Toscana Village at Temescal Valley Project Environmental Assessment Appendix A: Cultural Resources Assessment PHASE I CULTURAL RESOURCES ASSESSMENT Temescal Canyon Gateway Center Project Assessor Parcel Numbers 290-130-003, -004, -005, -006, -052, -053, -054, -055 Unincorporated Riverside County, California May 15, 2014 PHASE I CULTURAL RESOURCES ASSESSMENT Temescal Canyon Gateway Center Project Assessor Parcel Numbers 290-130-003, -004, -005, -006, -052, -053, -054, -055 Unincorporated Riverside County, California Prepared on behalf of: Ms. Ruth Villalobos Ruth Villalobos & Associates 11829 Mt. Gunnison Court Alta Loma, California 91737 Prepared for: County of Riverside Planning Department 38686 El Cerrito Road Palm Desert, CA 92211 (760) 863-8277 Prepared by: Principal Investigator David Brunzell, M.A., RPA BCR Consulting LLC 1420 Guadalajara Place Claremont, California 91711 BCR Consulting LLC Project No. RVA1402 Site Recorded: CA-RIV-3832H Keywords: Intensive Survey of 27 Acres, Railroad Grade, Culverts USGS Quadrangles: 7.5-minute Lake Matthews (1997) and Alberhill (1997), California Section 12 of Township 5 South, Range 6 West, San Bernardino Base and Meridian May 15, 2014 MAY 15 , 2014 PHASE I CULTURAL RESOURCES ASSESSMENT TEMESCAL CANYON GATEWAY CENTER PROJECT RIVERSIDE COUNTY MANAGEMENT SUMMARY BCR Consulting LLC (BCR Consulting) is under contract to Ruth Villalobos & Associates to conduct a Phase I Cultural Resources Assessment of the Temescal Canyon Gateway Center Project (the project), consisting of 27 Acres in Unincorporated Riverside County, California. The project site comprises Assessor Parcel Numbers 290-130-003, -004, -005, - 006, -052, -053, -054, and -055. This work was completed pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), per County of Riverside Planning Department Cultural Resources (Archaeological) Investigations Standard Scopes of Work. The project site is currently vacant and proposes to develop commercial and industrial buildings. During the current assessment, BCR Consulting completed a cultural resources records search and intensive field survey for the project site. The records search revealed that 30 cultural resources studies have taken place resulting in the recording of 11 archaeological sites and no built environment resources within one mile of the project site. Three of those studies assessed portions of the project site, and resulted in the recording of one cultural resource (a historic-period railroad grade designated CA-RIV-3832H) within its boundaries. This resource has been recorded using California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) 523 forms (Appendix A). The field survey and research have indicated that the previously recorded historic-period railroad grade (designated as CA-RIV-3832H) lacks integrity and as such does not appear to be eligible for the California Register of Historical Resources (California Register). Therefore, no significant impact related to historical resources is anticipated and no further investigations are recommended for the proposed project unless: • The proposed project is changed to include areas that have not been subject to this cultural resource assessment; • The proposed project is changed to include the construction of additional facilities; • Cultural materials are encountered during project activities. The current study attempted to determine whether archaeological deposits were present on the proposed project site. Although none were yielded during the records search and field survey, ground-disturbing activities have the potential to reveal buried deposits not observed on the surface. Prior to the initiation of ground-disturbing activities, field personnel should be alerted to the possibility of buried prehistoric or historic cultural deposits. In the event that field personnel encounter buried cultural materials, work in the immediate vicinity of the find should cease and a qualified archaeologist should be retained to assess the significance of the find. The qualified archaeologist shall have the authority to stop or divert construction excavation as necessary. If the qualified archaeologist finds that any cultural resources present meet eligibility requirements for listing on the California Register or the National Register of Historic Places (National Register), plans for the treatment, evaluation, and mitigation of impacts to the find will need to be developed. Prehistoric or historic cultural materials that may be encountered during ground-disturbing activities include: • historic-period artifacts such as glass bottles and fragments, cans, nails, ceramic and pottery fragments, and other metal objects; ii MAY 15 , 2014 PHASE I CULTURAL RESOURCES ASSESSMENT TEMESCAL CANYON GATEWAY CENTER PROJECT RIVERSIDE COUNTY • historic-period structural or building foundations, walkways, cisterns, pipes, privies, and other structural elements; • prehistoric flaked-stone artifacts and debitage (waste material), consisting of obsidian, basalt, and or cryptocrystalline silicates; • groundstone artifacts, including mortars, pestles, and grinding slabs; • dark, greasy soil that may be associated with charcoal, ash, bone, shell, flaked stone, groundstone, and fire affected rocks; • human remains. If human remains are encountered, State Health and Safety Code Section 7050.5 states that no further disturbance shall occur until the County Coroner has made a determination of origin and disposition pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 5097.98. The County Coroner must be notified of the find immediately. If the remains are determined to be prehistoric, the Coroner will notify the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), which will determine and notify a Most Likely Descendant (MLD). With the permission of the landowner or his/her authorized representative, the MLD may inspect the site of the discovery. The MLD shall complete the inspection within 48 hours of notification by the NAHC. A Sacred Lands Records check with the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) followed by scoping with tribes has also been initiated by BCR Consulting. The Sacred Lands Inventory check revealed no traditional cultural places within the project site boundaries. The NAHC provided a list of potentially concerned tribes and individuals to be contacted regarding the current project. BCR Consulting sent letters and emails, and made follow-up phone calls to those individuals to document any concerns. The results of these communications are summarized in Appendix B. iii MAY 15 , 2014 PHASE I CULTURAL RESOURCES ASSESSMENT TEMESCAL CANYON GATEWAY CENTER PROJECT RIVERSIDE COUNTY TABLE OF CONTENTS MANAGEMENT SUMMARY .................................................................................................... ii INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 1 PERSONNEL .................................................................................................................... 1 NATURAL SETTING ............................................................................................................... 1 GEOLOGY ........................................................................................................................ 1 HYDROLOGY ................................................................................................................... 1 VEGETATION ................................................................................................................... 3 CULTURAL SETTING ............................................................................................................ 3 PREHISTORIC CONTEXT ............................................................................................... 3 ETHNOGRAPHY .............................................................................................................. 5 HISTORY .......................................................................................................................... 6 RESEARCH DESIGN ............................................................................................................. 6 METHODS .............................................................................................................................. 7 RESEARCH ...................................................................................................................... 7 FIELD SURVEY ................................................................................................................ 7 RESULTS ............................................................................................................................... 8 RESEARCH ...................................................................................................................... 8 FIELD SURVEY ................................................................................................................ 9 SIGNIFICANCE EVALUATIONS ............................................................................................ 9 CALIFORNIA REGISTER OF HISTORICAL RESOURCES ........................................... 10 EVALUATIONS ............................................................................................................... 10 RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................................................................................... 11 CERTIFICATION .................................................................................................................