E Archaeological/Paleontological Resources
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
E Archaeological/Paleontological Resources ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY REPORT AND PALEONTOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT TAYLOR YARD BIKEWAY AND PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CALIFORNIA P REPARED FOR: City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works Bureau of Engineering Environmental Management Group 1149 S. Broadway, Suite 600, Mail Stop 939 Los Angeles, CA 90015-2213 P REPARED BY: ICF International 601 W. Fifth Street, Suite 900 Los Angeles, CA 90071 September 2016 ICF International. 2016. Archaeological Survey Report and Paleontological Assessment, Taylor Yard Bikeway and Pedestrian Bridge, Los Angeles County, California. September. (ICF 00006.16). Los Angeles, CA. Management Summary This archaeological survey anD paleontological assessment report was prepareD for the proposeD Taylor YarD Bikeway and Pedestrian Bridge Project on behalf of the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, Bureau of Engineering, Environmental Management Group. It presents the results of a cultural resources stuDy conDucteD by ICF International (ICF) anD meets the stanDards outlineD in the California Environmental Quality Act. The proposeD project woulD be locateD at the Los Angeles River, with the proposeD briDge’s north abutment at Kerr Road anD south abutment between Altman Street anD Dorris Place. The landing woulD be within a Los Angeles County river maintenance easement. The neighboring property to the west is the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, Bureau of Sanitation, Dorris Place Maintenance YarD. The south bank of the Los Angeles River in the project area is currently useD for the Los Angeles River Greenway Trail. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages the Los Angeles River in the project area. A cultural resources recorDs search was conDucteD on February 16, 2016, at the South Central Coastal Information Center, located at the University of California, Fullerton. It included a review of all available cultural resources surveys anD site recorDs within the project footprint plus a 0.5-mile raDius arounD the project footprint. The results of the literature anD records search inDicate that 11 cultural resources, all representeD by historic architectural features, exist in the 0.5-mile stuDy area buffer. A peDestrian fielD survey of the project area was conDucteD by ICF archaeologist Stephen Bryne on January 21 anD February 3, 2016. The survey was conDucteD along transects spaceD no more than 15 meters apart. No archaeological resources were identified during the field survey. AccorDingly, there is a low likelihooD of encountering archaeological resources During construction activities. If cultural materials are DiscovereD during construction, all earthmoving activity within anD arounD the immeDiate Discovery area shoulD be DiverteD until a qualifieD archaeologist can assess the nature and significance of the find. If changes are made to the proposed project, additional surveying may be requireD if the proposeD changes include areas that were not previously surveyed. If human remains are DiscovereD, State Health anD Safety CoDe Section 7050.5 states that further disturbances and activities shall cease in any area or nearby area suspected to overlie remains and that the county coroner shall be contacteD. Pursuant to Public Resources CoDe (PRC) Section 5097.98, if the remains are thought to be Native American, the coroner will notify the Native American Heritage Commission, which will then notify the most likely DescenDent. Further provisions of PRC Section 5097.98 are to be followeD as applicable. The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC) was asked to conDuct a paleontological resources record search for the project area. The NHMLAC responDeD, saying that it had no recorded fossil localities within the project footprint or the surrounDing area. Fossil localities have been found in similar sediments 2 to 3 miles south of the project area, at depths of 20 to 35 feet. GrounD Disturbances associateD with the project woulD be mostly shallow in nature and, baseD on geological maps and materials analyzeD, unlikely to encounter paleontological resources. If fossil materials are DiscovereD during construction, all earthmoving activity within anD arounD the immeDiate Discovery area shall be DiverteD until a qualifieD paleontologist can evaluate the find and Archaeological Survey Report and Paleontological Assessment September 2016 MS-i Taylor Yard Bikeway and Pedestrian Bridge ICF 00006.16 City of Los Angeles Management Summary make recommenDations. If the qualifieD paleontologist Determines that the Discovery represents a potentially significant paleontological resource, aDDitional investigations, possibly incluDing fossil recovery, iDentification, preparation, curation, anD reporting, may be requireD to mitigate aDverse impacts from project implementation. Construction shall not resume until the appropriate mitigation measures are implementeD or it is determined that the materials do not require further investigation. Archaeological Survey Report and Paleontological Assessment September 2016 MS-ii Taylor Yard Bikeway and Pedestrian Bridge ICF 00006.16 Contents List of Tables and Figures ....................................................................................................................... ii List of Acronyms and Abbreviations ..................................................................................................... iii Page Management Summary ......................................................................................................................... MS-1 Chapter 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1-1 Chapter 2 Regulatory Framework ...................................................................................................... 2-1 2.1 California Environmental Quality Act ........................................................................................ 2-1 2.1.1 Historical Resources ......................................................................................................... 2-1 2.1.2 Paleontological Resources ............................................................................................... 2-2 2.2 State Health and Safety Code Section 7050.5 and California Public Resources Code, Section 5097.9 ......... 2-2 Chapter 3 Project Description and Location ....................................................................................... 3-1 Chapter 4 Environmental Setting ....................................................................................................... 4-1 4.1 Physical Environment ................................................................................................................ 4-1 4.1.1 Vegetation ........................................................................................................................ 4-1 4.1.2 Wildlife ............................................................................................................................. 4-1 4.1.3 Geology and Soils ............................................................................................................. 4-2 4.1.4 Hydrology ......................................................................................................................... 4-2 4.2 Prehistoric Setting ..................................................................................................................... 4-3 4.2.1 Pleistocene (Pre-9600 cal B.C.) ........................................................................................ 4-3 4.2.2 Early Holocene (9600 cal B.C. to 5600 cal B.C.) ................................................................ 4-3 4.2.3 Middle Holocene (5600 cal B.C. to 1650 cal B.C.) ............................................................ 4-4 4.2.4 Late Holocene (1650 cal B.C. to cal A.D. 1769) ................................................................ 4-4 4.3 Ethnographic Setting ................................................................................................................. 4-5 4.4 Historic Background .................................................................................................................. 4-6 4.4.1 Project Area ..................................................................................................................... 4-6 4.4.2 Taylor Yard ....................................................................................................................... 4-7 Chapter 5 Sources Consulted ............................................................................................................. 5-1 5.1 Cultural Resources Records Search ........................................................................................... 5-1 5.2 Native American Consultation ................................................................................................... 5-3 5.3 Paleontological Records Search ................................................................................................. 5-3 Chapter 6 Field Methods ................................................................................................................... 6-1 Archaeological Survey Report and Paleontological Assessment September 2016 i Taylor Yard Bikeway and Pedestrian Bridge ICF 00006.16 Chapter 7 Results and Recommendations ......................................................................................... 7-1 7.1 Archaeological Resources .........................................................................................................