the cleanup of NASA-administered areas of SSFL (part of 8 Area I and all of Area II) to background levels. 9 Pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), NASA must assess the effects of a 10 proposed undertaking on historic properties. If the agency finds that historic properties might be affected by a 11 proposed action, the agency must then examine those effects to evaluate whether the project could have an 12 adverse effect on historic properties. Historic properties can include Traditional Cultural Properties (TCPs) and 13 cultural landscapes. A TCP can be defined as a tangible property that is eligible for inclusion in the National 14 Register of Historic Places (NRHP) based on its association with cultural practices or beliefs of a living community. 15 A cultural landscape is a geographic area, including cultural and natural resources, associated with a historic 16 event, activity, or person, or that exhibits other cultural or aesthetic values. 17 NASA commissioned the preparation of a traditional cultural properties and cultural landscape assessment for 18 SSFL and vicinity. The goal of the assessment was to study and evaluate the potential presence of TCPs and 19 cultural landscapes within SSFL. This analysis is primarily a “desktop” assessment, meaning that the majority of 20 the source material that has been analyzed is from previous investigations and existing literature. The 21 investigation also included 20 interviews with local and knowledgeable individuals to ascertain the current and 22 previous ethnohistoric use of the region and the influence of flora and fauna in area development. Interviews 23 were conducted from June to August 2013. This assessment was conducted in accordance with 36 Code of Federal 24 Regulations (CFR) 800, the regulation for implementing Section 106 of the NHPA, to assist NASA in indentifying 25 historic properties as part of the Section 106 process. 26 The findings of this assessment are intended to present the best available evidence for or against the presence of 27 TCPs and cultural landscapes at SSFL based on a review of existing literature, interviewee data, and attempts to 28 delineate resources, if present; this report indicates the general significance of the resources in a manner that will 29 inform the decision of the EIS (NASA, 2013) and potential mitigation measures. 30 This assessment investigated Native American use of the landscape prior to the establishment of SSFL, as well as 31 the post-World War II (WWII) and Cold War uses of SSFL. Previous work at the SSFL consisted of archaeological 32 and architectural surveys, and the recordation of the Burro Flats Painted Cave Site (CA-VEN-1072); recordation of 33 site CA-VEN-1800, a prehistoric rock shelter site (Emmick and Bard, 2008; McClintock, Wilt, and Emmick, 2009), 34 and site CA-VEN-1803, a lithic scatter (CH2M HILL, 2013); and the identification of three historic districts–the Alfa, 35 Bravo, and Coca Test Areas (ACI and WR, 2009). Burro Flats Painted Cave, site CA-VEN-1072, was listed in the 36 NRHP and the California Register of Historical Places in May 1976. For this assessment, sites CA-VEN-1800 and CA- 37 VEN-1803 were considered potentially eligible for listing in the NRHP. The Alfa, Bravo, and Coca Test Area historic 38 districts are eligible for listing in the NRHP, and within these three historic districts, six test stands and three 39 associated control houses are individually eligible for the NRHP. The California State Historic Preservation Officer 40 (SHPO) concurred with the eligibility of these three districts and their contributing elements, as well as with the 41 individual eligibility of the nine structures, on May 15, 2008. 42 This assessment identified one TCP within SSFL, VEN-1072. This site, which is already listed on the NRHP, is also 43 recommended as eligible for the NRHP as a Traditional Cultural Property. This assessment also identified an 44 ethnographic landscape within the Simi Hills. Because this study is supporting NASA’s specific proposed remedial 45 activity and the associated EIS, this study is confined to examine the presence of potential historic properties 46 within a specific Area of Potential Effect (APE). Therefore, with respect to an evaluation of eligibility of an 47 ethnographic landscape that far exceeds the boundaries of the SSFL remediation APE this study is limited to the ES090913061547MGM ES-1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 conclusion that VEN-1072 is the only identified contributing element to an ethnographic landscape within the 2 APE. This assessment also investigates Native American use of the landscape prior to the establishment of SSFL, 3 as well as the post-World War II (WWII) and Cold War uses of SSFL. This report was prepared in support of NEPA 4 and Section 106 of the NHPA. Section 106 of NHPA requires federal agencies to take into account the effects of 5 their undertakings (the Proposed Action) on historic properties. Regulation 36 CFR 800 defines a historic property 6 as any prehistoric or historic district, site, building, structure, or object listed in, or eligible for listing in, the NRHP. 7 NASA currently is preparing an EIS for the Proposed Action (NASA, 2013), which will include the results of this 8 assessment. 9 ES-2 ES090913061547MGM Contents Executive Summary .........................................................................................................................................ES-1 Acronyms and Abbreviations .............................................................................................................................. iii 1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 1-1 2 Research Design ................................................................................................................................... 2-1 2.1 Identification and Evaluation of Traditional Cultural Properties ..................................................... 2-1 2.2 Identification of Cultural Landscapes .............................................................................................. 2-2 2.3 Goals of this Assessment ................................................................................................................. 2-3 2.4 Background Information and Research Questions .......................................................................... 2-4 2.4.1 Ethnohistoric Accounts of the SSFL and Vicinity ................................................................ 2-4 2.4.2 The
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