Appendix E Draft Cultural Resources Survey for Oxnard Airport Land/Easement Acquisition Project
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APPENDIX E DRAFT CULTURAL RESOURCES SURVEY FOR OXNARD AIRPORT LAND/EASEMENT ACQUISITION PROJECT DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT PROPOSED RELOCATION OF THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD ON RUNWAY 25 THE ACQUISITION OF APPROXIMATELY 97 ACRES INCLUDING 12.5 ACRES FEE SIMPLE LAND ACQUISITION AND 84.5 ACRES OF AVIGATION EASEMENT OXNARD AIRPORT, OXNARD, CA September 2010 Federal Lead Agency: Federal Aviation Administration Western-Pacific Region Airports Division Los Angeles Airport District Offices 15000 Aviation Boulevard Lawndale, CA 90261 Prepared by: County of Ventura Department of Airports 555 Airport Way Camarillo, CA 93010 Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. 765 The City Drive, Suite 400 Orange, CA 92868 Draft Cultural Resources Survey for the Proposed Oxnard Airport Land/Easement Acquisition Project, City of Oxnard, Ventura County, California Prepared for Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. Prepared by SWCA Environmental Consultants December 2009 DRAFT CULTURAL RESOURCES SURVEY FOR THE PROPOSED OXNARD AIRPORT LAND/EASEMENT ACQUISITION PROJECT, CITY OF OXNARD, VENTURA COUNTY,CALIFORNIA Prepared for Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. 401 B Street, Suite 600 San Diego, California 92101 619-234-9411 Prepared by Virginia Austerman, M.A., RPA SWCA Environmental Consultants 625 Fair Oaks Avenue, Suite 190 South Pasadena, California 91030 (626) 240-0587 www.swca.com USGS 7.5-Minute Quadrangle Oxnard, California SWCA Project No. 16140 December, 2009 Key Words: cultural resources survey; intensive, 97.45 acres, negative results, City of Oxnard, Ventura County, unsectioned, Oxnard Airport. CULTURAL RESOURCES SURVEY REPORT OXNARD AIRPORT LAND/EASEMENT ACQUISITION PROJECT MANAGEMENT SUMMARY Purpose and Scope: SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) was retained by Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. (KHA) on behalf of the County of Ventura to conduct a cultural resources survey, for the proposed Oxnard Airport Land/Easement Acquisition Project (the project). The project addressed herein consists of 97 acres, located in the City of Oxnard, California. This technical report was prepared to comply with current federal environmental review policies. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) guidelines require the identification of historic properties, and they require project-related effects on those properties to be considered as part of the environmental assessment process. That adherence includes Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, as amended, as required by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), and with regulations contained in 36 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 800. Section 106 of the NHPA defines “historic properties” as any prehistoric or historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in, or eligible for inclusion in, the National Register of Historic Places. Effects under Section 106 of the NHPA are delineated in the “Criteria of Effect and Adverse Effect” (36 CFR Section 800.5(1). Dates of Investigation: At SWCA’s request, the South Central Coastal Information Center (SCCIC) conducted a cultural resources literature search on December 10, 2009. SWCA contacted the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) on December 14, 2009, requesting a search of the Sacred Lands File for traditional cultural resources as well as a list of Native American contacts. We sent a letter to each of these contacts on December 22, 2009, providing project information and inquiring about their knowledge of cultural resources in the area. SWCA archaeologists conducted an intensive survey of the area of potential effects (APE) on December 17, 2009. This report was completed on December 23, 2009. Investigation Constraints: Ground-surface visibility ranged from low to high, between 20 and 100 percent, within the APE. Approximately 20 acres of the APE could not be adequately surveyed for cultural resources because they were obstructed by fencing, tall vegetation, or development and paving. Summary of Findings: The SCCIC records search conducted for the project indicated that two previous cultural resources studies have been conducted within the APE, but no cultural resources have been previously identified within the APE. SWCA’s pedestrian survey identified no cultural resources within the APE. The NAHC Sacred Lands File search for traditional cultural resources failed to indicate the presence of Native American cultural resources in the immediate vicinity of the proposed APE. The NAHC response included a list of 17 Native American groups or individuals interested in Ventura County and who may have knowledge of cultural resources in the APE. SWCA sent letters describing the proposed project along with location maps via U.S. mail to these 17 contacts. No responses had been received at the time of this report. Recommendations: No cultural resources were identified in the APE for direct effects during a survey of the proposed undertaking. No NRHP-eligible archaeological sites, historic properties, or districts are located within the APE for direct effects. SWCA recommends a finding of no historic properties in the APEs for direct effects. No further archaeological work is recommended for the proposed land/easement acquisition location. In the event that cultural resources are exposed during construction, work in the immediate vicinity of the find must stop until an archaeologist who meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards can evaluate the significance of the find. Construction activities may continue in other areas. If SWCA Environmental Consultants ii CULTURAL RESOURCES SURVEY REPORT OXNARD AIRPORT LAND/EASEMENT ACQUISITION PROJECT the discovery proves significant under Section 106, additional work such as testing or data recovery may be warranted. The discovery of human remains is always a possibility during ground disturbances; State of California Health and Safety Code Section 7050.5 addresses these findings. This code section states that no further disturbance shall occur until the Ventura County Coroner (the Coroner) has made a determination of origin and disposition pursuant to PRC Section 5097.98. The Coroner must be notified of the find immediately. If the human remains are determined to be prehistoric, the Coroner will notify the Native American Heritage Commission, which will determine and notify a Most Likely Descendant (MLD). The MLD shall complete the inspection of the site within 48 hours of notification and may recommend scientific removal and nondestructive analysis of human remains and items associated with Native American burials. Disposition of Data: This report will be filed with KHA; the SCCIC located at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF); and SWCA Environmental Consultants. All field notes and records related to the project will remain on file at the South Pasadena office of SWCA. SWCA Environmental Consultants iii CULTURAL RESOURCES SURVEY REPORT OXNARD AIRPORT LAND/EASEMENT ACQUISITION PROJECT TABLE OF CONTENTS Management Summary .............................................................................................................................. ii Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 1 Project Description .................................................................................................................................. 2 Regulatory Setting ................................................................................................................................... 3 National Register of Historic Places (National Register) ............................................................... 3 Environmental Setting ................................................................................................................................ 6 Ecological Setting .................................................................................................................................... 6 Vegetation Communities ................................................................................................................ 6 Faunal Resources ............................................................................................................................ 7 Cultural Setting ........................................................................................................................................... 7 Prehistoric Overview ............................................................................................................................... 7 Horizon I—Early Man/San Dieguito (ca. 10,000–6,000 B.C.) ...................................................... 8 Horizon II – Milling Stone Period/Encinitas Tradition (6000–3000 B.C.) .................................... 8 King’s Early Period (5500–1350 B.C.) .......................................................................................... 9 Horizon III—Intermediate/Campbell (3000 B.C.–A.D. 500) ......................................................... 9 King’s Middle Period (1350 B.C.–A.D.1200) .............................................................................. 10 Horizon IV–Late Prehistoric (ca. A.D. 500–Historic Contact) .................................................... 10 King’s Late Period (ca. A.D. 1200–Historic Contact) .................................................................. 11 Ethnographic Overview ........................................................................................................................